Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-02-22
g SPORTING NEWS Il

EI laaia III
general may not be interrupted in any
way by MIR. Pelletier's removal"
Subsidiary to the charges of irregu-
larities in Office the district attorney
was charged with assuring persons in
speeches made during his campaign
for mayor last fall that he would
back up" denials that he intended to
resign. On this charge the court
fol nd him guilty of melting to COM
nit crime.
Guilty in 9 Coz rts
Originally, 80 other distinct
charges were made by Attorney Cen
eral Allen and the Boston Bar asso-
citation against Pelletier, 10 were
dropped during the trial. OF the 20
oilers, guilt was held to be proved
in ni'Ie. comprising the more import
ant allegations. OF the !. others, the
court found the district attorney not
guilty in seven instances and in the
remainder reported that the charges
We're mot proved"
Eight of the cases in which guilt
was found were of b.ackmail, the
district attorney being charged with
aiding in the extortion or attempted
cNtortion of money from persons I'M
der threats of criminal prosecution.
Most. If not all, of the charges of
conspiracy against the respondent IN
cluded Daniel III. Coak.ey as a CO.
Conspirator either alone or with
others" tie court said. Coakley. a
local attorney. figured also in the tcs-
timony at the trial as result of
which Nathan A. Tufts was removed
as district attorney OF MiddleseX
county last summer. In the Pel!c-
tier trial, that one, testimony showed
he received large sums of money as
fees for averting prosecution or for
other purposes.
He and Coakiey One
There We're plcnary evidence, the
court continued, that he and the re-
spondent were close personal. social,
professional and political friends
There was evidence that their acts
cOnverged toward a common end
when so charged in the information.
There was considerable evide nee
concerning financial transactions of
Mr. Coalklcy and respondent This
related to Withdrawals of large sums
of money by Mr.. Coak.ey from his
bank accounts. or the possessing by
him or his agents of large sums of
cash in bills, and the deposits soon
after by the respondent of similar
amounts in bills to his credit in his
bank account.
These sums deposited in bills by
the respondent varied from $1,000 to
$1,000. They were reasonably near
in point of time to the receipt by Mr..
Coakley in connection with the cases
named in the formation. sums of
money largely in excess of any
amount justly due for legitimate ser
vices rendered by him or for any just
claims due to or from his client.
Terrorized People
"Thcse transactions are all COM
pctent evidence. The respondent
and Mr.. Coakley were intimate
friends constantly having personal
and professional relations with each
other. There was evidence tending
to show that they were conspirators
TO exert the power of the district at
torney to eXtort money to terrorize
people into surrendering causes of
action and otherwise abuse that
office"
Two of the principal charges against
Pclleticr had TO do with the payment
of S20.5O0 to Coakley to avert prose
cution of tho Emerson Motors Co. OF
New York for .stock selling irrccu
larities and an alleged attempt by
Coaklcy to make Mrs. Jennie $. Chasr,
widow OF a wealthy mill owner Of
Webster. Mass. pay $4,000 to avert
prosecution of her daughter, Mrs.
Elizabeth Chase Emery. and the lat
tcr's second husband, Curtis w. En-
cry.
Emerson Motors Case
In its findings on the Emerson Mo-
tors specifications the court said:
The circumstance that 500, 500 was
brought from New York in bills to
meet the demand of Mr.. Coallley, is
highly suspicious. That sum of moneI
was grossly in excess of the fair value
of any professional services that
might be rendered in averting' such
prosecution. Within a day after the
arrival of that. money, the respondent
gave assurances to be transmitted to
those who had paid that he had found
no ground for proceedings against The
Emerson Motors Co., notwithstanding
the convincing report to the contrary
made to him by the inspectors of the
Boston police department a few hours
before.
1T is clear to us that there is direct,
positive and indissoluble connection
between the payment by the New York
people of the s20.500 demanded by Mr..
Coakley. and the sitting Of all further
The Emery Case
In the so-called Emery case the
court reported:
"The evidence convinces US that
conspiracy was formed by Messrs.
Coakley. the respondent and others to
cXtort large sum of money from Mrs.
Chase, an unoffcnding old woman. The
active part of the respondent in this
conspiracy was to procure an indct-
ment for serious crime against The
husband Of the daughter. who was
also the father of the infant grand
child of Mrs. Chase. and his attorney,
and an cmploye of his, experimenting
other indictments against the daugh-
ter and the husband of the daughter,
and thus to attempt to cocrce Mrs.