Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-05-13
Guard Court
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opinion of the highest state tribunal.
| In the opinion, which was written
| by Justice Henry X. Braley, senior
| justice, and concurred in by the
! other six members of the tribunal,
| the supreme court over-ruled all the
! exceptions taken in behalf of Sacco
and VanZetti both during the murder
trial at Dedham in 1921 and after
| the verdict.
1--WE have examined carefully all
the exceptions in so far as argued,
and finding no error the verdicts are
lost and the entry must be 'excep-
tons over-ruled,' the opinion said.
The trial judge, Judge Webster
| Thayer of the supreme court, was
sustained on every point which was
brought before the court. In view
of the international interest in the
case and the reports that violence
/ had been threatened should the de-
cision be adverse to the defendants,
every precaution was taken today
to guard the courthouse. Judge
| Braley went to his chambers early
and a number of court attaches were
| present. All doors leading to the
supreme court quarters in the court
| house We're guarded and police
guard was stationed outside the
building.
Sacco and Vanzetti were tried for
the murder of Frederic A. Parmen-
ter. paymaster, and Alessandro Bera-
deli, payroll guard, of the Slater
and Morrill, Shoe Company, who
were shot and killed in a payroll
robbery at South Braintree on April
Is, 1920. Because of the admitted
radical affiliations of the defendants
the Dedham courthouse was under
heavy guard during the trial. which
resulted in the conviction Of the two
| men for first degree murder on July
IA, 1921. While motions for new
trial were pending protest meetings
and demonstrations We're held In
Italy, France, Mexico, South Ameri-
ca and other countries. On October
10, 1921, a bomb was exploded in
the Paris residence of Myron T.
Herrick, American ambassador to
France. Two days later 20 persons
were injured in a grenade explosion
at a1Sacco-Vanzetti protest meeting
in Paris, the American consulate In
Brest was stoned and demonstrations
were made at the American embas-
sizes in London and Rio Janeiro. In
the weeks that followed there meet
ings of protest in many European,
South American and North Ameri-
| can cities.
Hearings on motions for a new
trial continued at intervals until
1924 when Judge Thayer finally de-
MED them all. In the meantime
Sacco had undertaken hunger
strike, and for a time was confined
to Bridgewater Hospital for mental
examination. Vanzetti also was TAX
en- to Bridgewater, but later was de-
clared to be sane. The exceptions
prepared by the defense after Judge
Thayer's denial of motion for re-
trial were argued before the supreme
court in January of this year.
Four bills of exception were ar
gued before the court as we'll as a
number of supplementary motions.
The defense attacked the method of
choosing jurors, charging that as
result the jury was impanelled un-
lawfully. The appointment of a
special prosecuting attorney for the
| trial was attacked. Objection was
made to the action of the foreman
of the jury in bringing four revolver
| shells into the jury room. 1t was
! charged that the government sup
pressed the testimony of an eye wit
ness who was able to prove that
| neither Sacco nor VanZetti was con-
cerned in the shooting of Parmenter
and Beradelli. The testimony. of
firearms experts who were called as
witnesses at the trial also was chal-
| lenged.
In his argument before the SUI
preme court attorney Thompson
| charged that the men were tried
mot as murderers but radicals" and
| took exceptions to questions asked
Sacco by. the district attorney bear
| ing on his views of government. To-
days opinion declared that the ques-