The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-02-21
Pelletier Moved From
 Dist. Attorneys Office By Massachusetts Court

(Continued from Page One) | 21 of the charges. In 10 of those, he was accused of conspiracy to commit bIackmail. Improper action in hand ling cases in his office was alleged in 10 others and one specification attri- | buted 'misconduct'' in two campaign addresses in which the State quoted Pelletier, while speaking as a candi- date for mayor, as having promised Immunity from prosecution to any one who got into trouble through de- lending him from reports that he in 1 tended to resign district attorney. Pelletier withdrew from the 1nayor- alfty campaign before the election,
 The action of assistants of Pelletier in disposing of cases brought to the attention Cf the district attorneys of | lice was the basis of five of the charges. The State maintained that Pelletier should be removed because | flee knowing their conduct to have been improper.
 Among the charges in support of which the State introduced testimony had conspired with Daniel H. Coak1ey or Boston a lawyer and others to commit blackmail by threatening criminal prosecution. The bank rec | by the State were excluded as a whole but were admitted in four cases involving alleged money transactions. No evidence was offered for the
 
 A Reed, of Missouri, chief counsel for Pelletier declared that the whole proceeding was based on a conspiracy against his client by political and personal enemies and also that the prosecution mad fallen fiat because the State had failed to connect the district attorney with any wrong do- ing. Senator Reed said the defense elected to stand on the case as pre- sented by the State, arguing that there was nothing in it to which the dis trict attorney need make defense by testimony. The Attorney-General, in his closing argument urged Pe1letiers failure to take the stand as a point against him.
 Two Boston attorneys-Coak1ey | and William J. Corcoran the latter a former district attorney. of Middlesex | county-wese named in the original information as co-conSpirators with | Pelletier, and three more names were added during the progress of the trial The latter were Francis M. Carroll, former fire commissioner; Daniel J. | Gallagher, a former assistant to Pelle- | tier and also former United States district attorney, and Jack Patron, a | detective.
 | In the single case in which the de- fense admitted that PelIetier had re- ceived money the State contended that h chad used his office to frighten Ben jamin Piscopo into paying a S21Ooo fee to Daniel V. AIcIsaac. Counsel for Pel1etier admitted that the district at- torney received half of the S21,000 | but declared that it was a legitimate fee received in private practice as 8 partner of McIsaac. They denied the | charge of the State that the fee was extorted by threats that unless it were paid Pelletier would have some one watch a hotel owned by Piscopo. A motion attacking the right of the court to remove a district attorney, on the ground that the legislature alone had that authority. was over ruled by the court, which held also at the outset that the proceeding was a civil one and not quasi-criminal as was contended by Pelletier's coun- sel.
 Pelletier was appointed district at torney to fill an unexpired term in 1909 and has been reelected at every election since that time. He is a grad uate of Boston College, which con ferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws upon him fin 1918, and of the Boston University Law School and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1894 He is nationally known as Supreme Advocate of the Knights of Columbus