The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-09-01

held for several weeks by the Federal
authorities in New York City There
were all sorts of ugly rumors circu-
lated in regard to the third degree
methods that were being applied to
! him, Then on May 4th--notice the
| date, May 4th--Salsedo met a mys-
FERROUS death by crashing down on the
! sidewalk from the fourteenth floor of
a Park Row building where he was
detained. This was the cause OF
more rumors, even more frightful
now than before You will remember
| that his death occurred on May 4th.
The next day May 5th, Sacco and
| Vanzetti were arrested.
The arrest of these two men was
mere accident. But after their arrest
they acted "suspiciously" and seemed
to betray what the judge and district
attorney constantly referred to as
their consciousness Of guilt" But
they were conscious of their radical
ism, not Of murder. Up to May 9Th
there was nothing unusual in their
| conduct. Not even the district at
torney with all his detectives could
find anything strange in the conduct
Of these two during the twenty day
period betw cen April 18th when the
murder took place and May 5th, when
I they were arrested. When they were
arrested May 9TH, they had yester-
day, May 4th, in mind. Wasn't that
natural? Only yesterday, May 4th,
their comrade who was arrested for
his radicalism came to a horrible
death. Before that he had been in
PRODUCED to some fancy steps in the
third degree"
But it is suggested that these two
men were armed when they were
arrested. That seems to be upper
most in the minds of many.
Their Life Blameless.
Sacco's employer testified in court
that Sacco acted as Waterman for
him and that it was natural for him
to have a pistol. His employer also
said that Sacco was a man of the
highest character.
Vanzetti was fish peddIer. He
carried his entire capital of one
hundred to two hundred dollars
around with him. Often he found
himself travelling on the dark roads
around small New England towns. He
feared hold-ups
Neither Sacco nor Vanzetti were
ever involved in any trouble They
were not gunner, but honest hard
workingmen, who were armed only
for self-protection.
Of course it may be said that Van,
zetti had just previously been con-
victed for an attempted robbery in
| Bridgewater and he had been SEN
fenced to jail by the same Judge
Thayer. But any one who looks into
the facts of the case will see that the
Bridgewater charge grew out of the
second, the South Braintree accusa-
ton.
Vanzetti throughout the seven
years struggle insisted that he was
as ignorant and innocent of the one
as of the other.
Toward the end of his talk, Taub
! declared:
Files of Department of Justice.
William G. Thompson, a conserva-
! IiFC law y G1, ICopGCG6u Ill A1dSSdCHu-
sets as man of the highest STAN
dards and a former president of the
Massachusetts Bar Association, has
often stated that he is sure that
Sacco and Vanzetti were innocent. In
1928 Mr.. Thompson became chief
| counsel for the two men. He has re-
peatedly charged that if the files Of
tho Dopa,,+,,,o,,4 Of T,1e4ico Nov, ,,,,d -
public, the innocence of the de-
PENDANTS would be proved. Again
and again Mr.. Thompson demanded
the records from the department Of
justice, but every time his request was
refused.
J Two Department of Justice agents
swore that there was a secret agree
ment between the district attorney
and the department Of justice. Since
the Washington authorities were not
able to deport these men they struck
bargain whereby the Federal men
would give the district attorney full
details of the defendants radical ac-
tivities, while the district attorney
would go the limit in prosecuting them
for the Braintree crime. At the trial
for murder, much was made of the
/ radicalism of Sacco and Vanzetti.
The two former Federal agents who
swore to this special arrangement now
hold responsible positions. One is
connected with the Beacon Trust
Company of Boston, while the other
is with the Attorney General Of
Maine At the time of the trial, both
Of these men were employed by the
Federal Government.
Sacco and Vanzetti are dead But
their case must still challenge the at
tention of all those who seek and
cherish justice.
w " S@a s~Ss wN