The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-03
2 STILL JAILED
FROM P ALMER'S
MAY DAY PLOTS
Sacco Vanzetti Await
Workers Action
BY KARL PRETsHoLp.

countries when they celebrate May
Day this year will remember two
workers who are in American prisons
facing death as the result of a plot
of the United States Department of
Justice to scare the country into fits
on May Day, 1919.
The country was scared, one man
was murdered by the Department Of
Justice and to cover up the crime two
workers were framed up and today,
four years after their arrest, are in
danger Of the electric chair. They are
Nicola Sacco and Barthelmo Van
zetti.
SaIsedo Tortured.
William Flynn and his agents of the
department rugged up a little bomb
plot for May hay 1919. All the big
politicians got uice little bombs in the
mail the morning of the first of May
February rs, 1920, Robert Ella was
arrested because another May Day
was coming around. He was charged
with having something to do with the
bombs sent thru the mails. His friend
Andrea Salsedo who tried to hire a
lawyer for him was arrested for his
pains. Salsedo was arrested in the
early part Of March. He was beaten
and kicked and given the gold fish. !"
It was kept up for two months. Ella
in an affidavit tells of hearing the
screams of Salsedo on March Sth.
Weeks passed Both men were con-
tinually tortured. Ella later told of
how Salsedo gradually lost his mind.
Sasedo Killed.
On the morning of May 3rd, just
four years ago, Mr.. Won Wedenholt of
Bergenfeld, N. j., on his way from
work saw body drop from the win
dow Of the 18th floor of the Park Row
building where the Department of
Justice had its New York office and
where Ella and Salsedo were impris-
oned.
Salsedo had found freedom from
torture. At the morgue Mrs. Salsedo
was told, HE is yours now to do as
you like with"
The authorities did not even bother
to hold an inquest.
Sacco-Vanzetti Arrange Protest.
But Salsedo had friends. While he
was imprisoned they were trying to
get him lawyer. Two of those
friends were Nicola Sacco and Bar
thelemo Vanzetto. Vanzetti had come
to New York from Boston just a few
days before toying to get Walter
Nelles to act as lawyer for Salsedo
and Ella.
When they heard of the murder
tsey turned their energy into arrang-
ing protest meetings. On May 5th
they were arrested in Massachusetts
and questioned for hours about their
radical connections.
Both Sacco and Vanzetti had des-
troyed all literature that would con-
meet them with the radical movement.
They had seen what it meant to be ar
rested as foreign-born "red."
The Department of Justice was
anxious to nip the protest against
Ella was rushed to Ellis Island and
deported because he was the only per-
son who could tell what had happened
on the thirteenth floor OF the Park
Row building during the long weeks
he and Salsedo were confined there.
Frame-up Of Sacco-vanzetti.
1t remained only for the Depart
ment of Justice to stop the spreading
of the story Of Salsedo's death among
his countrymen. After being held for
many hours Sacco and Vanzetti were
charged with killing payroll guard
and robbing him of $4,000.
The Department of justice was
saved again.
But the workers Of the world
learned the story of their frame-up and
also of the murder of Salsedo. Where
one worker would have heard of the
killing of Salsedo II Sacco and Van
zetti had been permitted to hold their
protest meetings today, hundreds of
thousands know the story Of that
murder and how the authorities tried
to cover 1t up by killing two more
workers.
Today the workers of the world are
not only celebrating May Day. they
are also demanding the freedom OF
Sacco and Vanzetti who face death
because the bosses and their agents
hate May Day.
Christians. Pacifste