New-York tribune., 1917-07-10
Eccentric Visitors Queer
Antics Get on Villages
Nerves
Tinsmith Is Shocked
Lebaudy Asks Him to Cut
Hole in Yawl to Let in
Some Ballast

Oyster Bay. y. Y, July "a case Of
community nerves, which for the last
few days has threatened TO disturb the
tranquility following Justice Robert W.
Duvalls legal chastisement of Bayville
Beach's immodest bathers, reached a
climax to-day when Oyster Bay learned
that the mysterious and eccentric
stranger who for the last week has
acted queerly hercabouts was none
other than Jacques Lebaudy, better
known as the Emperor Of the Sahara" "
The village was about to give itself
over TO all the terror Of a German spy
scare when Constable J. Scott Thomp-
son established Lebaudy's identity.
About SIX days ago a mysterious
craft sailed into Oyster Bay Harbor,
and cast anchor'near the public dock
and directly in the ship channel. 1t
plainly meant to be 50-foot yawl
Yacht, but il had no mainmast or main
sail-only two jiggers. 1t had no bal
last IL had no crew-eXcept one man.
Shortly after casting anchor, that man
lowered a canoe over the side, padded
ashore and Immediately began 10 get on
the nerves of the village.
One Of the first places he struck was
a tinsmith shop, where he explained he
wanted to have a hole cut in the sheet
iron cockpit of his boat TO let in some
water ballast. The tinsmith told him
the boat would sink, and he stroGe out
indignant.
Fails to Hire Messenger
The next day he alarmed the place by
trying TO hire a boy 10 carry his grip
around town. No boy being found, he
tried to telegraph to New York for a
messenger boy, but gave that up in dis
gust when he could not get telegraph
blank without lines on it. lie finally
found a negro, who lugged the grip
around for a couple of hours, and got
10 cents for his pains. 1t later devel-
oped the mysterious bag contained
dozen oranges.
Oyster Bay shivered with delight
over his eccentricities, confident in the
proximity of real German agent, and
refused to take him seriously when he
denounced the village as an abode of
'DQT0S because ne COulQ HOl btJ any
one 10 work on his boat.
Oyster Bay sat up and tok notice to-
day, however, when, having been in
duced to pull out of the channel, he
drifted down with the tide and cast
anchor not far from Sycamore Hill.
Here was a menace TO Colonel Roose-
velt-"Our Teddy" Go get Scotty
Thompson, the constablel
Thompson was duly impressed and at
once set about getting together board
ing party to capture the peculiar craft.
Just about the time preparations had
been completed for a spectacular sea
raid the eccentric stranger burst into
Judge DuvalPs court and demanded the
arrest of a considerable portion of the
village. Questioned, he narrowed his
indictment to several boys, one of
whom, he said pointed gun at him.
As he could not describe his alleged
assailant, no warrant was sworn out.
$1,000 in Bills on Emperor
Thompson took occasion 10 search
his visitor. He found, among other
things, about 1000 in bills, forty keys
and a French passport, which proved
the Emperor's identity. OF the money
Lebaudy said. "That's nothing; | am
the richest man in America"
Thompson called up the Lebaudy
home in Westbury and asked Mrs. Le-
baudy what she wanted done with her
husband.
Heavens! Keep him up there" came