Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-01-17

Boston, Jan. 16-Harry E. Leven-
son. Boston attorney on trial with
! William ]. Corcoran, former district
attorney of Middlesex County, on
| charges on conspiracy to exhort mon
! ey from various persons under threat
of prosecution. appeared before
{ Judge Mclaughlin in Superior Court
late today and pleaded guilty TO all
! counts in the indictments against
him which have not been mol pressed.
Corcoran, Levenson and others are
| under indictments in connection with
/ alleged attempts to eXhort money
| from Nav Korn, Kenneth Merrill and
! others in connection with the activi-
ties of a "blacknail ring" fer which
several women were said to have
acted as lures.
After evidence given yesterday by
Harry A. Benwell, a newspaper re-
porter. who related information which
he said Levenson had given him. two
| OF the attorneys representing Leven-
son retired from the case. The third
announced when court opened today
that he no longer represented Leven-
son, who informed the judge that
he would conduct his own defense.
thereafter. Late in the day District
Attorney Thomas c. O'Brien announ-
ced that Levenson desired TO change
his plea to guilty. The defendant.
! who was pale and appeared to be i'll,
was then formally arraigned.
BenWell in his testimony, which
the court declared was admissible
| only against Levenson, said the de-
PENDANT had told him that 1.-The gang
at one time was in q wonderful posi-
ton, having two district attorneys,
one federal district attorney, while it
ran man for attorney general who
was defeated" Levenson the witness
said, had named Nathan A. Tufts.
former district attorney of Middle
sex county, who was removed from
| office for malfeasance, Joseph C. Pei
letter, former district attorney of Suf-
folk county. also removed from office,
Daniel j. Gallagher and Robert j.
Rottomley, the latter at one time a
candidate for attorney general.
The witness said that Levenson
mentioned the names of three wo-
men who acted as lures to entice pro-
| spective victims into compromising
situations. and the names of three
mediums" who were used, Benwcll
said. to obtain information required
| by the gang Another statement
attributed to Levenson by this wit
ness was that Ernest +. Spracklin,
manager of the CoplCy Square hotel,
| had declared that he tSpracklin) had
| immunity, as j. Weston Allen, then
| attorney general, had been caught
with a stenographer at that hotel.
! The witness said Levcnson told him
the amounts of money made by the
! ring in operations conducted at the
Copley Square hotel.
The trial of Corcoran and eight
| others in the so-called "blackmail
| cases" began last fall but was de-
clared n mistrial in November when
| Judge Quinn. who was presiding. be-
! came i'll. 1t was renewed January {,
! only Corcoran and LevenSon appear
ing as defendants. The district at
torney had not yet made known when
| the other defendants will be tried.
They are Leo Corcoran. J. Warren
Kane. Theodore Bearsc. Theresa Dug
gan. and Michael J. lyons. Ernest
r. Spracklin, manager of the Copiey
! Square hotel. was indicted on similar
charges after his testimony in the
previous trial.