The Washington herald., 1921-12-02
Trip to France for Oper-
alton and Without Any
knowledge of Probe.
MAY BE HELD ON
REACHING FRANCE
Ship Magnate Once Freed
From Prison Has Had
Spectacular Career.

Charles w. Morse. now the sub
ject of an international chase as .
result of his leaving this country
just before a New York grand
jury began investigation of his ship
contracts, has gone to Europe to
regain his health and is not rum
ming away" according to his son,
E. A Morse, who is now in Wash
ingtOn.
Meantime the United States Ship
ping Board, the Department of Jus
tice, Secretary of State Hughes,
French Ambassador Jusserand and
even President Harding are seeking
TO combine all efforts possible to-
ward following the movements of
the former banker and ship mag
nate.
While there has been no indict-
ment to cause the arrest of Morse
under the charges laid before the
New York grand jury. it was stated
by Shipping Board officials yester-
day that there certainly was war
rant for being sure that the sus-
pected shipowner shall not get en-
urely away from the watchful eyes
of the law.
MOrse's sons. who are in touch
with c. c. Carlin. who has repre-
sented Morse on several occasions
in civil suits. have manifested in
diSnation at reports indicating their
father might have gone to Europe
because of the impending grand
jury investigation. They declare
that his health. which was given
in 1912 as critical and was made
the basis Of a commutation by
President Taft of his fifteen-year
sentence to the penitentiary for
misapplication of banking funds, is
the sole cause of his trip to Eu-
rope. He is described as "a very
sick man"
May Be Appreciated.
Nevertheless the circumstances of
his case are sufficiently extenuat-
ing to create a very strong desire
N the part of American officials
to apprehend him upon his landing
in France.
In the first place the Shipping
Board wishes to have him where he
can be, apprehended if the New
York grand jury acts as the board
officials believe it will act.
In the second place. Attorney
General Daugherty has a particular
reason for not wishing the former
banker to get out of hand. 1t was
Daugherty, then a lawyer back in
Ohio. who represented Morse in the
final and successful plea which won
from President Taft a communication
of the bankers sentence to Atlanta
penitentiary.
So. it was not surprising to see
official Washington become very
active Thursday when the news ar
rived that Morse had left the coun-
try. Ambassador Jusserand and
Secretary Hughes conferred during
the day and, while there uas no
comment either from the State De
partment or the French Embassy
on the subject discussed, there was
every reason to believe it had to do
with French cooperation in keep
ing track of Morse when he landed
on French soil. Refusal by the
French to permit Morse to land
would not be surprising.
Case Is Spectacular.
The Morse case is spectacular
both fOr what he has done and for
the men in public life who. in one
way or another. have played part
in his activities. His Imprisonment
in 1905 for misapplying funds OF
the National Bank of North America
came as a shock to the financial
wOrlI in which he had risen to a
prominent figure Immediately ef-
forts were made to have his fifteen
year sentence COmmuted. 1t was
not until January of 1912. however,
ha
army and two other experts had
testified that he was suffering from,
a progressive ailment that would
cause his death in a month if he
remained in Jail. that President Tar,
commuted the sentence The ply
sicians said then that he could not
live longer than six months even
after being released
Morse, however. went to Europe
to recover his health and made such
a good job of it that he returned
to America and resumed his career.
The reported trouble which wa,
supposed to render his death GER
tain at the time of his release from
Atlanta was with his kidneys. Con-
tinuation of this trouble, now
reaching a serious stage. is alleged
by his sons to be responsible for his
trip TO Europe.
Passports Obtained.
Morse obtained passports for his
trip from the State Department
three moHths ago.
In 1916, apparently having re-
covered his health abroad, Morse
started business in New York, this
time organizing a steamship COM
bine for service with European and
South American ports.
In 1920 his activities again re-
suited a grand jury investigation,
he having been indicted on a charge
OF unlawfully selling an American
vessel to the government of Tunis
without the consent of the Shipping
Board. This indictment was dis
missed later, on a resolution of the
shipping Board. asking Attorney
General Palmer to take such action.
The present grand jury investi-
CATION of his ship contracts is based
upon the same evidence that
brought his indictment in 1920 and,
in addition, more evidence which
has been in the board files, it is
said, both before and since that
date.
On behalf of W. Morse and his
two sons, Erwin A. and Harry F.
Morse, Attorney Wilton J. Lambert
issued the following statement:
Attention has been called to