The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-11-11
Our Budget
A French KOepernick---Italy's Royalties.
The Case of Balfour-+-Urges
Low Tolls

PARIS, Oct. 21.--France now has
its Captain Kopenicll' A couple Of
months ago there arrived in the town
of Granville in the Department of
Manchei a distinguished looking man,
who described himself as NJ. Durand
de Bellefond de Courtney, the princi-
pal colonial administrator and direc-
tor of high school for East Africa
The stranger Immediately opened
negotiations for the purchase of a
large property in the vicinity for
$4,000. On it, he said, he was going
to open a professional school Cor
prospective colonial officials. As ne
could not take possession until Janu-
AIRY, he was accommodated for the
time being on a farm on the prop
erty
The so-called colonial administra.
tor" appeared in the streets of Gran
vile in a splendid uniform, consisting
of a black tunic with collar and
sleeves heavily embroidered, with
gold lace trousers strapped over pat
ent leather boots and a military cap
literally decorated with gold lace. On
festive occasions he was finished off
by a broad tricolor sash worn around
the waist.
Twenty-four hours after his first
stroll through Granville, Bellefond
was the lion of the place, and the
local magnates vie with one another
to be seen walking with him. Belle
fond appointed a number of local
tradesmen as purveyors of the colo
NAL school. He became acquainted
with the officers of the garrison, and
when he called at the barracks in re-
splendent uniform the guard used to
turn out and render him military
honors.
The other day M. Durand de Belle
fond de Gournay was arrested.
Twenty-four hours Imprisonment
seemed to have been enough to CON
vince the bogus colonial administra-
tor the uselessness of insistence on
his plea of not guilty He, therefore,
declared himself ready to make a
complete statement. In a letter to
the attorney general he says: Il am
decidedly getting old, since I let my
self be caught Am ready to tell the
truth"
The story of his previous career
turned out to be even more fantastic
than his last exploit. His real name
is Louis CogRel, a=Hotorious adven.
turer, who has lived by his wits for
the last eight years, and under va
rious names has swindled right and
left in both France and abroad. At
one time he was head of bogus in
~surance company, later a broker at
Leans, where he succeeded in clear
ing over 100000 in eighteen months
by representing himself to be the
official broker of Minister BerfeauX.
He was arrested once in Switzerland
and escaped, and year after year
avoided capture at Athens by don
ming a fancy uniform and declaring
himself to be Consul General of
Liberia, threatening the police officer
who presented a warrant with inter
national complications. He was ar
rested once more in Salonica and es-
capped again by swimming ashore
from the vessel that was taking MIN
to France.
Finally the police secured him at
Corinth and conveyed him to France,
where he received a sentence of three
years Imprisonment. 1t was on his
release that he started organizing
the colonial agricultural mission, dur,
ing which time, arrayed in gorgeous
uniforms, he toured Italy, where he
was officially received in Rome
Naples, Brindisi, and on his return
settled in Granville.