Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1918-08-06
CAPT. BEAUFORT
WAS A FAKER
LECTURER OF THE CHAUTAUQUA
MISLED OFFICIALS OF THE
GOVERNMENT
DETECTED AT WALLA WALLA, WIN.
Pretended To Be Titled Belgian
Army Officer

One of the lectures of the chautau-
qua course to which the local people
had been looking forward to with
much interest was the one advertised
by the Ellison-White company as a
Lecture Extraordinary by Capt. ].
M. de Beaufort, Belgian artillery Off
Ger and nobleman, who has seen Sc
cret service in Germany" This num-
Der has been stricken from the pro-
gram and lecture by a Britisher who
has been in the British army for many
years and who saw actual service at
the front, will be substituted.
The reason for the change is due to
clever bit of taking having been I'M
covered. In other words, the Capt.
j. M. de Beaufort, Belgian officer and
count, secret service agent etc, ETC..
was Simon-pure American carrying
out successfully the famous Barnum's
dictum that the American public dear
ly loved to be humbugged.
According to the statements made
this week by Mr.. Paget, advance agent
for the chautauqua, Beaufort-or what
ever his real name may be-was an
American newspaper correspondent
who had been sent to the European
battlefields by one of the big New
York dailies. While there he con-
ceived the idea OF returning to Amer
lea and panning himself off as Bel
gian captain of artillery, count, etc.
This he proceeded to do and in due
time came under the notice of the gov
eminent officials at Washington, who
commissioned him to travel over the
country informing the public as to
war conditions and war matters.
Beaufort was an able speaker and
on account of his war experience pos
sessed fund of information that made
his lectures most interesting He
attracted much attention on the lee
ture platform and always talked TO
large audiences. Eventually the Ell
lison-White people heard OF him and
his favorable record and finally Sc
cured him to appear on their 1918
chautauqau circuit. This he did with
great success, proving a strong num-
Der of the course, until he arrived at
Walla Walla, Wash. At that place
an old colonel of the south, who en-
joys some degree of association with
the chautauqua people, noticed that
the uniform worn by the Capt. de
Beaufort lacked in a small detail, sim
ilarity to the uniform of a Belgian
captain of artillery. He reported his
suspicious to the officers of the law
who promptly took the pseudo count
and captain into custody and trans
ferred him to Washington for an in
vestigation. There the whole story
came out, the would-be count stood
robbed of his titled prerogatives and
was reduced to the status of plain
American citizen. 1t appears, how
ever, that he had done nothing for
which he could be held and was event
ually given his freedom, after being
told to go and sin no more. Where
upon he wrote to the EllisonWhit
people wanting to return and complete
his contract with them but they very
I, promptly notified him they had had
quite enough of his peculiar talents
, and could complete the seasons cir.
.. cult without his assistance. Thus is
i disclosed the reason why Boomers
Ferry people will not have the pleas
= ure of hearing Capt J. NJ de Beaufort
= Belgian artillery officer, count and Sc
= cret service agent who had interview
+ ed Won Hindenburg and other famous
= Germans.
! Major Smith, of the British army
u will appear here tomorrow evening
e in the place of the versatile Beaufort
= Major Smith has been in the British
/ army for many years and has seen
e years of service in the present war
/ His many experiences in this terri
II BILE world struggle make his lectur
y one of the very best Of the entir
chautauqua.