FAKE WAR HEROES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 281, 23 August 1919, Page 9

FAKE WAR HEROES

♦ * AND THE GULLIBLE PUBLIC SOME "HEROIC" STUNTS The war revealed many heroes, and it also developed a few crooks. One class of tho latter 'liavo been going round- posing as great warriors who have gone through untold perils; or as military geniuses with plans for campaigns or contrivances that wero suro winners; or merely as stately and dignified- officers, chiefly impressive for the beautiful fit of their uniforms (says tho American rary Digest"). A number, of these men were British; henco the Government lias stationed {in officer in America, known its the British Army Provost Marshal, whose duty it is to see that Americana are not imposed upon by criminals and fakers wearing tho uniform of Britain. This officcr is Lieut.-Colonel Norman G. Thwaites. Ono of the officers -under Colonel Thwaites recently related to a representative of the New York "Times" a number of interesting cases that had been brought to the attention of the 8.A.P.M., of which we quote tho following;— , The Youna Aviator. There was the young aviator whose Scotland Yard record was bad. He had dono his two years in lihe penitentiary for forgery. He came to America and joined the' air force in Canada. A call was sent out as a measure of warning,-. The B.A.M.P. had a signature and a poor amateur-snapshot as the only clues. He had changed his name and his appearance. Ho was found, however, and brought to the New York office. He told his story, admitting his past offences. He wanted another opportunity. His commanding officers gave him an excellent character, ns a fearless pupil in aviation and an observer-of military discipline. Presently he won his wings. Not a word was said to any one of his past career. In duo timo he wont to France and became a scourge among the Hun airmen. He won n decoration and met a hero's death over the enemy's lines. In opposition to this case is one that deserves identifying, for the rogue in question will probably remain a rogue no matter what tenderness is shown him. This person, an American, changed his name and his habits with great frequency. At one timo he was the' Hon. Westmoreland Davis, occasionally ho was a peer of. the realm. Always ho had tho habits of a-sultm. and in tho oourso of his career in the United States he married five women, who "loved him for the dangers he had passed." | 1 There is no record of this 'cadet' 3 ever having seen service in the field. A judicial court in Virginia gave this betrayer of' women five years' penal, servitude. It is regrettable to have to state that this man escaped frorp the gaol in spite of the kindness received there, sympathy being felt for 1 a man of his-intelligence, which led to the superintendent placing him in the office instead of on tho rock-nile. He is believed to have returned to Texas. In addition to this man's bigamies there -was a long Hit of defalcations. He wooed a waitress at a New York restaurant and took 200 dollars of the girl's savings from her. He masqueraded as a British officer, although lie never > attained any commissioned rank. His victims in fraudulent transactions were , always women. The curious thing was that it was impossible to get the, 'defrauded,, women to prosecute. It is ns well that his description is widely known. Beware, then, of a man with, fair complexion, weighing about 130 pounds, of five feet nine inches in height, who walks with a slight limp, and has on his right leg a scar as of a burn. He may call himself anything, but he'; was foiid of "Kenneth" as a first,rame. The "Colonel." Then there was a British /'Tommy" "who had an inventive turn of mind. He had one or two ideas about handgrenades and was so imprest with his genius that he promoted himself to lieutenant, then to captain. On leaving a , London hospital, after serious shrapnel wounds in the head, lie took his inventions to the War Office. . They were found to bo worthless. Presently he decided that the U.S.A. would be m'oro appreciative of his talents. By the time he had borrowed some hundreds of dollars he was convinced he oould win the world, and when he arrived in America his rank had mysteriously risen to that of colonel. He had brojisht with him the necessary insignia. ' He mentioned several names of notabl&s in England and found what appeared to bo' mutual friends. Ho was asked to dinners, Persons of note in New society were asked to dine and meet the interesting "British, colonel" who had revolutionised trench warfare. His travels took him to Detroit, where he was exposed by a young Irish officer in I.lie British service. The newspapers, . wlhiclr had been full of his exploits, wero eager to publish the .story of his confession of fraud, but the same papers presently published a cablegram purporting to have coine from General Sir William Robertson, Chief of Staff, War Office, London, correcting the misapprehension and stating that a -regrettable delay , in. gazetting the gallant "Colonel's" promotion was the cause of tihe error. Again the "Tommy" was raised to nis pedestal of genius. But the cablegram spoke f.gain, and the . B.A.P.M. was able to-inform the public Press »and a too-hospitable, not to say. gullible, public that Jones was still Private Jones, and that the charitable view to take of the case was that tho wounds in his head had caused mental aberration. But even after all this some goodhearted citizen lent the humbug SOOOdol. to "continue his inventive experiments." The Glamour of Rank. Among the persons who were able to fool tho public to their profit, some of the most successful were preachers. Others were doctors. All of them obtained money by their representations, usually by posing as officers of high rank. A typical cuse is the following:— A youth of eighteen, of good family in England, and of excellent education, arrived in New York upon u "Frcnch steamer recently. Ho wore tho uniform of a lieutcpant-colonel of the Royal Air Forco, correct in every particular and with a ehestfui of decorations. He had the order of St. Anne of Russia, the Croix do Guerre of France, the Military Cross of England, and tho Mons Star. Ho told a story of having flown from England to France and to liavo shipped from ilarsoilles to Own and thence to 1 America. Asked for his papers, 'he produced a certificate stating that his papers wero by accident on another ship, and that this document would serve as identification. On the way to America he borrowed 200dol. from a magnanimous American to pay for his ticket. He had managed to get 011 board without one. The American called at the Provost Marshal's office a few days after lanuTng to inquire as to the whereabouts of the good-looking young officer. Unhappily for the "Colonel," there is 011 the staff of the British Provost Marshal a young flying officer who also is a student at Columbia, and whose wits amount to genius in the apprehension and the diagnosis of frauds. By some sloufchiiig tho "Colonel" was traced to Philadelphia, where ho was slaying with ono of his fallow passengers. Ho was'handed over to the immigration authorities on a charge of illegal entry into the United Slates, after 110 had broken down in boyish fashion and revealed his true name, his entire lack of military service, and other facts. Some were able to put it over with thrilliu" taCcs of heroic achievement or the wearing of decorations, the following being examples:- * ' Thero was the case of an Irish lad who married a girl in New York in November and a Texas hoiress in December, both last year. This "superman" hud fought ■so his story went, against Villa, in Mexico he had faced and slain Germans in South-West Africa, 110 had been an aviator ami had conquered and killed his man 10,000 feet above tho submarine base at Zcebrugge. Ho is now in custody. When young "Scott,!' a second-lieuten-ant,, put up tho V.C. and swaggered around New York 110 thought it great J fun. He found an accommodating organisation willing .to supply motor-cars io s Allied officers, lie applied for ono "to t make a tour of inspection of trainingcamp3 around New York." For tho sako 1 of company he picked up somo colleagues. They presented their cards to the sentry 1 at a certain camp and in a few minutes • tho commanding officer bade them welcome. Bohold them lator in tho review-

, ing-stand, solemnly taking tho salute of somo 10,000 youngsters of tneir 0™ age. A Noteworthy "Stunt." A few of theso lake heroes proved themselves truly heroic by the really noteworthy "stunts" they pulled oil', not in the line of military duly, but in connection with their taking. Such was tho leading figure in the toKowmg story: A deserter from the Canadian Army 'caaiie to the United States at'tho timo of ono of the Liberty Loan drives, and by his eloquence succeeded in obtaining subscriptions of fifty thousand dollars in one evening. While he made his speech officers of the Provost Marshal's office patiently waited, feeling that such good work should not be interrupted. At the conclusion he was firmly led awaj\ lii l.ho course of his speech ho had ha!d up his left hand, showing, so ho said, 110 had lost two fingers in a desperate liand-to-lund fight with a German. Investigation showed, however, that he had never fought in I'ranco, and that the fingers wero lost when 110 was a youth during his apprenticeship as a printer's assistant. In the course of his career ill America lie bought 60,000 dollars worth of Liberty bonds, although at that time he had but four dollars in his clothes. Ho entertained friends in New York to the tune of 189 dollars, and when- tho bill was presented issued a check which, of course, was returned with tho comment, "No funds." He,was a member of one of America's most, famous, universities and established a reputation there as a remarkable boxer". When first locked up as a deserter from the Canadian Forces he made a biilliant escape, although handcuffed. ■ 'He first knocked out his keeper, stripped him, and locked the officer in the cell which he had 'been occupying; then, wearing his victim's uniform, he went to tlu prison gate, walked down a dark passage right into the arms of the guard. The lour keepers were armed with bayonets, and in tho battlo which ensued . the darkness undoubtedly was of assistance to the offender, as he managed to c.'tape after putting tho four guards ou.t of business, some of them being badly wounded by their own bayonets. The prisoner himself did not escape, scotfreo. as «■ trail of blood was discovered, lie was not picked up again until sergeants of the British Guard captured him as related. Percy Plantagonet Willoughby. From a party .named PerSy Plantagenet Willoughby one would naturally expect something, and as a matter of fact Percy, cut quite a swath for a while :— Tho name belonged to a private of the British Forces who deserted from one regiment to another, according to his taste in uniforms. His hair was curiy iand his voice was smooth, and his success with ladies in New York was immense. As a captain of a Highland regiment wearing staff badges he made a sensation on Fifth Avenue when 110 rode in the preparedness parade 011 a "charger" hired from a, livery stable. The Provost Marshal was severely berated by more than one charming girl when Master Percy was arrested. A New York newspaper took up the }oung man's cause, and talked of persecution, publishing a long interview with tho young man, intending to show that nil ungrateful Government was careless of tho welfare of a gallant officer who had shed his blood -for civilisation.- The fact, however, remained that a jury found Percy Plantagenet wns a pettj pilferer, a forger of cheques; and an im- , poster.