The sun., 1903-11-18
ABBEY PRESS MAN ARRESTED.
RIDEADS PURCHASES or CLOTH
GET HIM INTO TROUBLE.
The District Attorneys ONCE Thinks
That the Rev. Carlos Martyrs Success
sOr Sold the Cloth for His Own PrOrt
Suspicious Fire In FIRMS Plant.

That the Rev. Carlos Martyrs Success.
sor Sold the Cloth for His Own PrOfit
Suspicious Fire In FIRMS Plant.
As the result OF an investigation OF the
affairs of the Abbey Press, which, after
several reorganizations or changes, had
fire last February and a failure later,
Assistant District Attorney Garvan yester-
day caused the arrest of Charles F. Rideal,
formerly president Of the concern, on a
warrant charging him with grand larceny.
The complaint filed with the warrant In
the Tombs police court accuses another
man, who has had at least an unofficial con-
nection with the affairs Of the Abbey Press,
and he will be arrested If he can be reached.
The District Attorneys Office promises,
too, that there will be some more investi-
eating and perhaps some more results.
The investigation began with the filing
at the District Attorneys Office OF a report
from Fire Marshal Freel that the fire on
Feb. 7 in the store rooms Of the Abbey
Press at ia Fifth avenue was 'one that
needed the investigation Of the District
Attorney" to Use Mr.. Caravans words.
Mr.. Garvan learned, he says, that most
Of the books recently printed by the firm
we're of the sort for the publication of which
struggling authors would be willing to
pay the expenses In order to see their own
names as authors on the title pages.
In fact, about the only books on the cor
poration's list that attracted Mr.. Caravans
attention as books likely to attract readers
were "Bryan's Condensed Commoner" and
some of Max O'Rells" paul Blouet's).
Mr.. Garvan contends-and the Abbey
Press people deny-that the corporation
was sin financial straits" about year ago.
At about that time according to Mr.. Garvan.
the people in control took up with one
known In Philadelphia and New England:
Mr.. Hart was one of the witnesses for
the defence when Police Captain Daniel Z.
Moynihan was put on trial last winter ior
taking a S25 bribe to allow disorderly
house to run in tho Fast lotth street pre-
else had said that he'd 90 to almost any
length to .break" Moynhan. Moynihan
was "broken,' all right.
Rideal at this time was the head OF the
Abbey Press. He had been the secretary
at time when the president was the Rev.
Carlos F. Martyn, who resigned the pastor
ate Of the Bloomingdale Reformed Church
in 1889 and has spent most of his time since
in writing biographies and histories
About a year ago. soon after M Mdeai e ana
says. began to order lot Of cloth for the
Abbey Press on the statement that the
Arm wanted the cloth TO make bags to hold
books The bags were to be given away
as souvenirs TO the youthful buyers OF the
juvenile books printed by the Abbey Press;
some 1900 worth Of cloth from time to
time from Tefrt. Weller Il Co., the. H. B.
Clafiin Company, Nj. Loewenstein Son,
and other prominent firms. The corpora-
ton got a rating and obtained credit for
this cloth.
Mr.. Garvan has been unable, he says.
to And that the Abbey Press ever made
single book bag out Of all this SIT 900 worth
of cloth. In fact, he Gays that Mr.. Rideal
tells him that the only bags ever made
from the cloth we're three, which Mrs. fideal
made.
Mr.. Garvan says that Hart took this cloth
and sold il as quickly as he could, some-
times in this city at public auction and
sometimes In Baltimore. NJ. Garva': aayo
that il sold at ha, he tbs eass
realized from these quick sales was ever
turned over to the Abbey Press. Rideai,
on the other hand says that the money
WAS 40 applied.
The District Attorneys people assert
that Rideal and Hart we're IN such hurry
to sell great deal II not all OF this cloth
that when the boxes were carted to the
Abbey Presss offices at ia Firth avenue all
that was done there was to rip the labels
from the boxes. Then the wagons rolled
away to the auction rooms.
Mr.. Garvan also says that at about thls
time the Are insurance on the Abbey Press
was raised from $4,000 to $50 900. On
Feb. there came the fire on which FIRE
Marshall Freel has reported Mr.. Garyan
declined, last evening. TO say what - .hls
the men who were connected in one way
or another with the Abbey Press were on
the scene very early and expressed the
opinion that defective electric light wiring
had started the flames; 1t is said that me
Fire Marshal does not have the same opin-
ion as to the origin OF the blaze.
Early last May two creditors of the Abbey
Prees got judgments aggregating about
s., 500 and levied on the property, 1t was
said then that the fire insurance had been
the policies were assigned soon after the
Then the Abbey Press failed with no
assets and one or two large creditors. The
firms that had sold cloth for book bags
says say that the Abbey Press paid $4,000 Of
the $4,000 bills for cloth. Meanwhile
also there had been changes in the Abbey
Press, In May it was said that the Abpey
Press (New York corporation) had sold out
tionl and that the Abbey Press Consoli-
dated had succeeded the New Jersey Abbey
Press.
The complaint on which Rideal was
arrested yesterday was made by member
Of the firm of NJ. Lowenstein 4 Son. 1t Is
alleged that Rideal got rs 900 yards of cloth
worth 81 800 from that firm. With the com
plant were filed affdavits from F ID: Schell,
the Abbey Press's shipping clerk, that the
cloth had been delivered to him and i'm
mediately taken away and from j, l., Scale.
the present secretary, that the company
had not profted by the transaction.
Rideal told Magistrate Cornell that the
cloth was paid for at the time it was OBJ
tanned The Magistrate said he'd parole
Rideal till this afternoon 'to get 81 500
bail. Assistant District Attorney Miner
objected =,
This is very important case, he said.
Fraudulent TRANSACTIONS aggregating more
than $4,000 have been traced TO Rideai
and, under the circumstances, do not
think it safe to parole him
The Magistrate, however. didn't alter
his decision.
SEABOARD CONFERENCES.