CAUSED BY A CAT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17165, 15 October 1926, Page 7

CAUSED BY A CAT

THE WAR IN SYRIA TOURIST’S NARRATIVE UNPOPULAR FRENCH MANDATE (Soecial to the Herald.) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. How an ordinary household cat caused a war which has.been - carried on for over a year was related to a reporter to-day. Tile story has not previously been published, as the French authorities who control the area concerned exercise a strict censorship on news messages. The narrator of the story was Mr. A. 1.. Freeman, who during.flic last twelve months lias made a leisurely tour of the Sudan, Kgypt, Palestine, Syria, mid Transjordania. Speaking, of the trouble in Syria between the French and the Druses, Mr. Freeman ' said the whole trouble was caused by a cat. “It seems ridiculous,” 'he said, ‘‘bul.it is perfectly true. 1 have absolutely no doubt about it. Many of the Druses I spoke to tdld me about it, and even Prince Sntfalla, the Egyptian multimillionaire, who is financing the Druses, although the French' can’t catch him at it, assured me it was true. SHFIKS D.I SHEAR BET). “The French Governor of Damascus accused the Druse people of stealing a cat to which he was greatly attached. They denied the c-harg?, hut the Governor took six sheiks as hostages. He told them that if the cat was not returned within 24 hours he would cut off their beards, a serious offence and great insult. The Druses didn't have the cat, and so they were disbearded. “The Druses did not commence an attack immediately, but laid a complaint before General Sarrail, Governor of the territory, to have the offending Frenchman -removed. General Sarrail replied in no uncertain terms that lie would rather sacrifice France than sacrifice that man. “It was then,” added Mr. Freeman, “that they resorted to violent measures. The result was that General Sarrail was removed, and M. Jouvenal was placed ns Governor, ile was not there long until he was fired out himself. DRUSES’ NIGHTLY RAIDS “Baalbek is a French outpost halfway between Beirut and Damascus,” Mr. Freeman added. ‘ The French are attacked there nearly every night. The Druses come down from the mountains, make a swift attack, and go hack to the mountains. At llie hotel i’alntern, where I stayed, the bullets whacked against the building ail night- long. Two or three days before 1 got there a big raid took place, and 20 or 30 of the French garrison were killed. The Druses have plenty oi ammunition and plenty of artillery, as they have captured' all the French weapons. The French are using nearly all colonial troops, and they are held in very low esteem. “The Druse people do not want the French mandate,” added the speaker. “They desire British protection. The native Syrians are also very dissatisfied with the French way oi doing things.”