Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1912-12-21
.ROCHEFORT IN JAIL
AFTER ACQU|TTAL
Spurned by Real and Pseudo
Wives When Found
Guiltless.
DID NOT TRY TO SLAY WIFE
BY CYANIDE, SAYS JURY
Accused Now Held as Witness
in McGovern Murder
Case.

before Judge Harry V. Osborne on an
indictment charging him with the at
tempted murder of his wife, Cath
crime, by putting cyanide of potas-
sium poison in her coffee. had a
rather varied experience in ten
length of time late yester-
day aftrnoon.
At 4:20 o'clock he was adjudged not
guilty by the jury of the attempted
charge. At 4:22 he was turned
down by his wife and Miss May De
Barleon, the young girl whom he
in New York city on May IS
last, when he requested a few min
utes' conversation with them.
Goes Back to Jail.
At 424 he stepped away from the
court attendants who had him in
charge and, leaning his head between
those of his wife and Miss DeBar-
leon, Missed in their ears that he
had to go back to Jail, and at 4:25
was on his way there, held as a
material witness in the trial of the
of Policeman John J. Nc
Govern on October IL last.
And before today is over Roehefort
will face a charge of bigamy, Cath
crime Rochefort. the wife he was ac-
cused of attempting to poison, hav-
ing gone to New York city this morn
ing with County Detective Louis
Slutzky for the purpose of bringing
tile matter to the attention of Dis
trict Attorney Charles S. Whitman.
Rochefort on the witness stand con-
fessed that he committed bigamy
when he married Miss May De Bar
leon in New York city on May Is
last
And even mere trouble faces him,
for Miss Do Barieon, after a confer
ence with First Assistant Prosecutor
Fred r. Lehlbach today. announced
that she would at once commence
proceedings for the annulment OF her
marriage to Rockefort.
It was first thought that Miss
DeBarleon would make the complaint
for bigamy. To a reporter for the
Evening Star she said today: II win
make complaint for bigamy against
Rochefort, but will not do it today.
This thing has been an awful ex-
perience for me. and l am too un>
strung to take further steps at the
present time. But within few daya
shall surely take steps to see that
this man is punished if it is within
my power.
t. HE deceived me- He told me he
.s<.54 ha
he was until after his arrest on his
wife's charge How the jury could
possibly acquit him of that charge
is more than can understand"
Following a brief conference be-
tween Mr.. Lehlbach, Mrs. Rochefort
and Miss De Barleon it was decided
to have Mrs Rochefort make the
bigamy complaint, while steps look
ing toward the annulment will be
taken by Miss De Barleon.
May Face Life Sentence.
Should Rochefort be tried in New
York State and found guilty of big
amy he may face a life term in
States prison, as under the habitual
criminal act his two sentences for
burglary from that State, one in 1888,
for two and a half years, and one in
1891, for five years, put him within
the purview of the habitual criminal
act.
1t is believed that it was to warn
Mrs. Rochefort and Miss DeBarleon
that, If they pressed the bigamy
charge against him, it might mean
life Imprisonment for him, that he
sought a conference with them yes
terday after he had been found not
guilty and before he was taken back
to the jail.
In this he was balked, as both
women refused absolutely to hold any
conversation with him, although he
broke away from the jailors long
enough to whisper Indignantly in
their ears that he had been sent
back to Jail as a material witness.
Rochefort gets into the McGovern
case through statements alleged to
have been made to him by Salvatore
Loponi, who is in jail, Jointly charged
with Raffaelo Beileciare and Chris
tino Lombardo with killing Nc
Govern. 1t is said that Loponi made
a confdant of Rochefort in the Jail
and made what is practically a con-
fession to him. Rochefort, evidently
in the hope of helping out his own
case. is said to have told members
of the prosecutors staff what Loponi
had told him.
said District Attorney Lied.
This explains a statement Roche
fort made to Second Assistant Prose-
cutor Andrew Van Blarcom when the
latter was cross-examining Rochefort
Tuesday afternoon. At that time
Van Blarcom had angered Rochefort
bv his grilling, and Rochefort sud-
denly shot at him "If the prosecutors
office had not lied to me 1 would not
he here now" No explanation of
what Rochefort meant was made at
the time, but his detention as ma
terlal witness and the fact that he
had repeated Loponfs alleged confess
sion clears the statement up. Roche
fort expected a let-up, at least, in the
prosecution Of the case against him
for the information in the McGovern
case. At the prosecutors office it is
denied that immunity of any kind
was promised Rochefort. His state
ment about Loponi was voluntary
one. it is claimed
verdict Was Surprise.
The verdict of the jury finding
Rochefort not guilty came as a COM
plete surprise to every one in the
courtroom, as it was believed that
the States chain of evidence was
complete. The State had the con-
vincing story of Mrs. Rochefort that
on three different occasions she had