Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-01-11
GIRL ELOPER WILL
FIGHT TO SAVE
WAITER FROM JAIL
Roberta de JanOn Declares She
Is Going to Defend Cohen
If Prosecuted.

CHICAGO, jan. 1l.-Roberta de
Janon, the Philadelphia heiress who
was arrested here yesterday with Fred
erick Cohen, a hotel waiter with whom
she eloped IN December 20, said today
that II court proceedings were begun
against Cohen that she would be his
chief defender. She was emphatic In
her declarations that the elopement
was all her fault and that Cohen was
in no way to blame.
"Mr. Cohen is in the right she said
when told that the announcement thar
Cohen would be prosecuted had been
made in Philadelphia.
1T was l who persuaded him to leave
Philadelphia; it was he who refused; II
was he who asked me day after day TO
return to my grandfather and 1t was he
who cared for me. If they start court
action against Fred. | will certainly
go to his defense. He has lone moth
ing amiss. / will always defend Fred.
II will promise never to have any
thing more to do with Mr.. Cohen. /
will try to give him some money if
my grandparents will allow IL. Mr..
Cohen told me hat he had given his
wife 5000 before we started on our
trip. | would like to see his family
we'll provided for.
This is not the first time | have
run away from home. When | was II
years Old n living with my mother
at Clayton, N. Y. L ran away to go
to my father, who was IN New York
city. | only reached Utica when | vas
caught and sent back home"
Cohen denied the report that he had
more than one wife living. He said he
had wealthy relatives in Vienna.
Il am just q waiter. but | feel that I
am as good as the De Janon girl. even
If she Is an heiress," said Cohen. Il did
not influence her to leave Philadelphia.
She may be young, but she has the
sense and understanding of a woman
of %.
Miss de Janon is II years old and I
am AZ, and every one will blame me be-
of the difference in our ages. j
can swear that the girl actually induced
me to accompany her. She threatened
to kill herself, unless ] went with her.
All J. want is an opportunity to prove
MY Innocence. All / ever had was pla-
tonic friendship and fatherly feeling
for her. Except In that sense there was
no love between lis. We understood
each other"
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 11.-Opposing
views as to which is responsible FOR
the elopement of Roberta b. de Janon,
the 17-year-old heiress, and Frederic
Cohen, the waiter of the Bellevue
Stratford, which terminated yesterday
In Chicago, are held today by the girls
grandfather. Robert BUST, the million
aire seed man, and Mrs. Cohen, the
wife. who was deserted when the couple
fled from this city on December 20.
Mr.. BUST declares his granddaughter
did not realize what she vas doing,
and was the victim of a cunning ad
venturer.
Detectives are now on their way to
Chicago to return the girl to her grand
father and to bring Cohen here to face
a charge of abduction.
According to I'M. Buist's attorney.
the prosecution will be based on an act
of the Legislature, which provides b
severe penalty for the wilful taking
away of another person for the purpose
of profit or any personal motive. Coun-
sci declared today that Cohen can be
held under this law even II he is able
TO prove hat the girl consented to ac-
company him, because of his undue in
fence over her and the great disparity
in their ages.
Mrs. Cohen says she will stick to
her husband. She says h has no sym
patty for the girl, who, she says, want
ed an escapade and chose her husband
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