Evening star., 1949-09-02
Court-MartiaI Denies
Motion for AcquittaI Of
'Shanghaied' Sailor
Continued From First PageJ

rendered 10 OIllGcu OGdCCo AoFoA
officers in February, 1949.
Comdr. Lloyd A. Straits is presi-
dent of the f1ve-man board hear
ing the charge against Ryan.
Three verdicts are possible: Ac-
quittal; guilty of desertion, or guilty
of unauthorized absence. A ver-
dict of acquittal would be an
nounced Immediately. Announce
ment of a guilty verdict would be
delayed until it had been re-
viewed by the Commandant of the
Potomac Naval Command.
If convicted, Seaman Ryan
would face a maximum of two
years imprisonment and a dis
honorable discharge on the de-
sertion charge, or up to six months
on the AWOL charge.
The story Ryan told of what
happened after he met the senorita
in San Reno took almost three
hours to unfold, and the court
and the spectators IN the tiny
hearing room listened with rapt
attention.
II picked up this girl in cafe" :"
the sailor explained. "She couldn't
speak much English, and didn't
know much Italian, but I called
her Senorita and we got along.
I made a date to meet her that
night when the ships crew was
throwing a party"
The party was sort OF pre-
Fourth of July celebration and
q farewell" to San Reno. be-
cause the crew knew the destroyer
Dickson was preparing to sail to
Nice, France. Wine and beer were
served with food at the party.
The "senorita" kept the date.
and several of the crew danced
with her. Then her Italian hoy
friend" showed up. He was an
affable fellow and left the party
with Ryan and the "senorita."
IT bought a painting to send
home to my mother-it was pic
ture of the Alps with nice farm
and some people and animals on
the slopes" Ryan explained.
The hoy friend" had car and,
after giving the sailor few
drinks, suggested they drive out to
his house. Ryan drank some more.
although he was due back to his
ship at l am.
Then I blacked out" his story
continued, "and when came to
my senses it was broad daylight,
but I didn't know what day.
had recollected waking up several
times before and getting dizzy and
passing out again.
Finds Ship Gone.
my wallet with all my money
and my papers was gone. So was
my hat and my neckerchief. I
got sicker than I'd ever been in
my life and felt like I'd been
drugged. The girl and the man
were still there and I searched
them, but they didn't have my
wallet
"I went down to the docks and
my ship was gone. It had been
due to sail on the seventh. so I
knew I'd been out for three days"
In desperation Ryan started to
walk to Nice, but people he met
along the road said it was too far
and told him to talk to cab
driver who did smuggling on the
side. T-
The cab driver smuggled him
across the Italo-French border,
and he walked down the Rivera
highroad to Nice:
IT got there just as it was get
ting dark and started asking peo-
pie the way to the docks, but they
couldn't understand me. and then
three Foreign Legion M.P.s took
me to jail
Ryan said legion officers dis
missed his protestations that he
was an American citizen with the
remark, For all we know, you may
be an American espionage agent
or a murderer" He was told he
could have three choices: to stay
in Jail, go to work as prisoner
in the coal mines, or join the
legion"
II told 'em I didn't want any
choice-I wanted to get back to
my ship or have some American
authority told about me-"
Shipped to North Africa.
After being transferred to three
jails, Ryan's head was shaved and
he was shipped with 400 other
legion recruits" to Oran, North
Africa.
At each of the jails, legion en-
listment papers were showed at
him, but he refused to sign, Ryan
said.
. "One officer hit me across the
face with a stick and said, You'll
,learn to obey orders when they are
given
In North Africa, Ryan said. he
was beaten almost daily with
straps when he refused to sign en-
listment papers. Sometimes. he
said, be was beaten about the head
and neck with a rubber hose until
he became unconscious. One time
he was made to kneel for several
hours on broom stick from which
small nails were protruding.
. At the request of Mr.. Norman,
a retired naval lieutenant, Ryan
pulled up his blue bell-bottom
trousers to display his SCARED legs.
f. IT wrote letters to the Navy
.about every other day." Ryan re-
lated. "I saved my food and used
1T to bribe Arabs to mail them for
me. Sometimes I dropped them
.on the street in the hope some one
would mail them"
!. Letter Alerted Navy.
T-44 tAI