Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-31
French Crook Wants to Be King, So Gets
Himself Elected Ruler of Russ Kingdom
Makes Americans MOBILES
and Sc IS Up Former
} Shop Girl as Queen;
He's in Jail, But No
J One Will Prosecute
49, -.
q Him.
By STERLING HELLO.

al classes, has been going on for
lmonths here before local police OF
NFreneh state department detective.
learned a word about it,
.ap And even now that Leon Laforge
Prince Vitanval-old-time usurper
OF noble titles and functions-is un-
glder arrest as king of Transcaucasia
his mobiles" have such firm belief
in the political secrets which he con-
hded to them that there has not been
4. "A single complaint made against
him. The police simply cannot OBJ
tain witnesses.
W Constituted Monarchy.
y Here is man who not only con-
h.sttuted = monarchy under their
noses, elaborated a constitution and
/, made regular application for admis-
sion to the Society of Nations, but
traced out the great economic ques-
! tions which must occupy the skill OF
his mobiles, ministers and state sec
.retaries; and he had so captured
their confidence in the roles they
would be called upon to play that
mot to compromise the cause" the
. faithful silence which, absolutely,
! every mothers son and daughter of
/. them maintained, from three to six
months past, is not yet broken!
! King and ministers were in. cor
respondenoe with half the chancel-
Z leries of Europe-and the State De-
. rartment at Washington! They
/. had deposited models of the postage
: stamps of Transcaucasia with the
Universal Postal union at Berne.
Russ Ambassador Baeker.
. The king, in fact, could prove that
:; he had the backing of the last reg
ular representative OF Russia in
: France, the Ambassador Malakoff.
. Transcaucasia.V .Vitanvalia is a coun-
: try actually under the dominion Of
! the sovicts; and in view of coming
2 restoration millions OF francs worth
OF orders for robes, court mantles
+. and diadems had been accepted by
/. the well-known houses of Rcdfern
and Mappen & Webb.
: And neither the local police of
= Nice nor French state department
detectives knew anything about it,.
:. Leon Laforge, it must be admitted
lis wonderful man and a man Of
power-because he almost believes
!. in himself!
Makes Self Conspicuous. d
: As early as 1901, in Paris, 1 had
TO write about him. when he raised
"a Variable fortune in "chancellery
sdues" as Dom Leon, Prince Laforge
de Vitanval, Roman prince and
{ sovereign chief and grand master of
: the ponti6eal order of St. Leon and
"chevalier of the crown of Italy. For
months. the chevaliers of his creation
lit up the streets of Paris with their
=bits of colored ribbon. In gold
faced dress-coat of his own Heraldic
academy, he made himself con-
=spicuous, at the receptions of the
French white house, even, not to
mention the various ministries, shak-
ing hands with President Loubet,
patronizing high functionarics, CON-
t.ducting Edies whom he did not
know to Inc buffet, and offering his
protection" right and left. One
day. President Loubet asked: Who
is that encumbcring person"
The question was passed on to the
famous old project of police Lepine.
A week later, the Prince de Vitanval
was languishing in Jail. six months,
for swindling. 1t was those Chan
celery dues" which he got out Of
-people-,not the calling Of himself
sprince-whieh got him into trouble,
In France, anyone can cali himself
prinoe-if he doesn't do business on
.it!
Invited to Receptions.
A. year later he was again about
Paris. getting invited to receptions.
-Qn France, anyone can get invited
to reeeptions.) When invited Off
cially to cease wearing the "diplo-
matte" costume of his own heraldic
academy, he replied by letter to the
foreign Office. threatening to cow
plain to the king of Italy. whom lie
called my illustrious friend and
: august cousin"
They thought they had him, now;
but Dom Leon slipped out of it, as
he has always done.
Il have a right to call the king of
Italy So" he said. The Italian
-protocol gives me the equivalent rank
vof cardinal!'
; And it was so! They could not
contest his being a ehevalicr of the
crown Of Italy. 1t seems that, in his
youth, he wrote a book on Mac
Mahon. Having sent copy OF it
to the easy-going old King Hum
bert, the latter was pleased to find
it speak so we'll of Italy, and, dc
motu proprio, dubbed its author
chcvalier.
Ceases to Be Chevalier.
But Dom Leon-so ready to col
lect chancellary dues from others
had not paid his own chancellary
dues to Italy, the which. in every
land, is sine qua non to clinch. per-
feet, hog-te and definitively vest all
such beautiful distinctions.
So. he ceased for a time to be
--chevalier.
Never completely idle i'll the in
=tervening years, devoted feverishly
to genealogical studies and curious
details Of dying princely houses and
obscure governments, Laforge nigh,
have earned fine living as heraldic
expert and booster OF new-ricll
families in the ancestral sense. In
stead. he craved always to set up
.kingdoms of his own.
Somebody has to set 'em up!
Shows Parchment.
Il Thus, the origin of the grand al
IAir is as follows:
Laforse began, about year ago. by