The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-15
Police Looking for C. J. McDer-
mott, Princess Pat "SOIdier."
Accused of Stealing Auto and
Posing as a Canadian.
TALK TO MILITARY SISTERHOOD
Ladies and Brigadier General at
C. of c. Program.
Suspicious of L. ID. Humphreys
Brings Out Charge Today.

He was neither handsome, dashfng
nor had a military bearing, but was
the type of a fellow that might be
called mildly inoffensive. He wore
four foreign service stripes and tai
lored uniform, however. with all the
carelessness of a veteran. He was, in
brief. just the sort of fellow to drift
into Topeka and be hero for an hour
and fade just at a proper time to
! escape landing in jail for deception
and, he did
The police, sheriffs force and mar
shals of the court of Topeka are to-
day looking for C. ]. McDermott, alias
c. j. Anderson, who came to Topeka
about month ago and announced
himself as one of the eighteen surviv-
ors of the famous Princess Pat regf-
ment of Canadians, and claimed to
have been gassed at the first battle of
the Argonne. McDermott, or maybe
his name is really Anderson, is want
ed for stealing a Ford sedan touring
car from the Trefry motor car agency,
1014 Kansas avenue. The Canadian
government also would undoubtedly
like to have him explain a few things
McDermott. as he shall be called,
came to Topeka about a month ago.
Topekans noticed the four gold chew
rons on his arm and became inter
ested. He received and accepted an
invitation to speak before a reception
for soldiers given at the Chamber OF
Commerce by the Military Sisterhood
a few days after his arrival. At the
reception McDermott reviewed his
story about being one of the surviy-
Ors of the Princess Pats and told
aN fI1a AVcyr
the first battle, and while out of his
mind as the result of the gas in some
manner got transferred to the Ameri-
can forces after the entry of this
country into the war, and came to"
about fifteen months later in a mill
tary hospital near Frisco.
All this aroused the suspicious of
Capt T. ID. Humphreys, of the home
guard here, who couldn't think of any
data that would bear out a statement
that the Princess Pats were in the
first battle of the Argonne. Other
people didn't seem to think much
about it but Humphreys who is a stu
dent of history began looking up the
events of the war to see if he had
m ssed anything
The home guard officer also was
surprised one day to see McDermott
walking the streets dressed in kits.
Humphreys information was that the
E Canadian regiment were fuslierS and
not g killed regiment. The home
guard officer later found that Nc
Dermott had tried to borrow a pair
of kits from Tom Powell. but Powell
was uspicious-anyway his kits were
too large. The pair he was wearing
he borrowed from Kilmaurs King, a
Scotchman and welfare worker here
Then King got suspicious and called
in his kilts-McDermott had told him
his own kits were destroyed in the
trenches.
In the meantime. authorities say,
McDermott had obtained a job as
salesman for w. H. Trefry, of the
Trefry Motor Car Co. giving his ad-
dress as Boulder, Colo, and saving the
fact that he was an American was re-
sponsible for his transfer to the A E.
i. and for wearing the American uni
form in which he appeared when not
wearing the kits belonging to King.
One of McDermott's chief claims, it is
asserted, was that Private Peat and
Arthur Guy Empey were fakirs and
had never been overseas.
This aroused Humphreys some
more. He made this statement at the
Military Sisterhood reception too,
where he was on the program with
Gen. c. 1. Martin, adjutant general
and lately brigadier general, of the
Thirty-fifth division, and Captain Til
lotson of the 10th engineers.
Left With Motor Car.
AS has been stated, McDermott OBJ
~ d "A snort
time later he took a sedan out of the
shop for demonstration purposes, he
said. Neither McDermott or the car
came back. That is why the police.
sheriff's force and court of Topeka
marshals want him.
In the meantime, events came rap
idly. Humphreys had written a let
ter to the keeper of military records
in Canada asking about the "hero." "
The reply, received today. stated that
no record could be found showing Nc
Dermott a member of the Canadian
forces
Humphreys letter to Canadian Of
ficials follows;
From: T. u: Humphreys, captain and
eupply officer 9th Battn. N. s. q.
To: The adiutant general of Canada.
department. keeper of Records. Ottawa,
Canada.
Subject: c. J. McDermott. Princess Pa,
regiment.
Dear Sir: I wish you would kindly give
claims to have enlisted in the Prinress ss
Pats early in the war. This man, who
We think is a fakir. is doing quite lot of
big talking in Topeka. and the people are
heard him speak about two weeks ago
ut a meeting Of the Military Sisterhood
This man stated that he was one Of the
early enlistments In the Princess Pats
that he was living in Colorado at the
time he went to Canada to enlist think
he said Boulder, Colo. According to his
statements:
eight or ten months later came to his
senses in base hospital in San Francisco
That when the United States got into the
war he WIS transferred to the United
States forces apparently while he was out
Of his mind from the effects of being
Eassed in the Argonne forest while a mem
her of the Princess Pats He does moi
CONTINUED on Page Two.J