THE KOPENICK HOAX.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9170, 19 August 1908, Page 5

THE KOPENICK HOAX.

CABLE NEWS.

United Press Association—Bv Electric Telegraph Copyright,

VOIGHT RELEASED. Received August 18, 9.55 a.m. BERLIN, August 17. Wilhelm Voight, who, in December, 1906, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment at Berlin for stealing municipal funds from the town of-Kopenick, which he obtained by posing as a captain of the Footguards, has been released. A robbery of unparalleled daring was perpetrated on Tuesday, October 21sfc, 1906, at Kopenick, a borough of 80,000 inhabitants on the eastern outskirts of Berlin. This act of brigandage was thus committed under the very nose, so to speak, of the supreme Imperial authority. A detachment of infantry, under command of a captain, suddenly ap-

peared at the Town Hall of Kopenick, in which the municipal offices are situated, and acting under the captain's orders the troops occupied the buildinc. They rendered all the doors while the captain himself (.!■: c-larcd the major and all the municipal officers under arrest ''in the Emperor's name!" The captain exj.lsir.ed Jiat grave irregularities in the municipal administration had been discovered, and he had orders to confiscate the municipal books. When the mayor questioned his authority the captain J threatened to shoot him summarily i for revolt agdii st Imperial authority. The police and eight constables arrives-', and under orders from the bogus captain these kept the crowd in tru* street in order. Some soldier; guard over the mayor and municipal staff, while others removed the t fficial records and also the municipal strong-box,

containing a large sum of money. These were placed in a motor car which was waiting before the door. Meanwhile the remaining soldiers prevented anyone entering or leaving the municipal buildings. The captain ordered the detauhmer.t of troops to continue in occupation of the Town Hall one hour, after which they were to march back to bariacks, and then, springing into the motor car, he drove off towards Berlin. Tte mayor was removed to the milita' y guardhouse in Berlin, and the municipal staff remained prisoneis for another hour, after which the tro3")S f as ordered by the captain, marched away. Hurried inquiries reve; led that a daring fraud had been committed by a bogus captain who had employed real infantry to assist jim in his plot. The swindler had procured a captain's uniform and met a d 'tachment of soldiers returning fron. Jri 11 whom he ordered to follow Li ii. The soldiers seeing the. captain L~;'ure them never dreamt of disobeyir. him. His uniform was correct i.' every detail, and the astute brigand had the typical manner of a Prussian officer. Tiie brigand escaped with plunder amounting to ouv £SOO. The affair created un-Ln,u-.(ltd .:;nu3t:r,ent throughout Europe. It was supposed that the fraud had been the work of an army man, so utrfectly w~.s the personation of the Parisian csptairi, carried out, but the culprit v.',;* a cobbler named Voight, who had won some notoriety as a crimind, but had never been a soldier. Voight was sentenced to four years' imprisonment on chaiges of forgery, depriving persons of their liberty, and illegally wearing uniform. There was much public sympathy with the prisoner in Berlin, because the police had driven him from his last situation, although his conduct then was excellent.