In the following days, the German press speculated on what had really happened.
At the same time the army ran its own investigation.
The public seemed to be positively amused by the daring of the culprit.

Voigt was arrested on 26 October after a former cellmate who knew about Voigt's plans had tipped the police in anticipation of the high reward.
On 1 December he was sentenced to four years in prison for forgery, impersonating an officer and wrongful imprisonment.
However, much of public opinion was on his side.
German Kaiser Wilhelm II pardoned him on 16 August 1908.
There are some claims that even the Kaiser was amused by the incident, referring to him as an amiable scoundrel, and being pleased with the authority and feelings of reverence that his military obviously commanded in the general population.

The British press were also amused, seeing it as confirmation of their stereotypes about Germans.
In its 27 October 1906 issue, the editors of The Illustrated London News were to note gleefully:
For years the Kaiser has been instilling into his people reverence for the omnipotence of militarism, of which the holiest symbol is the German uniform.
Offences against this fetish have incurred condign punishment.
Officers who have not considered themselves saluted in due form have drawn their swords with impunity on offending privates.

In that same issue, writer G. K. Chesterton would point out:
The most absurd part of this absurd fraud (at least, to English eyes) is one which, oddly enough, has received comparatively little comment.
I mean the point at which the Mayor asked for a warrant, and the Captain pointed to the bayonets of his soldiery and said, 'These are my authority'.
One would have thought anyone would have known that no soldier would talk like that.
In the following days, the German press speculated on what had really happened. At the same time the army ran its own investigation. The public seemed to be positively amused by the daring of the culprit.
Voigt was arrested on 26 October after a former cellmate who knew about Voigt's plans had tipped the police in anticipation of the high reward. On 1 December he was sentenced to four years in prison for forgery, impersonating an officer and wrongful imprisonment. However, much of public opinion was on his side. German Kaiser Wilhelm II pardoned him on 16 August 1908. There are some claims that even the Kaiser was amused by the incident, referring to him as an amiable scoundrel, and being pleased with the authority and feelings of reverence that his military obviously commanded in the general population.
The British press were also amused, seeing it as confirmation of their stereotypes about Germans. In its 27 October 1906 issue, the editors of The Illustrated London News were to note gleefully:
For years the Kaiser has been instilling into his people reverence for the omnipotence of militarism, of which the holiest symbol is the German uniform. Offences against this fetish have incurred condign punishment. Officers who have not considered themselves saluted in due form have drawn their swords with impunity on offending privates.
In that same issue, writer G. K. Chesterton would point out:
The most absurd part of this absurd fraud (at least, to English eyes) is one which, oddly enough, has received comparatively little comment. I mean the point at which the Mayor asked for a warrant, and the Captain pointed to the bayonets of his soldiery and said, 'These are my authority'. One would have thought anyone would have known that no soldier would talk like that.
Wilhelm Voigt