Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-04-02
LIT Tie OPPOSITION
TOA. ( K. PLEAFOR
INCREASE IN FART
CoRCORAN GUILTY
OF bLACkmAIL and
ExT0RT|ON CHARGES

Cambridge. Mass. April AT the
end of his third trial on charges of
blackmail and extortion William J.
Corcoran, former district attorney of
Middlesex county today was found
guilty by a jury in Middlesex
County superior court. Corcoran
was placed on trial twice in Suffolk
County but in each case a mistrial
was declared, once because the
presiding judge met with an acci-
dent and was unable to continue
hearings. the second time because a
witness declared that attempts had
been made to tamper with the jury.
The Middlesex county indictment
charged CorcOran with threatening
to accuse Kenneth Merrill of New
ton of a serious offense with intent
to extort money. Two women, Mrs.
Theresa Duggan and Mrs. Lillian
Hardy Reese, alleged lures" were
indicted as accessories as were ].
Warran Kane and Theodore G..
Bearse. Mrs. Reese pleaded guilty
at the opening Of the trial. Mrs.
Duggan and Kane were found guilty
with Corcoran, while Bearse was
found not guilty. Judge Winfred II.
Whiting, on motion of defense cOun-
sci. set the date of sentence at two
weeks from today, to allow filing of
exceptions. Bail for Corcoran was
set at $4,000. and for Mrs. Duggan
and Kane at $1,000 each.
The trial which lasted three weeks,
attracted wide interest. Counsel for
Corcoran fought against the trans
fer of the case from Suffolk county
courts. An indictment charging
Merrill. the alleged victim of the de-
PENDANTS, with q statutory offense,
was mol pressed just before the trial
begun and Merrill appeared as a
witness for the state. Another wit
ness was Harry f. Levenson, dis
barred Boston attorney whose
charges against the jury at Cor
coran's previous trial caused the
Judge to call mistrial. Levenson
was indicted with Corcoran in Suf-
folk county and placed on trial, but
pleaded guilty and turned states
evidence. The jury today was out
four and a half hours.
The charges against Corcoran
grew out of the investigation by for
mer Attorney General J. Weston AL
len which led to the removal of Ma
than A. Tufts as district attorney of
Middlesex county in 1921. Mr.. AL
len named Corcoran az one OF an al
elged "blackmail gang" of attorneys
and others, who 1t was charged.
sought to extort money from wealthy
victims they had lured into COM
promising situations. After the re-
moval of Tufts the Boston Bar AS
ISOLATION sought to have Corcoran
disbarred. but he claimed residence
in New York and offered to resign
from the Boston bar.
Corcoran was indicted by Suf-
folk county grand jury on blackmail
charges in December. 1921. but de-
faulted when the case was called for
trial early in 1922. He was arrest
ed in New York last July and ex-
tradited to Massachusetts where he
was placed on trial In Suffolk
county last October. Early in No
yember the trial was discontinued
because of the illness of Judge
Quinn. The second trial in Suffolk
county in January of this year end
ed when Levenson's' charges were
made against the jury. Shortly at
terward the Middlesex grand jury
found an indictment against Corcor-
an and the others.