New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-09
AID HALEY LAND PROBE
Victims of Realty SWindIe Meet
and Air Grievances.
TELL OF PROMISED DEEDS
Assistant District Attorney De-
termined to Spare No e.
fort to Fix Responsibility.

About two hundred and fifty victims Of
the HALEY Land and Improvement Com
pany met last night in the FIRE house at
Harrison, y. j.. In an effort TO aid j. r.
Colligan. Assistant District Attorney in
Mr.. Whitmans Office. probe the alleged
realty swndie. In spite OF the fact that
those who attended were heavy losers at
the hands of the company. most Of them
seemed 10 have an unaccountable aver
sion to testifyng about the alleged
frauds So marked was their fear that
Mr.. Colligan finally asked all who OBJ
jected TO testifying in public TO come to
him afterward. In this way, he said. he
obtained much valuable information.
He said that the District Attorneys Of
fee would probe the matter to the bot
tom and that no effort would be spared
to fix responsibility for the frauds.
Among those who aired their grievances
were Frederick Schultz, Frank Monfrino.
Ernest Pfeiffer. George Storehouse and
Thomas Fitzgerald. Their stories ran
pretty much the same way. They had
bought property and were promised deeds.
which they said were never given to
them. or they bought property which
they were told was unencumberei. only
to find that there were two or three
mortgages on IT, They were, in short.
swindled in every possible way. and for
sums ranging anywhere from between 500
and 500
The meeting was very informal and the
speakers were frequently interrupted by
questions or suggestions from the au-
dience. Charles D. Folsom and Eugene l.
Parodi. receivers for the concern. were
present. John Murphy was chairman ana
William +. Powers secretary OF the meet
ing.
No new methods Of fraud were discov-
cred. and the complainants' stories were
for the most part identical with those al
ready printed Some of those who at
tended the meeting did not even then I'M
derstand the way in which they had oeen
defrauded nor realize that they had lost
their property.
Eight more persons called on the DIS
trict Attorney yesterday 10 tell him that
they did not think that the Halley-fran-
coIini land companies with which they
had had dealings had treated them just
right. Charles r. Colligan, the Assistant
District Attorney, is confident that he has
evidence in his hands now which would
result in indictments II case we're pre-
sented TO the grand jury.
one of those who saw Mr.. Colligan yes
terday was Otto Messloh, OF the Hotel
Belnord Mr.. Messloh said that he bought
a mortgage for $1,000 on two lots. There
was a two and one-half story stone house
on the lots. Mr.. Messloh believed. So firm
was his belief that he paid insurance
premiums on the house. He told Mr. Col
liean Yesterday that he was still reason
ably sure that the land was there, but
there was no house.
Mrs. Mary II. Simpson. of No. iel East
1s2d street, The Bronx, told Mr.. Colligan
that though she made the last payment
on two lots at Harrison, y. y, on May
she had got no deed yet. When she de-
manded her deed she was told by officers
of the company, she says, that there were
two mortgages of 1900 each on the prop
erty.