Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-06-30
ROCHEFORT GETS
TERM IN SING SING
Pleads Guilty to Bigamy and Is
Given TWo-Year VA
cation"

Charles W. Rochefort. who last
December was found not guilty In
Quarter Sessions Court on a charge
OF attempting to poison his wife,
Catherine Rochefort. by placing cya-
hide OF potassium In her coffee, and
who was at once re-arrested on a
charge of bigamy preferred by
young woman named May DeBarleon,
In New York, today retracted his plea
OF not guilty to bigamy to one of
guilty and he was sentenced by Judge
Swami in Part H.. General Sessions,
to serve two years and three months
in Sing Sing prison.
The Rochefort case attracted con-
siderable attention here at the time
of his arrest on June 26, 1912, owing
to circumstances that were similar
to those in the case Of Allison M.
mcfarland. who was then in the
Trenton States prison under sentence
of death for the murder Of his wife
by cyanide of potassium poisoning.
Rochefort, 1t is alleged, had at
getting rid of his wife, and had also
worked for the Croker Wheeler COM
pany in Ampere, the same firm that
had formerly employed Mcfarland.
And still more than that, Miss De-
Barleon figured as the other woman
In the case. the same as Florence
Bunny" Bromley had in the Mac
Farland case.
Rochefort's Alleged Deceit.
Miss DeBarleon, 1T developed, had
met Rochefort in March, 1912, and the
latter. posing as a single man, had
persuaded her to go to New York
city and be married. She did not dis
cover he was a married man until his
arrest on the attempted poisoning
charge. Then she Joined hands with
Mrs. Catherine Rochefort in the pros
ecution, but at the trial was called on
simply to testify to her marriage to
him.
Before the trial had ended Miss De-
Barleon had been persuaded to appear
before the New York county grand
Jury and an Indictment for bigamy
was found against Rochefort. He has
been in the Tombs In New York since
last December awaiting trial.
Today when his case came up for
trial Miss DeBarleon appeared as the
complaining witness. while the wife
he is alleged to have attempted to
poison was also in court. Miss DeBar-
leon, 1t is understood, had stated that
she would not appear in court against
Rochefort, and on this theory j. Vic
tor, D'Aloia, of this city, his counsel,
was prepared to fight the case.
But the appearance Of Miss DeBar-
leon made a fight useless. The evil
tience was all against Rochefort. AS
he was indicted under the New York
laws for bigamy as a second offense
he could have been sentenced to life
Imprisonment as a habitual offender
He had already served two terms in
Sing Sing for burglary, as well as one
in Ohio and a five-year term in the
Trenton prison for the same offense.
His criminal record dates back to 1888.
which is about the time he married
Catherine Rochefort, the wife he is
alleged to have tried to poison.
With this array of evidence con-
fronting him, Rochefort decided, af-
ter conference between his counsel,
d. Aloia, Assistant District Attorney
Nlnley, of New York, and Judge
Swami, that it was better to plead
guilty to bigamy as a first offense
rather than stand trial and take the
chance OF getting life term on con-
viction. This plea was acceptable to
he court and Rochefort at once SEN
enced to Sing Sing.
Miss DeBarleon, who is a good
loking young girl. and who was ap-
. irently deeply in love with Roche
urt, even after it had developed that
Vt had deceived her at the time of
their marriage. will. it is understood,
1ow take steps in the New York
co5rts to have her marriage annulled.