"THE GOLDEN PRIVATE."

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 245, 26 January 1917, Page 2 (Supplement)

"THE GOLDEN PRIVATE."

STORY OF EXTRAVAGANCE AND ADVENTURE.

There appeared in the Court of Bankruptcy in London last month for his public examination a young private in the Guards, aged 24, named' David Falcke. who made some amazing confessions. It is a story of extravagant living and a double life in high circles of London society. The accounts showed liabilities of £25,152 and a deficiency in assets of £23,(351. These figures appeared in the bankrupt's statement cl jus affairs: — Household and personal expenses :~ Year ending March 9, 1914, £SOOO. Year ending March 9, 1915, £SOOO. Year ending March 9, 1916, £20,000. Loss by betting, £14,000. Loss by gambling, £SOOO. How David Falcke succeeded in keening up his double life for three years as he did must be still something of a mystery even to himself. His story of his life in London, his dealings with money-lenders, is an amazing lvvelation of what can 1 appen in London society circles in the twentieth century.

His wife, Mrs. David Falcke, a pretty young woman, with two (inarming children, who lives in a house in Kensington, and with whom he lias lived throughout his adventures, providing her with luxurious liomcs and a good position in society, attended the public examination. She has forgiven her husband and is still living with him so far as his military duties will allow. She has told the story of her husband's amazing career to a Press reporter, which is given below. The young man, who is extremely hancTsome, with a frank, boyish manner, is hoping that, having regard to his excellent record in the Army, he will be allowed to go to tho front so that 'he will have a chance of '-making good." •• David Falcke is the son of a retired stockbroker,'' said Mrs. Falcke. "As a voting boy he went to a private school •it Ch'Ttsev. He did not stay there h.llg. •■His wild, adventurous nature even nt that early age rebelled .against school discipline, and eventually, at the ago of 15, he ran anvay irom h'ts comfortable, luxurious home and, finding hi- uav to Southampton, got taken in"tlic >iiiiing ship Pandora, the ship which it is said took the first rails to Siberia. ' 11,. lived the life oF a dork hand for IS i iths, sailing to Fast Africa and t!„. South Sea Islands. " Later he joined a ship called the Snowdrop, a whiler, which he deserted at Madeira. Not long afterwards this ship was lost. Once during these voyage, he fell rrom the topmast to the rirrcrinf below, which jiust. saved his life. Hi "camp back to England and. landing at Plymouth, he was token on at some motor work,. "There It.' quickly learned to belieeoni." a motor engineer, and it was at these works that a woacth.v man, a )•■.,..,. hman. a collector <>F antiques, took a great Fancy to him.

'• lii a very short time he 1) oca me his secretary, managing all liis busmen affairs and receiving a salary of £I2OO a year—this at the eigo of 18! While lie ,was in this Frenchman's employ he saved £IOOO, left his job, and came back to England and spent his sav'ngs in riotous living. "Then lie met his brother, and the two went to South America as steerago passengers to try their luck. The brother became a cook on a ranch, and David a traction-engine driver to a large firm of engineers. He got tired of that in a few montTis and they both tamo back to England, whero they started a private business of antique dealers in St. James' Square, and did very well. ' A VERY POPULAR CHAUFFEUR." ''While running this business he had al.so entered the employ of a motor garage company. It was shortly after he came back from South America that he met mo in London. I wa.s a country girl and my maiden name was Benneworth. We nvero married at Marylebone Registry Office. We lived very happily together in rooms at Lancaster Gate and had two children, a boy now aged four and a girl aged three. I wish to say here that we have always been very much in love (with each other and are still, notwithstanding all that has happened. We have never really been separated "I was received by his family and lived on the very best of terms w : th them until the events which I am about to relate broke off my relations with them.

"My husband loft tlio antique business and l)ecamc a chauffeur at (-2 10s. a week. Ho was a very popular chauffeur; one of tlif customers of this firm took an intorest in liim and financed Jiim, so that ho was svble to run a motor-car of his own for private hire. This business was so!d to a company styled 'The Abbey Motor Company, Ltd.' There were four directors, including my husband. "It was shortly before this that my husband, unknown to mo and as ho confessed at his public examination, mid.' a bigamous marriage. "Ho was in charge of a stand at the motor exhibition in Olympia in 1912 when one day an elderly lady, fashionably dressed, whose age was brbwcen 1") and ">(), canre up to his stand. She entered into a lons conversation, finally asking him out to a dinner that pveniii", an invitation which lie accepted.

' lie ilci\aii-i that f-he praotically proposed to liiin. For three months he stayed off and on with her at lier eottatiio in Warwickshire; slio tidvamed him CM,OOO to C:i.">.<;On besides as Miivtv to monev-lenderri oil his hehalf. "KventiiiiU'y t.Tiey went throiej.li a form of marrinsro at 15i:ekin<iliain (■;> t J{eu;istry in HM2—ho thinks it was in the autumn of that year. "At her pla<o lie met lier rel-itiw= and friend 1 ;--some of them well-known people and women of title-—and he was introduced as her hiishand. "All this time he was living with inc. oseept for o< ';:~ional i-it - to

"The motor company, assisted by the money advanced by her, prospered, and any husband took a largo house at Briar Walk, Roehanipton, where he installed a butler and a staff of servants and 'W here I lived, except for the times when I was living at our magnificent placo in Cromwell Road. He had six motor-cars for his private use, and a i hauffcur and a footmati.

"\\ o entertained lavishly and gave many parties at Roehampton and Cromwell Road, where there was much was totally unaware of Iter existence, gambling for high stakes. Of course, his other 'wife' never came there —I "Then my husband took a beautiful river-side residence at Bourne End and, being short of money, furnished it on the hire-purchase system.

''About this time my husband alleges that he was being blackmailed by money-lenders who knew about his second form of marriage. "On a visit to he met n gentleman at the gaming tables. Both played for high stakes and became very friendly. My husband told him all his troubles and of his financial straits. I was with my husband at the time. It seems that this gentleman inquired about David of a friend, who told him ho could not say that David was absolutely straight but that he personally found him honourable. The gentleman learned the extent of my husband's liabilities and made him a present amounting altogether to £25,000 to £30,000. "When my husband got into further difficulties he gave him more money, bjt subsequently on learning of my husband s association with a notorious gambler, he refused to have anything more to do with him.

"To tell the truth, my husband ran a gaming-house in th'J West End of London at one time. '"My husband had four race-horses. He was the biggest bettor bar one at t!\o steeplechase, and won £3.3,000 in six months. He put £IOOO to £2OOO on a horse at a time. He lost all he made and £l-1,000 in addition. He had a settler at the Victoria Club. In gaming he estimates he lost £BOOO. "My husband continued to lead this doubb life. He moved in two sets. One of them was the one in which I met people; the other the one in which his 'wife' moved. 1 was principally at the Savoy; she was at the Ritz and the Carlton.

"Quite a number of people seemed to be aware of his two marriages—it became a kind of joke. 'When the war broke out David offered his services to the Automobile Club and was sent down to Luton as an honorary member of General StuartWortlcy's staff as a civilian owner, lending threte of his cars. "Last February lie joined the Army Service Corps and went to Nottingham as a commissioned officer. While there lie was arrested on a charge of obtaining jewellery by false pretences, and the ca-e was dismissed. "In view of his gfrcfct finjintjal troubles and with no prospect or getting to the front he resigned his commission and joined a Guards regiment as a private. "When he came to the Bankruptcy Court ho determined to make a confession of everything. He says that all his life money has been thrown at him and is the cause of his downfall. " Now that we arc ruined he is hoping that he will bo given a chance to make good and be allowed to go'fo the front. He has a very good record in the Army : there is nothing against him there. '"When it is all over ve shall go way to the Colonies and begin life afresh."