Edgar Laplante ( January 1944), sometimes posed as Chief White Elk, was a French-Canadian American con man and actor known for his

confidence trick A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have def ...

s such as duping local businessmen, befriending world class leaders, and seducing high class women by posing as American war heroes and long distance runners (including

Tom Longboat Thomas Charles Longboat (4 July 18869 January 1949, Iroquois name: Cogwagee) was an Onondaga distance runner from the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario and, for much of his career, the dominant long-distance runner. He was known as the ...

). He also used to involve these contacts in his

substance abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

. He performed his first con at an apparent age of 14. He was able to make money by delivering public speeches at religious places and civil societies while disguised as other people, never revealing his real name.

Biography

He was born around 1888 in Central Falls, Rhode Island. His father was a carpenter. He also went by the name "Prince Tewanna Ray". When he was around 34 years old, he went to England to arrange a meeting with

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 19 ...

leaving behind a trail of unpaid bills and an active police investigation. He first played Native American characters around 1917 and used to travel from one city to another pretending to be an activist working towards "Indian Rights". In this guise he would also deliver motivational speeches to businessmen and soldiers. He knew more than 21 languages which he used to indulge leaders, businessmen, kings, and queens. He later went to Switzerland where he was arrested by the

Swiss police Law enforcement in Switzerland is mainly a responsibility of the 26 cantons of Switzerland, who each operate cantonal police agencies. Some cities also operate municipal police agencies as provided for by cantonal law. The federal government p ...

for his involvement in confidence tricks. He was sentenced to one year in prison. In October 1925 when he was released, he then went to Italy where he was arrested again and sentenced to seven years in prison with a fine of over 1 million Italian

lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current currency of Turkey and also the local name of the currencies of Lebanon and of Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, including those of Italy, Malta and Israe ...

, however he was released after four years.

Cons

Prior to his arrest, he went to Europe where he acted in a film titled ''La caravane vers l’Ouest'' under the pseudonym Chief White Elk. In 1924, he went to Italy and presented himself as a delegation member of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

. His traditional dress made him famous in Italy, and earned him honour from the fascist rulers of Italy. Later in 1926, he was convicted by a court in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

for his involvement in fraud. According to apocryphal claims he tried to justify his actions with the argument that "I'm an actor, I just did what people expected me to do".

Personal life

His pose as Chief White Elk helped him to marry a

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

woman named Burtha Thompson. His marriage was attended by the governor, who believed he was the real Chief White Elk. Along with his spouse, he visited the US and Canada, but he subsequently left his wife due to his substance abuse.

Death

He moved to New York after his release from Italian prison and died of a

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may ...

in Arizona.

Biography

Cons

Personal life

Death

References

Notes

Further reading