Alert Grey Twinkling Eyes of C. J. DeGaris, The

Financial woes, faked deaths, disguises: The real story of an Australian ‘charlatan’. During the 1920s, C J DeGaris’ name was a byword both for disreputable absconders and can-do entrepreneurs. A charismatic developer who wooed investors from Victoria to Western Australia and as far afield as the United States, DeGaris faked his drowning at Port Phillip Bay to escape financial problems. On the lam for two weeks, he was spotted wearing several disguises, including that of a woman and a portly American businessman.