New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-14
100000 Party
Not Worth Tt.
Lawyer Says
Coakley Swears He Regard
ed Women at Film FroIic
as Immoral and Their
T. a i III S Not justified
Accepted Lump Hush Sun,
Was to Buy OFF Every One
and Keep What Was Left;
Made So ZOO, He Thinks

BOSTON, July 13.-Daniel H. Coax
ley, Boston attorney, who represented
several New York motion picture pro-
ducers in the complications growing
out of their presence at a midnight
party in Mishawum Manor at Woburn,
in 1917, testified to-day that he re-
garded all the women at the manor as
immoral and declared he never be-
lieved any OF them had legitimate
claim on his clients. Coakley is
charged jointly with District Attorney
Tufts, of Middlesex County, with con-
spring to extort money from the
motion picture men under threat of
prosecution because of the events at
the dinner.
His job, Coakley said, was to see
that no suits were brought
81 worked to that end. But when
paid believed they were all bad claims,
all phoney and dishonest" he said.
Coakley testified to-day that he
agreed to handle the case for 100000
after the New York men mad appealed
to him in their efforts to keep out of
the courts and avoid newspaper pub
licity His compensation, he said, was
to be whatever sum he could save after
settling all the claims of the women
or their relatives. He was taking a
gamblers chance of getting his fee,
he said. His compensation, he testi-
fled further, actually amounted to be-
fyya ~.
settlements had been made, releases
obtained and expenses paid. In addi-
ton, MEMBER of his Office staff was
given a present" of $4,000.
Worked to Conceal Evidence
Coakley testified that he never had
bad an agreement with Tufts that the
matter of the Mishawum dinner would
rot be presented to the grand jury if
he could get rid of the people com
planning, who were understood to be
relatives Of some of the women at the
dinner. He was satisfied, he said, that
no evidence would be presented if there
was none to present, and he worked
to eliminate any evidence there might
be. He never told Tufts, he said how
much his clients paid or how much he
received himself.
Coakley asserted he did not know
Brownie" Kennedy, the keeper Of the
manor. He said that she had made n
claim in this case and that no money
had been paid her.
He testified that soon after he came
into the case he took Hiram Abrams
Walter Green and Harry Asher tc
Cambridge and introduced them tx
District Attorney Tufts, so that hi
might see that they were decent
respectable business men of nigh
standing" Coakley said he believed
the District Attorney should see the
men before taking any action.
Tufts said his information from the
police was that it was "bad party
according to Coakley, and that he did
not think in small town like Woburn
Tenderloin practices that might go in a
big city should be tolerated. Tufts, he
said, told him that unless he (Coakley)
heard from him the cases would not be
presented to the grand jury before the
following month, Coakley having asked
an opportunity to show that his clients
had done nothing wrong
Dropped Case Once
Coakley said he had dropped out of
the case after he had failed to receive a
check from Abrams for $4,000 re-
tainer fee which he had asked Later
he was induced to reenter the case, and
he himself suggested 100000 as a sum
which would cover all expenses, he
said. Of this amount $S5, 600 was paid
over to him. The balance was retained
to pay other attorneys, according to
David Stoneman, who testified that he
received the money for Abrams.
Coakley said he gave $13, 900 to Dan