The Prussian Master of Disguise
By: Oskar Bogdanowicz
Tags: Funny, Crime, Legend, History, Military

The Prussian Master of Disguise

A criminal’s journey from prisoner to national hero

The subject of today’s essay, Wilhelm Voigt

The 1900s Germany was not the most friendly of environments. Violence and theft were a means to an end to survive. A prime example of this was Wilhelm Voigt. For a series of seemingly minor crimes, he spent the majority of his life behind bars.

In 1906 Wilhelm Voigt was 57 years old, he had just been released from a 15-year sentence for stealing a money box. In prison it has been reported he expressed a great interest in history and reading, leading the guards and officials to believe him to have been reformed by his stay. True to this new change in attitude upon release he tried to find work.

Herr Voigt travelled around Germany for a while however he eventually settled down on the outskirts of Berlin in his sisters home. He managed to get a job as a shoemaker and was liked by his employer who was perfectly aware of his past. He complimented the ex-convict for his usefulness, active attendance in church and his kindness towards children. Unfortunately despite these redeeming qualities, Berlin police found him to be undesirable due to his criminal past and expelled him.

The Plot Begins

Voigt was devastated by the sudden expulsion as this meant returning to the streets and more than likely a return to his criminal ways in order to survive. Undeterred by the setback he came up with a clever plan on how to live the calm and honest life he dreamed of while in prison. To achieve this he had to perform one final crime. In order to return to his job in Berlin, he had to figure out a way to get a work pass which was near impossible for an ex-convict.

While the police believed he had been successfully expelled from the city, he managed to sneak in. Upon gaining entry he started roaming used clothes stores trying to make an outfit resembling an officer of the German Army. After some looking around he managed to create a convincing outfit, seen below.

Wilhelm Voigt wearing his Captains Uniform

What would follow is a tale of extreme bravery and confidence in his abilities as wearing his new disguise, Voigt approached a group of 11 soldiers stationed on the outskirts of Berlin.

Soldiers in the German the time were taught extreme obedience to authority, due to this when a captain they had never before seen in their lives approached them on the 16th of October 1906 and demanded they followed him, they did so without question. He told the soldiers they were ordered to execute a coup and take over the town hall in Kopenick and arrest the treasurer for crooked bookkeeping.

The soldiers obediently followed the officer onto a train heading for Kopenick. What follows has been greatly debated over time as to his exact intentions ranging from stealing and running away with the money or actually getting the paperwork he needed to live honestly.

Whatever his intentions were, on the 16th of October 1906 11 soldiers and a fake officer marched into the Kopenick town gall and arrested the local burgomaster and treasurer on charges of crooked bookkeeping. The local police were ordered to maintain order while preventing calls from the post office or Berlin from reaching the town hall for an hour. Voigt ransacked the town hall under the pretence of searching for evidence however he was looking for work permits and passport templates, unfortunately, such documents were not stored in town halls so the plan had been unsuccessful in gaining work rights.

Voigt then demanded the treasurer to hand over the money box which contained 4,002 Marks for inspection. Equipped with the box he ordered the arrested men to be taken to Berlin in two commandeered carriages where they would answer for their crimes. A few of the soldiers were left at their posts to keep guard of the town hall while Voigt had to leave for a while. Unknown to them he had, in fact, made his way to a train station and made his escape.

Aftermath

Voigt would be caught only 10 days later and charged by the court for “Unlawfully wearing a uniform, offending public order, fraud, forgery and depriving subjects of their liberty”. He would be found guilty and sentenced to 4 years imprisonment. However, the story had become known to the press only 2 days after the heist had taken place and had been writing about him, as a hero.

The story of a criminal trying to redeem himself and live an honest life while trying to overcome obstacles had become somewhat of a sensation. The people sympathised with the man they referred to as “The Captain of Kopenick”. The public outcry became so widespread Kaiser Wilhelm II became aware of the situation and personally pardoned Voigt for his crimes while issuing him a work pass.

Voigt would live on as a free man capitalising on his newfound fame with the public, signing autographs and even having a statue of him made in Madame Tussauds. He moved to Luxemburg in 1910 and lived there until his death in 1922.