Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1912-12-19
ACCUSES HUSBAND
OF TRYING TO KILL
HER FOR ANOTHER
Mrs. Rochefort Says
He Put Cyanide
in Coffee.
SAID TO HAVE ALREADYWED
MISS MAY DE BARLEON
Defendant in Case Similar to
MacFarIand's Was For
4 mer. Burglar.

A trial that has the elements of the
case OF Allison NJ. MacFarland, with
the exception that the wife In the
present instance did not take the
deadly dose of cyanide of potassium
poison that is alleged 10 have been
prepared for her by her husband, is
on trial in quarter sessions court to-
day before Judge Harry V. Osborne
Charles w. Rochefort, who on June
&c last, 1t is alleged. tried to admin
lister the cyanide poison to his wife
in a cup of coffee, is the prisoner
His wife, Catherine Rochefort, a
middIe-aged woman. Is the complain
ing witness against him, and in
low voice told today on the witness
stand Of three different times Roche
fort, SO she alleges, placed enough
poison in coffee to Kill her had she
drank it.
The similarity to the MacFarland
case does not only lie in the ract
that a cyanide solution vas the
means used in both cases. 1t goes
much further. Both men were en-
nloyed by the Crocker- Wheeler Com
many plant in Ampere at the time
of the commission of their alleged
crimes. Both obtained the syanioe
to be used as a poison from the
: plant where it is used in large quanti-
ties. both In Photographic and otner
work.
And more than that, another
woman figures in each case. In Mac
Farland's it was Bunny" Bromley,
author of the love letters that had
much to do with the first conviction
of MacFarland.
In Rochefort,s case the other worn-
an is May DeBarleon, OF W
Court street, this city, who on May
Is last, Just a trihe over month
before Rochefort is alleged TO nave
tried to poison mis- wife, went through
marriage ceremony with him al
2O5 West 107th street, New York CITY,
the ceremony being performed by the
Rev. George r. Baker. and being wit
messed by Ellen r. /. Garrett and
Marguerite r. Baker.
Miss DeBarleon subpoenaed.
Miss DeBarleon has been sub
poenaed as a witness and will ap-
pear against Rochefort in court. He
is said to have told her he was un-
married, and after his marriage
explained his inability to be with her
except on Saturday and Sundays by
stating that he was a travelling man
and was out of town during the re-
mainder of the week, when as a mat
ter of fact he was living with his
wife at the Eighteenth street address
and working at the Crocker- Wheeler
plant.
Mrs Catherine Rochefort, the wife.
ii is alleged, he tried to poison, ana
NAV DeBarleon, the New York girl,
sit side by side in the court room ana
are on the very best of terms As
soon as Mrs. Rochefort was dismissed
from the witness stand, where she
had given damaging evidence against
her husband, she Joined Miss De-
Rarleon, and the two engaged in an
animated whispered conversation.
Miss DeBarleon Is an attractive
looking young woman, about "a years
of age, and is apparently very bitter
toward Rochefort for deceiving her.
Rochefort. a smooth -shaven, clean
looking man of about 90 years of age,
did not once look at either his wire OF
Miss DeBarleon as they sat in their
seats. While Mrs. Rochefort was on
the stand, Rochefort looked steadily
at her with a half-sarcastic look on
his face, but, except to speak to j.
Victor D'Aloia, his counsel, on two
occasions, seemingly paid but little
attention to her testimony.
Information gathered by Plain
clothesnan Kaas, of the Fourth pre-
cinct. and County Detective Louis
Slutzky. show that Rochefort has
prison record dating back to 1883.
In that year he was sent to Sing Sing
from New York for burglary under
the name of ohan Rochefore. Later
he served seven years in the ONO
penitentiary under the name OF
Charles Mills Roche, being sentenced
from Cleveland on April IL, 1885 on
December 81, 1891, he was given an
other five-year bit at Sing Sing, while
on January IA, 1906, he was sent up.
from Newark for five-year term at
Trenton. All of his sentences were
for burglary.
When the trial started today Mrs.
Catherine Rochefort. the wife, was
the UTEl WlNAC6H CcllAChs kHllC NOlu VI
at least three attempts made to
poison her in a low voice, but in a
convincing manner. Most of the time
she kept her eyes averted from her
husband. who sat within dozen feet
of her
After testifying that she was
married to Rochefort seventeen years
ago. ]. Victor D'Aloia attempted to
mt stop to further questioning of
the witness on the ground that wife
could not testify against a husband.
He was overruled by Judge Osborne
and Mrs. Rochefort proceeded to tell
her story in her own way.
She said;
"Fonl April II last it was my hus-
hands custom to leave home on Sat
urday morning and not return until
Saturday night. l did not know
where he spent his time, and when /
asked him he refused to answer.
zone day about a week before
June 26 last my husband asked me to
pet him some rolls for his breakfast.
This was an unusual request, but
went to store and got them. On