Page 80 - All About History - Issue 12-14

HISTORY’S 10 GREATEST IMPOSTORS

THE DOWN ON HIS LUCK SOLDIER
WHO STAGED AN INCREDIBLE ROBBERY

Wilhelm Voigt German, 1849-1922
An unemployed German shoemaker bought bits of The next part of his plan was astonishing:
a military captain’s uniform from various second- he succeeded in politely ordering the treasurer
hand stores and engaged in a stunt so audacious to hand over 4,002 marks. With the grenadiers
that the British seized on it as an example of taking the arrested men to Berlin for questioning
German obedience. Voigt visited a local army and the remainder standing guard for 30 minutes,
barracks on 16 October 1906, ordering a sergeant he went to the train station, removed his
and four grenadiers to follow him. They did. uniform, donned civilian clothes and left
Gathering six more soldiers before dismissing with the money. It didn’t take long for ē RATING ē
the sergeant, he took his newfound troops on a the law to catch up with him, though, Cunning:
train to Köpenick where they marched into the and he was sentenced to four years Audacity:
town hall. He placed the leader and the treasurer of in jail, eventually serving two. Kaiser Media storm:
the town’s authority under arrest and ordered the Wilhelm II pardoned him in 1908 Success:
police to care for law and order. They were to stop and Voigt became a celebrity, going
all calls to Berlin at the local post office too. on to re-enact his daring stunt on stage.
“ He succeeded in politely ordering the
treasurer to hand over 4,002 marks”

HE SOLD SHARES IN POYAIS – MacGregor even sent hopeful
workers on fatal journeys to
A COUNTRY THAT DIDN’T EXIST the fictional land

Gregor MacGregor

Scottish, 1786-1845
MacGregor pulled off one of the most astounding
cons of all time when, in 1820, the soldier One of the fake bonds
returned to London, fresh from battling against MacGregor issued in
the independence movements the name of Poyais
in South America, and told
amazing tales of a brand of Poyais’ abundance of natural resources. It
new country – one that, proved rather easy for him to con people not
it transpired, he had only into handing over their cash but to even his land
completely made up. consider emigrating to Poyais, which he claimed knowing
Telling anyone that was located near the Black River, in what is today that the two-
would listen that he had known as Honduras. He was helped that Britain month, one-way
been made the prince of a was in a buoyant financial state at the time, journey would be a journey to hell. So it proved:
great new land called Poyais, driven by the Industrial Revolution which was when the settlers arrived, they were shocked
he encouraged people to making many people rich and providing stable at the conditions they encountered with no
put their savings into work. Interest rates were falling so profit-hungry accommodation, no roads and not even a port
bonds. This, he claimed, investors were looking abroad for better returns. to dock in. Disease and in-fighting ravished the
would help to fund the MacGregor struck at the right time. He offered settlers and many died.
mining Poyais government bonds that he said carried Before the truth caught up with him,
an interest rate of six per cent – twice that being MacGregor was in France continuing his
offered by the British government. scheme and now promoting himself as
Impressing those looking to lend Poyais’ head of state. Again, he raised
ē RATING ē money with lavish banquets great amounts of money and even
Cunning: befitting a prince, he turned though he was eventually put on trial
Audacity: the heads of government in France, he was acquitted. When
Media storm: ministers and dignitaries and he returned to London, he carried on
Success: raised hundreds of thousands the scam and continued doing so in a
of pounds over many years. He lesser form at least until 1837. In 1839,
sent hundreds of settlers intent on he moved to Venezuela and died in
emigrating to Poyais on ships to see 1845 in Caracas.

80