New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-25
OUALEY CONVICTED BY
VOICE FROM THE GRAVE"
Story Of Magnesia-Asbestos
SwindIe, Told by Late Mrs.
Bull, Convinces Jury.
PLANT MANAGER ON STAND
Tells How Newark Factory
Was Made to Hum" When
Prospective Investors
Were About to Call.


John A. Qualey was convicted Of grand
larceny yesterday largely on the voice
from the grave"-that is, the testimony
which his victim. the late Mary Nevins
Bull, had given in the police court Mrs.
Bull died about year ago. A codicil in
her will contained the request that
Qualey and his partner, Harvey w. Cor
bett. whom she accused of swindling her
out OF 5000, be prosecuted, despite her
death. Justice Golf. before whom Qualey
was tried in the Criminal Branch of the
Supreme Court, allowed the police court
stenographer to read Mrs. Bulls testi-
mony into the record.
Qualey was remanded until Wednesday
for sentence. His wife and son, who had
been In court all through the trial were
not there when the verdict was an
nounced.
More interesting details were disclosed
yesterday of the business methods en-
ployed to boom the Observation-Disclosures
company, III NllNH MI Dun iiNSSNN' ~
money. and the Stone Edge Plaster Com
pany, the plant in Newark where mag
nesia-asbestos products were said TO he
manufactured. 1t was shown that
whether or not the concern paid the huge
profit promised to Mrs. Bull II had a re-
markable ability TO make money Tor
Qualey and Corbett.
Let Investors See Things Hum.
The concerns office and plants fairly
hummed with activity when any one ap-
reared who had invested money or who
had money to invest in the business.
Then II would rest on its oars until the
next investor appeared. Meantime, from
some source or another. Qualey and Cor
pett bought yacht, financed European
trips and paid dues in exclusive clubs.
1t was Gustave r. Jansen. formerly
local manager of the Newark plant. who
described the sporadic activities in the
factory.
"Qualey or Corbett always told me when
visitors were coming" he said, "and nat
uraliy I would try TO make things look
as good as possible Qualey himself has
told me to 'brisken' things up because
some one was coming. When l got these
orders would tell the superintendent 10
put all the men TO work. I told them t.
make noise and hustle around-to go up
stairs and hammer or to get busy some
how"
You had q piece of boiler plate up
stairs TO hammer on, didn't your asked
Frank Moss, the Assistant District At
torney.
Yes, there was iron of some kind NJ
there that they would hammer on" sait
the witness. at must have been that; j
made some noise" and Jansen smile'
reminiscently.
I'D tell the men 10 Iiven things mp
and they'd do It all kinds of ways, Som'
of them would bag and unbag the plas
ter; that is. they'd take the plaster ",
kept there and dump II all into bags. thel
they'd dump It all out again and begii
all over.
Filled the Air with Dust.
once. when some man was coming VIII
either had invested $1,000 or was goin!
10 invest that amount, | told the men &
swing the bags and clap them togethe
so that there would be lots of dust In III
air Then once got orders from Quale
10 have things painted up because Wis
itors were coming. I went out on tn
street and picked up a bunch Of men AM
set them to work painting everything Il
sight Then. too, when people were com
ing we'd light coke on top Of the deat
lime in the kilns so as TO look busy"
Mrs Naomi s. Boiler. an investigate
employed to serve legal papers on Quale.
when civil suits had been started agains
him, said that in March, 1910. two o.
three months before Mrs Bull was In
duced to part with her money, she VISITED
the Newark factory She had pas
signed by Corbett, which was written or
the firms letterhead. which showed al
enormous plant in full blast and enumer
Assd a dozen or more products which thu
company manufactured.
She found the gate locked and coulc
make 10 one hear her knocks. Looking
through the gate she said she could Sc
no one about, although she noticed tina
a good many windows in the factory wer
broken Later she went again In compan!
with Corbett. No preparations seem 4
have been made to receive the woman in
vestigator. She had no money to invest
She saw a few men idling about sh
said, and the only plaster or other prod
ucts she saw we're a few samples scat
tered about the office No machinery wa
moving. A few men were at the whar
shovelling sand into barrels. That wa
the only activity she saw.
The jury was out forty-fve minutes
oualey put in no defence. His counsel
Amos III. Evans. has many exceptions Il
the rulings of Justice Goff on the recor'
and expects to fight the case on appeal
Qualcy himself took the verdict witt
hardly CULVER He was much more per
turbed apparently on Thursday. when Cor
hnff took the stand against him.