The Captain of Köpenick — The Prussian Officer Heist of 1906.On October 16th, 1906 a man weari

The Captain of Köpenick — The Prussian Officer Heist of 1906.On October 16th, 1906 a man wearing a Prussian captain’s uniform marched into a German Army barracks and with an air of confidence and authority began to issue orders to the troops.  He announced that he needed men for a special mission.  First he stopped a sergeant and four grenadiers, then later acquired 6 soldiers from the rifle range.  The soldiers, men trained to follow orders unquestioningly, followed the Prussian captain as he led them to the nearest railway station.  From there they took a train to Kopenick, a small village outside of Berlin.Once in Kopenick the Prussian captain and his platoon stormed the local town hall.  The captain ordered the mayor and town treasurer arrested on the charge of embezzlement and fraudulent book keeping.   The captain then confiscated 4,000 marks worth of cash (about $30,000 today), taking it into evidence of the crime.  The captain then ordered the mayor and treasurer escorted back to Berlin for interrogation and for the remaining soldiers to stand guard over the town hall.  He quietly slipped away away with the 4,000 marks and disappeared.After a police and army investigation it became apparent that the Prussian captain was not really a Prussian captain, and that the Germany Army and people of Kopenick had be scammed. The incident caused quite a buzz across Europe, and the tale of the “Captain of Kopenick” became a source of amusement for weeks on end. Ten days later the culprit was caught and arrested.  Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt was a career thief and two bit con artist who had served 25 out of his 43 years in prison.  After getting out of prison he tried to make a life as a shoemaker, however he was not cut out to be a law abiding citizen.  He came up with the heist after purchasing a Prussian military uniform from an army surplus store.  Voigt was sentenced to four years prison for forgery, theft, impersonating an officer, and wrongful imprisonment.  However he was pardoned by Kaiser Wilhelm II, who was greatly amused by the story.After the heist Voigt made a handsome living selling his story.  He toured both Europe and America, then later published a bestselling book of his exploits.  He passed away in 1922.  Today his story is still told in the comedy play The Captain of Kopenick. -- source link

More pics about