The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-03-06
DEMANDED MONEY
FOR HIS SILENCE
SENSATIONAL CHARGES MADE IN
THE VlDAVER CASE.
A BANKER PROMISED TO PAY
$500 TO Escape Attacks on His Bank
and Himself by a Man Who
Claimed to Represent New
York's Attorney General.

New York, March G. - Astounding
charges are made I'm the afIldayits ac
companying the complaint in which
Nathan Vidayer, recently a special
deputy attorney general, is charged
with attempting TO eYtort $500 from
ex.President William r. Montgomery
of the Hamilton bank Montgomery in
his affidavit alleges that Nidaver, rep
resenting himself as influential with
Attorney General Jackson, demanded
81 500 as the price OF briet immu.
nifty for himself and the Hamilton
bank from newspaper attacks.
That the period of immunity was
TO terminate on November 30 the date
set for the arguments on the question
OF making the receiyership for the
Hamilton bank permanent, at which
time, Vidaver explained, a new ar.
rangement would have to be made
Montgomery made oath that upon his
agreement to pay the 81 500 the public
attacks ceased. only to be renewed
when he failed to make good his prom
ise to pay the 81 500
The hearing in the case of Vidaver
was set for Thursday morning, but by
mutual consent of counsel was post
poned until this afternoon. The com
plant, however, was drawn up at the
district attorneys Office and made pub
lie Attached to II and made a part
of the court record are five afiidavits,
one by Mr.. Montgomery, two by Detec.
tive Fitzsimmons of the district at.
torney's office, one by Frederick Scar
ing, a lawyer, and one by Douglas
Sanderson, house detective at the AS
tor house.
Fitzsimmons swears to a telephone
conversation between Moses Grossman
and Montgomery during which Gross.
man is quoted as having said that he
could smooth things over with Vidaver
and arrange everything satisfactorily
for Montgomery if the matter was left
to him. Grossman at this time, ac-
cording to the affidavit, urged his client
to send him check for $500. In the
other affidavit the detective swears
to a conversation which he says he
heard between the same men while the
detective was secreted in Montgom-
ery's home last Wednesday. At this
time Fitzsimmons says Grossman told
Montgomery that the banker had been
a fool not to give up the promised
81 SEQ to Vidaver and that had he
done so he would not have been In
dicted, nor would his name or the
name Of the Hamilton bank appeared
In the papers.
The affidavit continues:
IN. asked: Does Vidaver give that
money direct to Jackson|
&c. said: No, there is a go-be-
tween
IN. asked: Auerbach? To which
G. answered Yes. Auerbach ara an
other one; but we have got to DOW
to the inevitable
ITO which G said: Yes, that Is so.
II isn't the man but the Office he holds.
His Office is a power politically"
FitZsimmons also tells of the lunch
con at the Astor house Wednesday,
during which Montgomery gave five
800 marked bills TO Vidayer. The
house detective at the Astor swears
to seeing the money passed.
The Hamilton bank in Harlem
closed its doors October 23 last. On
December Attorney General Jackson
made public a report made to him by
Receiver White in which the manage
ment of the institution by President
Montgomery, who had succeeded E. r.
Thomas in the presidency October 20,
and other officials was sharply criti-
cised. The courts refused to make the
receivership permanent, and on Janu-
airy 20, 1908, 1t reopened. Preceding
the reopening. on January IA, the spe-
cial grand jury returned two indict-
ments against Montgomery charging
acts OF overcertifcation while he was
vice president of the bank. Recently
he has sought to have these indict-
ments quashed and to re-enter the
banking business
Attorney General Jackson said last
night that Vidayer had had no connec-
tion with the banking Investigation
and added that he did not know Gross
man MIR. Jackson said that he could
not conceive of Nidayer telling any
man that he could influence the attor-
ney general.
A. in D1hatf ~ EAraLaH