“CLAIMANT” TO BELGIAN THRONE ATTEMPTS TO INTERVIEW DUKE OF YORK—AND MEETS WATERLOO

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 318, 31 March 1928, Page 24

“CLAIMANT” TO BELGIAN THRONE ATTEMPTS TO INTERVIEW DUKE OF YORK—AND MEETS WATERLOO

(/ZdfiR OME little time back an kS!KCsShMi imposing personage, (SSjySySggy. giving the name of JJ 1 vffßKTjjf Vicomte de Beney, preseated himself at Buckm ingham Palace, with a forged diplomatic pass, and begged audience with the Duke of York. An equerry intercepted him, however, and though the credentials had every appearance of being orthodox, he was surprised at the extreme youth of the Vicomte and thought his array of medals and decorations rather suspicious in consequence. He therefore arranged for the visitor to call again, and took advantage of the interval to institute certain in quiries. The result was that when the Vicomte returned he was arrested, sent to gaol for three months, and subsequently deported. Before this, however, the bogus diplomat had turned his Buckingham Palace coup to account by imposing upon various first-class hotels. At one establishment he ran up a huge bill; and, on being asked about settlement, he shrugged his shoulders and asked to be put through to Buckingham Palace on the telephone. As soon as the call came through he asked for the equerry by name, “My letter of credit, has not arrived from Brussels,” he said for the management to overhear, “and I shall be glad if you will arrange to advance me some cash at once.” In this way he completely bamboozled the hotel authorities. Now, the most scandalous aspect of the foregoing daring hoax lies in the fact that the Vicomte was a man who had already been deported on many previous occasions, says “John Bull.” On one occasion he appeared at Southampton as Captain Otto de Benney, and called upon the managing director of an aviation company. Having established confidence, it was not long before he succeeded in obtaining a substantial sum of. money on a false letter of credit. He also made a tour of inspection of certain R.A.F. depots and obtained money by worthless cheques. He next appeared at the Hyde Park Hotel and engaged luxurious rooms, where he proceeded to entertain on a lavish scale. Finally he disappeared, leaving a very heavy bill unpaid, but not before he had induced many victims to advance him money, and had victimised other establishments. Eventually he was run to earth and again deported. Although only 27 years of age, he is an international crook of astonishing attributes. His real name is Otto Stephanne, and he mostly uses Otto as a surname. He also boasts a lone string of Christian names—Kopenick, Stephen, Victor, Joseph and Noel: He is a Belgian, his father being a labourer in Brussels. When the army cla lined him during the war, his bright mentality won him an appointment as an orderly-room clerk. He was not slow to grasp the opportunity for studying the deportment and mannerisms of the superior officers at close range, and the wayward streak in bis nature now became apparent. When the war ended and Otto found himself transferred to Brussels for disbandment, he was lucky enough to be granted a position as military clerk in the Royal Palace itself! Here, again, he kept ears, eyes and brain ever on the alert and rapidly became accustomed to the pomp, and pageantry of Court routine. But for his wayward streak he might have achieved much. As it was. he suddenly pronounced himself a claimant to the Belgian throne, and, attiring himself in a uniform resplend ent with many decorations, travelled about the Continent posing as the son of the Baroness de Vaughan, the morganatic wife of King Leopold of Belgium. In many cases he contrived to obtain money and goods by fraud, until his brazen imposture was exposed by the Baroness and others, and he was sent to prison. By this time, however, he had per-, petrated the greatest hoax in the annals of military etiquette. He drove ceremoniously to the headquarters of the American army on the Rhine one day, and, cutting a superb figure in his much-decorated uniform, informed the officer commanding the American forces, that he was Major Vicomte Joseph de Beney, Attache to the Court of King Albert. His Majesty, he explained, had been graciously pleased to confer the Croix de Guerre upon the general in recognition of his great services to Belgium. Being occupied with affairs of State, however. His Majesty had sent the Vicomte as his deputy! For days Otto was feted on all sides and elaborate functions were arranged in his honour. Finally, when a march-past had been arranged, to include all the American soldiers on the Rhine, he ascended a dais and dramatically pinned a medal on the general’s chest. With the Belgian police now hot on his scent, he went to Constantinople as resplendent as ever and armed with false credentials. ri He now posed as an emissary of King Albert’s Court, engaged upon a secret mission to Turkey. Finally, when endeavouring to obtain money from the British Consul at Constantinople, suspicion was aroused and he was forced to flee the country. Since then he has operated in Germany, Spain and France, posing in the latter instance as “Lord Ashton,” and pretending to be a secretary engaged by the Prince of Wales to secure a residence for His Royal Highness.