The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-07-07
New York Workers Down Tools Today For Sacco and vanzei

! Vanzetti by Judge Webster Thayer
on April was the technical climax
Of seven years of agitation on behalf
of the two men by international labor
/ everywhere.
Vanzetti's Speech.
/ Never did a capitalist judge listen
to such contemptuous, soaring and
loftily ironic speech as that made by
Vanzetti, an "unlettered" worker as
Thayer heard that morning in the
Dedham court. That speech is con-
sidered one of the most eloquent in
the history of the labor movement.
Clearly and directly he explained the
class basis Of the verdict against him
self and Sacco and defied the forces
of capitalist reaction and cowardice
to take his. life as vengeance for ac-
tivity in the cause of labor.
The sentence followed the denial
of the seventh motion of defense
lawyers to obtain new trial for
Sacco and Vanzetti. The last motion
was based upon two sets of evidence:
First, a confession by Celestino
Madeiros, a convicted murderer that
he was member of the payroll rob-
berry gang for whose crime the two
radicals were railroaded; and that
neither Sacco nor Vanzetti took part
in that crime.
Second, affidavits by two depart
ment of justice officials employed in
Boston at the time of the arrest and
conviction of the two workers to the
effect that the federal authorities
were working hand in hand with the
district attorneys office to "get"
them as one way of Kidding them
selves Of two "reds."
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Van
zetti We're arrested on May 8, 1920,
nearly seven years ago. Their con-
viction a year later elected an inter-
national working class protest which
prevented their electrocution until
now. Death in the electric chair is
the only possible penalty under the
Massachusetts, law for the crime on
which Sacco and Vanzetti were franz
ed.
Upon their arrest these two work
ers, who were active in the New
England radical movement, assumed
that they were part of the govern
ment's "catch" in the general round
up of reds then in progress under
Acknowledgement Palmer. Not until
days later did they learn that they
mere being prepared for a speedy in
dictment on a special charge. Their
trial, at Dedham, Mass, attracted
worldwide attention. 1t was conduc-
ted in an atmosphere Of hatred and
prejudice against foreigners and ra-
deals.
Flimsy Evidence Produced.
The accusation against them speci-
/ fically was that they had taken part
in a payroll robbery at South Brain
tree on April Is, in which two of the
payroll guards were killed. The only
so-called direct evidence against Sac
co and Vanzetti were number of
''identifications." These were palpably
weak and lying, but they were sup
ported by indirect evidence-to the
effect that upon their arrest and sub
sequently the prisoners showed "con-
sciousness of guilt" The jury re-
fused to accept the explanation that
the guilt of which they were eonsci-
Gus was that of being reds, the
"crime" Of which they thought them
selves accused.
Notions For New Trials.
The. first motion for retrial argu-
ed in October, 1921 was based on
the claim that the verdict was not in
accord with the evidence. 1t was
denied
The second motion for new trial
was based on testimony of one named
Louis Pelzer. Prior to the trial, ac-
cordlng to the defense's affidavits,
Pelzer said he witnessed the shooting
Of the paymaster and his guard but
that he was too far away to take in
the exact situation. On the witness
stand, however, he made positive"
Identification of Sacco as one Of the
bandits. Four months later he signed
an affidavit saying that his original
statement was true, and that the tes-
timony he gave at the trial was I'M
true and that he gave it because he
was coerced by the district attorney.
This motion was also denied.
The defense, in it's third motion for
a new trial produced affidavits to
show that Charles e. Goodridge, one