The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1922-05-12
PEZER, STAR WIT
NESS AGAINST SACCO
ADMITS PERJURY
Newly Discovered Eye Witness of
Crimes Positive Sacco and Vanzet-
ii Not on Scene.
Bv Eugene LYONS.

A|SSeS1i' Jag oRSIli1iS & iii LII Wllds
promises to be a sensational and far
reaching expose of the Sacco-Vanzet-
ii case, establishing the innocense of
the two labor organizers beyond all
question of doubt, is in the form of a
motion for new trial just filed in
the Superior Court of Massachusetts,
and based upon two important affida-
Wits:
l. That of Louis Pelser, one of the
four Identification witnesses
against Sacco, who now admits that
his testimony from beginning to end
was false and lying. In effect it is a
confession of perjury by one of the
states star witnesses, revealing Incl
dentally the manner in which the gov
eminent forced unwilling witnesses
into the stand.
2. That of Roy E., Gould, an eye
witness of the South Braintree crimes
{ arged against Saeco and Vanzetti,
who was within five to ten feet of
tn bandit car, was shot through his
coat, and retains vivid memory of
one bandit. The position of this one
corresponds to that Of the man whom
the commonwealth sought to identify
as Sacco. In his affidavit Gould
swears positively that neither Sacco
nor Vanzetti was the man.
A report of the Pelser confession
was printed in the labor press of the
United States some time ago, but the
details were not available until the
matter was placed before the courts.
Pelser's testimony in court was to
the effect that Sacco was the "de al
image" of the bandit he claims to
have seen for a few seconds through
a few inches of open window. He
will also be remembered as the Wit
ness who carried his efforts against
the defendants to the ludicrous ex-
treme of identifying a pin N me al
legged bandits collar.
In the presence Of Justice # the
Peace and several other persons he
repudiated his former testimony in
toto. While on the face Of it his tes-
tiroony then seemed slim and insig-
nlfcant, yet it constituted fully e
per cent of all the direct "evidence'
against Sacco!
''I couldn't have been in my right
mind, / don't think I was exactly
sane" Pelser says in his affidavit. In
the course of close questioning by
FREQ FL. Moore, attorney for the de-
fe1 Sc, he further indicates that he
''oYlst have been forced by someone"
when he perjured himself.
Gould, it appears from MS affidavit,
was known to the police from the
vesy day of the crime, but for some
mysterious reason was not called as
a witness. The deeers.s discovered
hiin IL Portland, Me-. after months
Of searching. After seeing lnoto.
praLhs of both Sacco and Vanzetti
:.nd seeing Sscco in person, ne made
the positive statement that neither
..ss the mar. he remembers so dis
tinctly.
Pelser insisted, in speaking to As
sistant District Attorney Williams on
the morning before she took the stand
that he had not seen enough to testl-
fy. Williams nevertheless produced
pictures of Saceo and even sent Pei
ser to take a look at the prisoner.
Still Pelser, according to his present
version. refused to identify. Williams
then said, "You know right well that's
tie man. What finally eoerced him
to lie on the witness stand and who
nut the ssdead image" idea-which he
admits is not his own-into his mind,
he does not reveal.
The motion will have TO be ruled
on by Judge Webster Thayer. Other
motions predieated upon other evl-
dence-of far more significant inn
mort. according to the defense--will
be filed in the near Future.
Nicola Sacco and Bartolonaeo Van
zetti face the electric chair rs re-
suit of a conviction on capital
charge. robbery and murder at South
Braintree on April Is. 1920. The evl-
dence on which the verdict was re-
turned was so inadequate and self
contradictory that the case has rous-
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