New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-04-08
WILHELM VOIGT IS HERE
But How He Cane and When
Are Mysteries Still to Solve.
ELLIS ISLAND SEEKS HIM
The Captain OF koepcrick"
Can Go Back There if He
Wants 20 When Caught.

Herr Wilhelm voigt. the cobbler of
Koepenick. who. with the aid Of a cap
tain's uniform. marched upon the town
Of koepenick. near Berlin, with a de-
tachment of soldiers he had pressed into
service, is in this city and William Will
ians, Commissioner OF immigration. has
small army CT inspectors looking for
him
Just how the bogus Captain Of Koe-
penick'' managed to get into this city
without receiving a sort of royal recep-
tion by the immigration officials is not
known, but a knowledge of his unosten-
tat!ous entry into New York is expected
when Herr Voigt becomes an involuntary
guest at Ellis Island
Although the steamship companies are
fighting one another these days to get
the booking of distinguished" travellers
with worldwide regulations, there is no
record in any Of the offices of the lines
Of the booking of Herr Voigt While h
would ehve more or less publicity to the
ship that brought him here. the local
agents have no desire to claim him as 4
patron.
Until the German cobbler breaks
bread at Ellis Island and tells something
Of his arrival here it is assumed by way
of hypothesis that he came in by way
of Quebec or Montreal. 1t is safe as
sumption and one most keenly appre-
ciated by the ship news reporters and
the immigration inspectors who may
have let him get by unnoticed.
Herr Wilhelm Noigt's little effort at
showing the power of the military in
Germany and his demonstration Of the
maxim it is easy to fool some of the
people some Of the time occurred on
October 16. 1906. The cobbler had been
a man addicted to offences that kept
him in prison for odd terms for a period
of twenty seven years.
When released he was buffeted about
from town to town, despite his protesta-
tion that he intended to lead an honest
life, and in despair he planned to rob
the treasury of Koepenick and imprison
the Mayor. Somewhere in Berlin he
purchased a discarded uniform of a cap
tain of German cavalry. and with il he
started for the target practice field at
Jungfernheide Under the spreading
/ branches Of a friendly tree I'm the field
he doffed his civilian rags and put on the
uniform of the captain.
The donning of the uniform gave Herr
/ Voigt some assurance, and he assumed
an air OF military importance that de-
ceived a deta chment of grenadiers who
were on their way To- target practice.
Herr Noigt halted the men and, de-
cl2ring that II was the wish of his i'm
perial majesty that the town hall Of
Koepenick be seized and that DIR. LANCER
hsus. the Mayor. be imprisoned. he or
dered them TO accompany him to the
/ city. where he accomplished all he had
! set out 10 do.
/ For his act, which attracted interna-
/ tional attention. Herr Voigt was sem
fenced to four years imprisonment, but
the sentence was subsequently COM
muted.
A few days ago Albert Miller Of No
/ 80 East 124th street. was accosted by
+ a man near his home. who asked the
way to the Custom House. Miller said
1 the stranger told him ne had large
.
and that they were held at the Custom
House. Then he confded that he was
no less a person than Herr Wilhelm
! Voigt. the Captain Of Koepenick."
August Kopke. a waiter at Terra ce
Garden. who had seen Voigt in Berlin,
said that he saw him in Broadway sew
eral days ago. Shortly after the reports
, Of the cobbler's presence in the city were
made known 10 Commissioner Williams
/ a cable message was received at Ellis
island saying that Noigt had sailed
from Liverpool on or about March IL
/ II was said that the Captain Of Koepe-
nick" had come here to lecture, but he
viii have 10 give his lecture before meet
I ing the Commissioner as he is certain 10
I be deported when caught