Burlingame Is Ready

New York, 1895

ASSEMBLYMAN VACHERON'S TRIAL WILL TAKE PLACE IN JUNE.

The District Attorney will Oppose Any Attempt at Delay — There are Two Counts in the Indictment — The Man Who Paid the Bribe is the Leading Witness.

District Attorney Burlingame, of Albany, says he has prepared his case, and will move the trial of Assemblyman Eugene F. Vacheron for bribery before the Criminal Court at the term beginning on June 4. He says he will oppose any attempt of counsel to put the matter over until the next term, as the charges are specific and plenty of time has elapsed since the indictment was found to prepare a defense.

Following is the full text of the indictment:

"The Grand Jury of the county of Albany by this indictment accuse Eugene F. Vacheron of the crime of bribery, committed as follows:

"On April 14 a proposed law, known as Assembly bill No. 2,419, entitled 'An act to prohibit the harvesting of ice for commercial purposes from the Hudson River between the southerly boundary line of the counties of Albany and Rensselaer and the State dam at Troy, was duly introduced in the Assembly of the State of New York, read once, and referred to the Committee on Internal Affairs.

"Eugene F. Vacheron, being then and there a member of the said Assembly of the State of New York, on the 25th day of April and whilst the said bill was yet pending before the said Assembly, unlawfully, wickedly and corruptly did feloniously ask and agree to receive the sum of $3,000 in money from one George N. Best, upon an agreement that the vote, action and official proceedings of the said Eugene F. Vacheron should be thereby influenced and that his vote, etc., concerning the said bill should be in opposition to the same and in favor of its defeat, against the form of the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace of the people of the State of New York and their dignity.

"Second count: On April 15 a proposed law known as Assembly bill No. 2,419, entitled 'At act to prohibit the harvesting of ice for commercial purposes from the Hudson River between the southerly boundary lines of the counties of Albany and Rensselaer and the State dam at Troy', was duly introduced in the Assembly of the State of New York, read once and referred to the Committee on Internal Affairs.

"Eugene F. Vacheron, then, and there a member of the Assembly of the State of New York, duly elected and qualified on the 25th day of April, while the said bill was yet pending before the said Assembly, unlawfully and wickedly and corruptly did feloniously accept and receive from one George N. Best the sum of $3,000 in money upon an agreement and understanding that the vote and action of the said Eugene F. Vacheron concerning the bill so pending before the Assembly should be thereby influenced, and that his vote and action as such member of the Assembly aforesaid upon the said bill should be in opposition to the same and in favor of its defeat, against the form of the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace of the people of the State of New York and their dignity.

"EUGENE BURLINGAME,
"District Attorney of the County of Albany."

George N. Best, with whom Vacheron is alleged to have agreed to kill the ice harvesting bill for $3,000, and who is alleged to have paid the money to Vacheron, was a witness against Vacheron before the grand jury that indicted him, and is said to have made a clean breast of the whole affair. Under the new constitution, Best is saved from prosecution for having given his testimony for the state.

Vacheron is at liberty on $10,000 bail, Senator Childs being his bondsman.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, May 24, 1895, p. 1.