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

dlesex County in similar proceeding.
Evidence was presented against
the District Attorney. however, in
only q of the charges. In 20 of
those, he was accused of conspiracy
| to commit blackmail. Improper ac-
ton in handling cases in his office
| was alleged in 10 others and one
| specification attributed misconduct"
in two campaign addresses in which
| the State quoted Pelletier, while
| speaking as a candidate for mayor, as
having promised immunity from
prosecution to anyone who got into
| trouble through defending him from
! reports that he intended to resign as
district attorney. Pelletier withdrew
| from the mayorality campaign be-
| fore the election.
! Acknowledgement Allen alleged that
the acts of Pelletier as district at
| torney since November 10, 1909, when
| he took Office, down to the date of
! filing the charges. as unfolded by
/ witnesses, proved that the accused
prosecutor had conducted his office
in an unlawful and rcprehensitle
manner" None of the charges as
q NIIS lHdtN Hftu SDtCIlltu tfldt tlit-
/ tier had received money in return for
his alleged misconduct but evidence
/ to this effect was presented in five
/ cases. The attorney general offered
/ this evidence in connection with a
\ claim that Pellctier had "particfpat-
! ed in the profits of partnership of
| crime"
/ Tic action Of assistants of Pelle-
4 tier in disposng of cases brought to
! the attention of the district attorneys
I Office was the basis of FIVE of the
4 charges. The State maintained that
| Pcl,stcr should be removed because
| he had retained the assistants in Of
I flee knowing their conduct to have
| been improper. Among the charges
/ in support of which the State in
! PRODUCED testimony were some to the
/ effect that Pclletier had conspired
| with Daniel II. Coakley, of Boston. a
f. lawyer and others to commit black
/ mail by threatening criminal prose-
! cutiOn. The bank records of Coax
| ley and Pelletier. offered by the State
were excluded as a whole but were
admitted in four cases involving al
! legged money transactions.
No evidence was offered for the de-
Tense. United States Senator James
, a. Reed, of Missouri chief council
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 had 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-
scented by the State. argued that there
was nothing in it to which the dis
! trict attorney need take defense by
Testimony. The Attorney General, in
his dosing argument urged Pelletier's
failure to take the stand as point
against him.
By cross examination of State wit
nesses and in the arguments of his
counsel, polleticr's defense was that
! he acted properly in handling all
cases, that many of those which he
declined to press were efforts to use
I his office as a collection agency and
that he never at any time. except in
one case when he was paid a lcgiti-
mate fee as attorney in a law firm,
received any money return.
TWO Boston attorne ys-COakley
and William J. Corcoran, the latter a
former district attorney of Middle
sex county-were named in the orig
inal information as co-conspirators
with Pelleticr, and three more names
We're added during the progress of
tho fpiol l.,
VI. Carroll. former fire commissioner;
Daniel j. Gallagher, former assist
ant to Pclletier and also former
nited States district attorney, and
Jack Patron, a detective.
The state charged general con-
spiracy between Coakley and Pelle-
tier, and alleged that the others were
ca'ied in from time to time on spe-
enc schemes to blackmail. In this
connection the state called attention
To evidence that Coakley, having a
large legal practice, boosted of his
influence with the district attorney
i'll and out of the presence of Polio
tier. without resentment by the lat
Ter. Thus, the prosecution charged,
1t became generally known that Coax
ley could obtain favors from the dis
trlct attorney which were denied 9TH
crs. and many cases were placed in
Coalley's hands because of his rep
uted influence. That condition, the
state charged. made it easy for Pelle-
tier and Co1kley to carry on their
alleged Matchmaking schemes.
Gallagher was charged In one in
ct1npa with ho1 ~
ents' under a promise in the fulfill
ment of which it was alleged he aft
trwards was appointed an assistant
district attorney. In that case evil
donce was adduced to the effect that
Coaklcy. representing the divorced
husband of Mrs Jennie S. Chase's
daughter, offered to avert criminal
prosecution. threatened by Pelletier,
If Mrs. Chase would pay $4,000. She
refused. although Gallagher as her
counsel. the statement charged. rec
commended the payment. Suisse
quently an indictment was returned
in Suffolk county against Curtis w.
Emery, second husband Of Mrs.
Chase's daughter, but Emery was
never prosecuted, and Gallagher after
being named an assistant district at
torncy mol prosecuted the case
In the single case in which the de-
Tense admitted that Pellcticr had re-
ccived money the state contcndcd
that he had used his office to frichtcn
benjamin Piscopo into paying {. $al.-
600 fec to Daniel V. McIsaac. Counsel
for Pelletier admitted that the district
attorney received half of the sa1 900
but declared that it was legitimate
foe rcceiyed in nriy-a+a ocf;ca