Evening star., 1908-01-26

courtierS whom jealousy and fear OF XWZM
rivals, in the favor of the Amounted (~0 AasS =
of the Lord endow with all the rs~y~-
qualities of Sherlock Holmes -
Moreover, the Princes of the
Blood who are the objects of all this
general rule expert
enced men of the world, subjected from their youth
up to 50 much hattery hypocrisy, insneerity; and
picious. 1t would seem impossible under the cir
cumstances therefore, that they should become the
prey of swinders, be taken in by bogus noblemen
and frauds Yet there number of instances in
which Old World royalty has been duped by indi-
viduals of this kind fact which Europeans
likely to forget when engaged in rldlcullng the
facility with which Americans allow themselves to
be deceived by pseudo foreign aristocrats.
In several cases swindlers of this kind have man
aged ingratiate themselves to such extent with
the monarch of the country selected as the field of
their operations as to secure their appointment to
orders of knighthood. The soidisant Comte Points
ing of Louis XVIII, induced that ruler, after the
Bourbon restoration to invest him with the of
the Order of st. Louis and with the colonelcy of
crack regiment of the guard.
One day when the Colonel, in gorgeous gold
laced uniform his breast all covered with insignia
of French and foreign knighthoods. was prancing
he recognized by keen eyed veteran warder OF
the great prison of Toulon as having done time in
the galleys there. His denuncaton and arrest fol-
lowed and during the subsequent judicial inquiry
the fact was brought to light that he was clever
forger and thief fugitive convict of the name OF
Cognard and that for several years prior to his re-
capture he had utilized his position at court and his
prestige in society to indicate to band of burglars
which he had organized the people and the houses
to be robbed most prohtably. Shorn of his honors,
and compelled to don once more the hideous garb
of gallerian in lieu of his dazzling uniform he died
couple of years later in the prison huks at Touon.
The Career of Charles Hoffman
THIS man had counterpart forty years
later in the person of Charles Hoffman, of
respectable Bohemian glassware dealer at Prague.
Born in 1888 he already convicted at the age of
sixteen of forgery but escaped with light sentence,
by reason of his youth After drifting about the
Continent, earning his living hotel waiter,
member of the metropolitan police in London, and
member of the detective force there in Scotland
Yard. he dismissed in disgrace for dishonesty;
Just at the very time his father died, leaving him
a small sum of money. This he utilized merely
as working capital for his scheme of trading his
wits and the astonishing credulity of other
people. Taking up his residence at Paris, he soon
acquired the confidence and intimacy of the late
Baron Haussman, Prefect of the Seine and through
him Of the late Due de Morny He invited not
only to the state balls at the Tueries, but also
the private parties of Empress Eugene at
St. Cloud Compiegne, and Fontainebleau.
with an American woman, widow of New Eng
land inventor OF patent anchor who had died at
Carlsbad in 1865. By some another Hoff-
man induced the widow to surrender to him all her
rights to the patent, and then at proceeded to
negotiate with the various continental Govern