The morning journal-courier., 1908-03-05
EXTORTION CHARGED
Deputy Attorney General of New York State is
 Implicated.
ACCEPTS $500 RETAINER"
Alleged That Lawyer Approached Banker Regarding Suppression
 of Investigation.

New York, March 4.-Nathan Vida yer, special deputy attorney general, was arrested to-day charged with at tempted extortion. The action was brought by District Attorney Jerome who alleges that Vidaver, through threats secured $500 from William R. Montgomery, formerly president of the Hamilton bank, and who is now under indictment on charges of over-certifi- cation.
 Montgomery and Vidaver lunched to- gether at the Astor house to-day and during the meal in fulfillment of pre- arranged plan, five one hundred dol lar bills were passed by the indicted banker to the deputy. The bills had been marked and were subsequently identified by detectives who made affidavit to having witnessed the transactions.
 Montgomery had complained to the district attorneys office that he had been repeatedly approached with un- lawful propositions relative to the suppression of the activities by the at torney generals office in connection with the investigation of the Hamilton bank. The indicted banker further claimed that his effort to resume the banking business had furnished oppor- tunity to attempted extortion.
 ia, la la clared his arrest an outrage and said 1 that the $500 received was retainer | for prospective and proper legal ser vice. He also said that he had met l Montgomery at the request of Moses 1 H. Grossman of the law firm of House 1 Grossman & Verhaus. The deputy was held in 5000 bail for hearing to. morrow. His bail was furnished by l Grossman, who with his partner Yer i haus was immediately afterwards sub. poenaed before the grand jury to tel what they knew of the case Other witnesses to to-day's proceedings wer, all called before the grand jury.
 Niadver was porn in Boston forty one years ago. He was educated il i San Francisco and is a graduate O the law school of the University O i California. In 1897 he came to Nev York and opened law office and il 1905 was candidate for suprem court justiceship on the 1ndependenc league ticket Last fall he was a can didate in Fusion ticket for the genera ! caccia,c hanoi,
 Vidaver was greatly agitated whel arraigned and in entering a plea o not guilty addressed the court:
 This is what may be termed an out rage" he said "I went to the Asto house at the invitation of MT. Gross cry. We had a pleasant lunch toseth CT and afterward MT Montgomery sai that he wanted mo to help him ope another bank. He mad made arrange ments to open another bank. He ha
 made arrangem ants, he told me, { hare the Hamilton bank indictment against him dismissed and if his plan could be carried out the bank would b opened in a very short time on SeVent
 avenue up town. He appeared anxiou
 to have the matter kept from tn
 newspapers. He asked me if I had an
 influence with the newspapers and
 told him I did not !" Well then
 said. you have influence with the al torney gene al and that will help mat
 ters' He wanted me to take the prol nsition ID and afte- a little hesitatio I said that l would do so in the ligf . of a clients case. My clients inte. ; ests. I told him of course would [ . my own. He then handed me tf money and a few minutes after, muc to my surprise. I was arrested I as your henor. that you parole me"
 The request was refused.