New-York tribune., 1922-05-26
Former L. S. Minister TO
China Sentenced by Mil
itary Court for Alleged
Part in Revolt in Syria
Tried at Damascus.
But Wasn't Present
Now al Liberty in Paris
and Has No Official Mis-.
sion From United States

CHARLES X. Crane, former American
Minister to China, who is now in Paris
alter recent trip through the Near
East, has been convicted hv French
military court, sitting at Damascus, of
melting recent disturbances in French
mandate territory in Syria and SEN
fenced to serve twenty years in prison,
tcrday.
A copyrighted dispatch from Cairo
10 THE Chicago Daily News said that
the court had passed sentence after
hearing in the absence of the accused
and that the United States government
had been advised Of the verdict. 1t
was explained that one popularity of
the French judicial system was that a
trial may proceed in the absence of the
accused, and if he fails to appear, he
may be found guilty and sentenced
AT The State Department at Washing
ton il was learned that the French
government had made an inquiry con-
cernng Mr.. Cranes status. The State
Department had replied that he was
acting entirely on his own initiative
IN his recent travels in the Near East
and was without any authority or COM
mission from the United States.
AT Liberty in Paris
An Associated Press dispatch from
Paris said that Mr.. Crane was not un-
der arrest or surveillance and that his
movements about Paris were not being
observed by the civil or military au-
thorites
At Mr.. Cranes Office in New York,
20 Fifth Avenue, nothing was known
of his Whereabouts or the report Of
his sentence by the Damascus tribunal.
Mr. Crane, after trip across Siberia
into Soviet Russia last year and after
short visit to the United States, left
for southern Europe to visit Albania
early in April and received an enthusi-
astic welcome from the Syrians. He
was we'll known among them as he
had been sent there by President Will
son at the time Of the Paris peace
conference to investigate Syrian CON
ditions
His return to Syria was accom- ,,anied
by considerable agitation. and French
dispatches declared that police had to
be called out to calm the populace.
Although French officials expressed
the belief that it could not be said that
he was melting the natives to resist
ance against the French, they regard
ed his presence as highly inimica. The
natives. with exalted ideals of Amer
lean institutions, were said to have
been encouraged by Mr.. Cranes pres
ence among them to resist the applca-
ton OF the French mandate over the
country and to demand their absolute
Independence.
Salloum A. Mokarzel. of this city
publisher Of The Syrian-Am e ca n
Commercial Magazine,' yesterday OK
planned the circumstances, as semi
officially conveyed to Syrian sources
here, which led to the imposition of
the twenty-year sentence upon Mr.
Crane
$1,000 Check Figures
Mr.. Mokarzel said the sentence was
regarded as reprimand upon the
American because Of relations he is
said to have had with the Syrian revo-
lutionary party during his recent visit
to that country. These alleged rela-
tons. according to MIR. MokarzeI. we're
shown by the fact that check for
81 900 indorsed by Mr.. Crane was said
to have been found on the leader of
the revolutionists when arrested by the
French following a recent insurrecton
Prior to The uprising which occurred
in April, Mr.. Crane was received in
Syria under the general impres ion
that he was an official emissary from
the United States. though the nature
Of his mission was not known, said Mr.
MokarZel This view was taken by
reason Of his having been there before
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