The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1910-04-19
MAN WHO FOOLED
KAISER'S ARMY
Captain KOepenlCk, Seen In New
York, Told Of His Exploit.
MADE ALL GERMANY LAUGH.

Wilhelm Voight, the cobbIer, Who
Posed as an Army Officer and Raided
a Towns Treasury, Said He Did the
Job to Show FoIIies of the Rich-His
Interview With Emperor William.
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 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 kaisers
regiment Of guards, the dress he adopt
ed when commanding the kaisers
troops
To the clink of glasses in the Cafe
Bismarck Voight spoke of his trip from
Canada. He is a rather tall, well built,
elderly man, with fringe of gray hair
and blue eyes, the twinkle of which
tells that he is not without a keen
sense of humor
In his adventure which landed him
In 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 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
through intoxication, and then the
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
uniform Of captain Of the First reg
iment of guards, stationed in Berlin.
He went to the military station at
Ploetzensee and ordered 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 appropri-
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
tried and sentenced to a term Of i'm
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.
II got here ON March II, landing at
Halifax" said Captain voight. II Wis
TIED Detroit and Chicago. come here
simply as visitor and expect to re-
main six weeks l have brother-in-
law in Dallas, Tex, but do not be-
Iieve l will be able to see him. want
ed to see the United States l 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 became captain Of
Koepenick' it was not for the money,
but wanted to show the absurdity of
the system. Twice 1 was thrown out
of employment because 1 became
drunk, and said will initiate those
in a higher sphere. l felt was an
abused man and wanted to protest
and get even. l was practically
brought up near barracks, and /
knew the drill, though | had never
served in the army. The military was
the authority, and what more natural
than that l should seek to ape it?
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
whether he did not think the immigra-
ton officials would consider him an
undesirable alien because he had been
convicted and sentenced to serve a
term in prison he said, II 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
lated like this:
"Yes, / saw the kaiser He said to
me- Can you keep mumT and said,
4 can. so can l. replied the kaiser"
That was all he would tell of the in
terview.
During the evening an aid circulated
through the cafe selling postal cards
representing Voight in civilian clothes
and as the captain of Koepenick The
sale was good Voight was kept busy
signing his autograph,
The noneommissioned officer Of the
seven guardsmen who were fooled by
the captain testified that he ordered
them around in lusty, imperious tone
that might have been heard mile
away. All the comic papers Of Ger
many utilized the incident for weeks.
a