MILITARY HOAX

Northern Advocate, 8 February 1913, Page 5

MILITARY HOAX

"THE KAISER IS COMING.'

STRASBURG GARRISON PARADED

AND TOWN ALARMED.

EFFECT OF A FORGER TELEGRAM

BERLIN, Feb. S. All Germany is laughing at Wolters' hoax. He sent a telegram to himself, rubbed out the contents, and substituted the following: —

Arrive at twelve. Coming by motor-car. Proceeding Polygon parade ground. Entire garrison to be alarmed. '

WILHELM.

Wolters also forged special marks indicating that the message was from the Emperor.

General Elgotfstein, oblivious of the fact that the Kaiser was a thousand miles away, summoned the garrison.

The populace believed that war was imminent, and were very excited, the women giving way to tears.

In two hours 18,000 troops were on the parade ground with a new Zeppelin overhead, and surrounded by 30,000 spectators, including Wolters himself, who was overheard to say he " wished he could set the fleet in. motion."

Finally the chief of police motored to Strasburg, two and a-half miles distant, and telephoned back that he had learned the Kaiser was in Koenigsborg.

The " Morgen Post" recalls that the Kaiser in 1893 unexpectedly stopped a train himself and alarmed the Strats-

burg garrison

A previous cable message states that a telegram was received in Strasburg during the forenoon saying that the Kaiser would arrive in the town at midday to inspect the garrison. Accordingly the commander-in-chief mustered the troops, amongst whom was Prince Joachim, of Prussia, the Kaiser's fifth son, and the whole garrison drew up on parade on the drillground. The town was decorated for the occasion, and the population gathered in crowds to watch for the Kaiser. Everybody had been patiently waiting for four hours, when a telephone inquiry down the line revealed the fact that the town had been victimised by a hoax. Investigations were made, and It was found that Wolters, a former official who had been dismissed, had oiganised the affair to convince the authorities that he was really in possession of all his faculties. He disguised himself as a postal official, and delivered the fateful telegram. He has since been arrested.