The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1921-12-29
In Advising Attorney to Go
No Further With Doro-
thy Cote Suit
THE DEFENSE
LAWYER REED
Pelletier's Purpose Was to
Defeat Blackmail
Proceedings

Boston, Dee. 29.---When District AT
torney Joseph G. Pelletier advises
against Miss Dorothy Cote's pushing
| a suit to obtain possession Of an au
tomobile, it was to defeat d blackmai
proceeding, United States Senate
| James A. Reed, counsel for Pelletier
said to-day in outlining the defens,
to this one of the many charges OF
which the prosecutor is being tried be
fore the supreme court, which has pow
er to remove him.
The charge made BY Attorney Gen
eral Allen, was that the district at
torney improperly threatened Mis-
Cote with criminal prosecution to in
fiuence nor To drop the suit, and that
in making the alleged threat, Pelletiei
conspired with Daniel n. Coakley, 4
local attorney, whose client, Guy wv
Lawrence, had originally given the caI
to Miss Cote.
William Shaw NcCalhim. the law
yer who represented Miss Cote at The
time, came up for cross ss-examination
when tie hearing was resumed this
forenoon. Senator Reed set out to
question the propriety Of some Of the
testimony which he gave III direct cx'
animation yesterday, adding.
Isn't il a fact, Mr.. McInllum, that
you have disclosed at this hearing com
munications between yourself and yoar
client over the protest Of Miss Cote
Counsel for the prosecution object
cd To the question and arguments be-
tween counsel developed,
Senator Reed then outlined the Pei
letter defense, IN a statement TO the
court explaining the trend OF his exam
ination.
The charge here ii that there was a
valid claim put IN the hands Of law
yer for trial, and that Mr.. Pelletier
used the influence of his office to get
the client to release her claim. ] pur-
pose to show that Miss Cote and Guy
w. Lawrence were lovers and had lived
together for period Of several years:
that they had violent quarrel and
she went TO lawyer planning to ex-
tort or force Mr.. Lawrence to give mp
an. automobile. that She hesitated at
actually bringing the suit, hoping to
make up with Lawrence, but finally
decided after frequent conversations
with her attorney to bring the suit
which. il fact, was blaekmailing pro-
ceeding.
II purpose to show that Mr.. Pelle.
tier did the perfectly proper thing in
advising this attorney to go no fur
ther with suit of that sort ] will
show worse things on the part Of this
witness thar any of the charges
against Mr.. Pelletier."
Under cross examination Attorney
McCuIlum described a conversation
with Mr.. Pelletier, in which he said
The district attorney characterized the
suit Miss Cote intended TO file as
'hold-up." The district attorney urged
him to drop the suit and intimated
hat pressing the action might involve
lim as well as Miss Cote, he said, add
ng that Mr.. Pelletier apparently Of
'ered the advice in the spirit Of friend
hip.
The witness said that at the time
ie decided to file suit for Miss Cote
ie sent q copy OF the letter demanding
he automobile to Mr.. Lawrence. The
ar was taken in the possession of an
company. The witness said
le knew that Mr.. Lawrence was a
married man and that Miss Cote and
Ie had been living together.