Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-04-29
FOOLED THE ARMY
Captain Koepenick, German, on
Visit to New York, Tells
of Exploit.
MADE HIS PEOPLE LAUGH
How Cobbler, Posing as an Army Of
ficer Raided Town-Object to
Show FolIies of Rich.

Wilhelm Voight. alias Captain Koe-
penick," the cobbler who made all Ger
many laugh by masquerading as an
army officer. arresting the mayor of a
small town and raiding the municipal
treasury, arrived in New York recently
by way of Canada and is now retelling
to Germans the story of the adventure
which made him famous.
Voight went TO New York on a visit
and incidentally, as was made appar-
ent the other night, to make money by
selling photographs of himself in the
uniform of an officer of the kaiser's
regiment of guards, the dress he adopt
ed when commanding the kaiser's
troops"
To the clink of glasses in the Cafe
Bismarck Weight spoke of his trip from
Canada He is a rather tall, well built,
elderly man, with a fringe of gray hair
and blue eyes, t. twinkle of which
tells that he is not without keen
sense of humor.
In his adventure which landed him
in a German prison he sees no wrong
and declares that he neither expected
to benefit from the money obtained in
the raid on the treasury nor be lifted
from the obscurity of the cobbler's
bench His act, he said, was a protest
against the scheme of society which
made the follies of the rich the crimes
Of the poor.
Appreciated the Joke.
Twice, he said, he lost his position
nd ho
scheme dawned upon him Of imper-
sonating an officer of the kaiser's regi- |
ment voight was a cobbler near Ber-
lin. On Oct II. 1906, he obtained a
uniform of a captain of the First reg
iment of guards, stationed in Berlin.
He went TO the military station at
Ploetzensee and ordered a company of |
guards to accompany him to Koepe- |
nick. He marched his little company |
to the city hall, explained to the mayor |
he was sorry. but must take charge /
of his person and the city funds.
He arrested the mayor and appropr1- |
ated the $3.50 in the city treasury,
following the action by discharging his
soldiers and making his escape. When |
eventually he was arrested he was
prisonment, from which he was re
leased over a year ago. The German
people then began to appreciate the
joke on the predominant military spirit
in Germany, and when they laughed
the world laughed with them.
81 got here on March Il, landing at
Halifax" said Captain Voight. 81 Wis
tied Detroit and Chicago. 1 come here
simply as visitor and expect to re-
main six weeks. I have brOther-in-
law in Dallas, Tex. but 1 do not be-
lieve I will be able to see him. I want
ed to see the United States. do not
believe the sensible and the humor-
ously inclined will object to my visit"
Voight spoke through an interpreter,
sitting in the dining room of the cafe.
Every one seemed to know him, and
frequently he had to stop and bow
to new arrivals.
''At the time I became captain of
Koepenick' it was not for the money,
but 1 wanted to show the absurdity Of
the system. Twice 1 was thrown out
of employment because l became
drunk. and l said l will initiate those
in higher sphere 1 felt L was an
abused man and wanted to protest
and get even. was practically
brought up near barracks, and 1
knew the drill, though | had never
served in the army. The military was
the authority, and what more natural
than that 1 should seek to ape it?
1 had no idea that my act would be
a sensation or that it would raise me
from the cobbler's bench"
What the Kaiser Said to Him.
voight said that he liked what he
had seen of America, and when asked
he did not think the immigra-
ton officials would consider him an
alien because he hal been
convicted and sentenced TO serve a
term in prison he said, Il do not see
why any one should object to me-"
Voight was asked whether he had
ever had an interview with the kaiser
since his world famous adventure He
laughed and said it was a secret.
Finally after some rapid fire talk with
the interpreter his remark was trans
ated like this:
Eyes, 1 saw the kaiser. He said to
me, Can you keep mumP and l said, !
1 cam SO can l. replied the kaiser
That was all he would tell of the in !
,erview.
During the evening an aid circulated +,
through the cafe selling postal cards {
representing Voight in civilian clothes ,
md as the captain of Koepenick. The
ale was good Voight was kept busy :
igning bis autograph. !
The noncommissioned officer of the :
even guardsmen who were fooled by :
he captain testified that he ordered !
hem around in a lusty, imperious tone
hat might have been heard a mile
way. All the comic papers of Ger .
many utilized the incident for weeks.