True Story of an Ingenious Hoax:

In 1906 57 year-old Berliner Wilhelm
Voight, a failure who had spent the
better part of his life in jail, noticed
the respect accorded members of the
elite Prussian guard. He purchased
a used captain's uniform and immediately
was treated with respect. Comfortable
with his new ruse, Voight entered a
Prussian guard barracks and told them
he had a special mission. He commandeered
a train and traveled to the town of Kopenick
with his unit. His men cordoned off city
hall and brought the mayor to Voight for
interrogation. After convincing the local
police chief of his authority, he proceeded
to question the town treasurer. He threatened
the man with legalities who then turned over
the town's financial records and money to the
pseudo-captain. Voight ordered his troops
to escort the mayor to Berlin for further
questioning. Voight then took a train back
to Berlin, only to emerge as his real (and much richer)
self when he arrived. Authorities in Berliner
realized that they had been swindled. Voight
was captured trying to flee Germany a few days
later. He was sentenced to four years, but the
public's mirthful support of the ruse prompted
Kaiser Wilhelm to issue a pardon. Voight later
acted in the theatres of America, re-enacting the
swindle he had pulled on the Prussian guard.