TOWN TRICKED FOR A WEEK.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1069, 13 July 1912, Page 4

TOWN TRICKED FOR A WEEK.

UNLIMITED CREDIT.

Another trick in the style of the famous captain cf Koepenick has just been played. This time it was at Domont, in the Seine-et-Oise, to the mystification, tor an entire week, of the inhabitants of the place. A stranger, the Paris correspondent of the Times relates, alighted at one of the hotels, and informed the landlord, with much show of mystery, that he had come iu search ot Bonnot, the bandit, who, as the Criminal Detective Department believed, was hiding with a woman representing herself as the widow ot a Swiss official, but was iu reality a Russian nihilist princess. The two were said to dwell in a villa in ilu ; district, the cellars of which were specially fitted up for the shelter of anarchists. The landlord, who was particularly enjoined not to reveal this sensational visit to the gendarmes —for, terrible to relate, there were revolutionists even among the latter—was so proud of the honour paid to his inn by the detective’s patronage that he introduced him to several of his friends, and when the great man

made excursions in quest of the Russian lady’s villa and her refugee he lunched at one house and dined at another. Unlimited credit was allowed him by the local tradesmen, and when, after he had regaled the company with stories of his marvellous professional adventures, he was asked how he had the courage to tackle an awkward customer such as the motor brigand single-handed, he replied significantiy, “I am not alone here. Every precaution has been taken. You have only to look round.” On the strength of this hint, even tramps were regarded by the simple souls of Domont as being detectives in disguise, and received such marks of respect that, fancying that something of a sinister character might be lurking behind this politeness, they fled from the place. Finally this adventure came to the ears of the gendarmes, at whom the country bad been laughing in their sleeves. They instituted an investigation, which led to the arrest of this imitation of the captain of Koepemck. The man, who is about 40 years of age, says that he is a bootmaker by trade, and that he was driven by utter starvation to this device.