Evening star., 1922-02-21
BAY STATE COURT
GUSTS PELLET|ER
District Attorney Declared
Guilty of Using Office to
Extort Money.
Ry the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press.
= BOSTON, February 2l.-District
Attorney Joseph c. Pelletier of Suf-
folk county was removed by the su-
preme court today The court found
him guilty in several counts under
charges of malfNAsance, misfeasance
and nonfeasance in office.
The courts ruling was on charges
brought by State Attorney General
Allen that Pelletier had been a party
threats of prosecution and to sup
press indictments. His relations with
Daniel II. Coakley and other local at
torneyS We're characterized by the at
torney general as a partnership in
crime
second in States History.
The trial of the district attorney.
which began on December 81 last
and ended January "a, was the sec
ond hearing of the kind in the states
history and involved thirty-two spec
iflcations of alleged "malfeasance.
miSfeasance and nonfeasance in Of
flee" formulated by the grievance
citation and by Attorney General j.
Weston Allen. Less than year ago
Nathan A. Tufts was removed as
district attorney in Middlesex county
in d similar proceeding.
Evidence was presented against the
district attorney. however, in only
twenty-one of the charges. In ten OF
those he was accused of conspiracy to
commit blackmail. Improper action
in handling cases in his office was al
legged in ten others and one specifica-
tion attributed misconduct" in two
campaign addresses in which the state
quoted Pelletier, while speaking as
candidate for mayor, as having prom
iSed immunity from prosecution to any
one who got into trouble through de-
Tending him from reports that he in
tended to resign as district attorney.
Pelletier withdrew from the mayoralty
campaign before the election.
Attorney General Allen alleged that
the acts of Pelletier as district attor-
ney since November 13, 1909. when he
the charges. as unfolded by witnesses.
proved that the accused prosecutor had
conducted his office in an unlawful
and reprehensible manner" None of
the charges as originally filed specified
that PelIetier had received money in
return for his alleged misconduct, but
evidence to this effect was presented
in five cases. The attorney general Of
fered this evidence in connection with
a claim that Pelletier had participated
crime"
ABSlStAnt8 1nVOlvG0s
The action of assistants of Pelle-
tier in disposing of cases brought
to the attention of the district at
torney's Office was the basis of FIVE
of the charges. The state maintained
that Pelletier should be removed be-
cause he had retained the assistants
in office knowing their conduct to
have been improper.
Among the charges in support of
which the state introduced testi-
mohy were some to the effect that
Pelletier had conspired with Daniel
HI. Coakley of Boston, a lawyer. and
others to commit blackmail by
threatening criminal prosecution.
The bank records OF Coakley and
Pelletier, offered by the state, were
excluded as a whole, but were ad-
mitted in four cases involving al
legged money transactions.
No evidence was offered for the
defense. United States Senator James
A. Reed of Missouri, chief counsel
for Pelletier, declared that the whole
proceeding was based on con-
spiracy against his client by po-
litical and personal enemies. and
also that the prosecution had fallen
fiat because the state had failed to
connect the district attorney with
any wrongdoing. Senator Reed said
the defense elected to stand on the