The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-03-18
SHAM ABYSSINIANS
HOAX ADMIRAL. MAY
Jokers Made Up as Princes and
Party Receive Royal Honors
on Flagship Dreadnought
WERE NET BY OFFICIAL BARGE
Guard of Honor Turned Out and Band
Plays Hnthem-One Of the Mas
oueraders a Woman-5ritish Pub
lie Greatly Amused.

lie Greatly Amused.
Londor.-The British public, and
more especially nayal circles, are very
much amused over an amazing hoax
perpetrated on Admiral Sir William
MAY. Commander i'm Chief of the
Home Fleet, and the officers of the
flagship DreadnouEht at portland by
a young woman and I'VE young men.
After the woman and three OF the
men had stained their faces, necks,
and hands, disguised their features
with Oriental looking boards, and at
tired themselves ia silk brocaded
robes with costly iewelcd turbans to
match. the party left Paddington in
special saloon carriage on the Great
Western Railroad for Portland. They
represented themselves to be Prince
Sanganya. Prince Mandok Prince Ma
kalen, and Prince Mikael Golen, re-
spectively, Of Abyssinia George
Kaufman. their German Interpreter.
and Herbert CholmOndeley, Foreign
Office attache. To carry out the idea
properly the "Abyssiniaus" wore pat
ent leather shoes with turned up toes,
which are worn only by Eastern po-
tentates, and white kid gloves with
heavy gold finger rings Worn outside.
Prince Makalen. as chief of the
pseudo royal party, wore the real Or
der of the Imperial Star OF Ethiopia,
attached to his breast by a red gold,
ana blue ribbon. and between them
they wore $4,000 worth of Oriental
jewelry Their knowledge OF The Abys-
sinian language was practically nil.
and each member Of the party reeled
off any gibberish that came into his or
her head. To express appreciation Of
the arrangem -nts made for their com
fort by the railroad people the Princes
muttered in their boards "Bungay,
Bungay," at which the uniformed in
spectors kowtowed to the ground
The makeup Of the interpreter was
a work Of art He was supposed to
be tanned by the Abyssiuian sun. He
had faded fair hair, wore huge cog
giles, and responded Yes. vat is eet?"
to any inquiries put by persons who
wished TO address his party.
That afternoon Admiral May re-
ceiyed a dispatch signed "Hardinge.
Permanent Under Secretary for For
eign Affairs" stating that Prince Aa-
kalen of Abyssinia and suite would
visit the Dreadnourh that day. When
the party reached the jetty they were
met by a Flag Lieutenant with the
Admiral's barge, which conveyed them
to the battleship Dreadnough where
the Princes were greeted with guard
of honor at the gangway, with the
band playing the national anthem of
Zanzibar, as they did not have the
Abyssinian anthem on board.
Cholmondeley went up the gang
way first, and introduced the sham
Princess to Admiral May on the quar-
terdeck, and afterward to his flag Off
GERS. Prince Makalen inspected the
guard of honor, and then the party
was conducted around the ship to in
speCt the guns. which were explained
by the bogus Interpreter Chatting in
the wardroom with the officers, Chol-
mondeley gave history Of the
Princes which would have done credit
TO Baron Nunchausen in its sublime
mendacity. The Princes refused tc
moisten their lips, and a flag officer
accompanied them again as far as the
jetty. While going slowly down the
gangwgy, to the music of the marine
band one Of the Princes tripped on his
pointed Oriental shoes and nearly fell
into the sea, but the officer caught him
in time, and Prince Makalen said that
he would send him the Imperial Order
Of Ethiopia for his presence of mind.
Cholmondeley and Kaufmann, as
they called themselves. were the lead
ing spirits in the famous Sultan OF
Zanzibar hoax at Cambridge five years
ago and the young woman in the case
Is the latter's sister.
Admiral May has taken the Dread
nought to sea for cruise until the af-
fair blows over In the meantime,
the admiralty Is being inundated with
letters from all parts OF England sug-
gesyiug that the name Of the battle
ship be changed to BLACK Prince"
The Identities Of the jokers are known
10 their friends, but have not been
made public