King Con

June 4, 2018
In this extensively detailed biography, Willetts (Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms) traces the brazen and bizarre life of Edgar Laplante, an early 20th century drifter and conman extraordinaire. Laplante came of age as a traveling vaudeville performer who was at first content to capitalize on small-scale schemes impersonating celebrities while collecting speaking fees in small-town venues. Over time, he became bold enough to make up identities of his own, the most famous being American Indian “Chief White Elk.” Adorned in a feathered headdress, he addressed spellbound crowds as he spoke of the plight of “his” embittered Native people—all the while profiting off the ticket sales of those who paid to see him speak. Later, Laplante fell into the good graces of two Austrian countesses whose “heaven-sent gullibility” allowed him to leech off their vast wealth and reach the pinnacle of his hustler life, soliciting hefty loans from the family while staying in Europe’s fanciest hotels. Willetts’s biography occasionally gets bogged down by detail—a passage about Laplante’s short-term residence at the Montana Soldier’s Home leads to a long tangent about his education at the Sockanosset School for Boys 17 year earlier—but he keeps the narrative alive with the colorful anecdotes from Laplante’s remarkable life.

July 1, 2018
The absorbing tale of a Jazz Age grifter named Edgar Laplante, who posed as an American Indian and gained extravagant wealth and worldwide fame.Chronicling the life and entertaining yet fraudulent times of Laplante, aka Chief White Elk, Willetts (Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms: The Spyhunter, the Fashion Designer, and the Man from Moscow, 2015, etc.), in his American debut, brings fresh significance to the ancient profession of the con artist. A vaudeville performer who began his career in traveling medicine shows, by 1917 Laplante was a small-time grifter moving from city to city, posing as Onondagan marathon runner Tom Longboat. As his confidence developed, his game grew, and he effectively dazzled his marks and bled them until his cover was blown. With the law always one step behind, he finally settled into his boldest reinvention: Chief White Elk, revered leader of the Cherokee nation, wounded war veteran, sports celebrity, vaudeville performer, war bonds promoter, etc. Dressed in buckskins and headdress, Laplante was the mainstay of local society pages, and his herculean feats of charisma and charm became unparalleled as his cons grew bigger and more dangerous. After several years, having run the course of his scam in North America, he made his way to Europe, where he began hosting fundraisers for American Indian orphans. By 1924, he was living in the French Riviera, where he met a wealthy Austrian countess from whom he bilked massive sums of money. Touring through Italy at her expense, Laplante hit his ultimate stride when he fell into the graces of the Mussolini regime, which brought him renown across Europe and around the globe. Then, just as he reached his career pinnacle, his fabrications crumbled, resulting in a stint in an Italian prison. Using the "surprisingly extensive paper trail" that Laplante "left behind," Willetts weaves a fast-paced, intriguing tale.With the rise of identity theft, celebrity worship, and manipulative social media, this sprightly story of a legendary con artist's outrageous successes becomes a cautionary tale for the digital age.

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