Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-08-04

trial on other grounds, finally on April
S, 1927, upheld his decision on the
MadeiroS motions.
On April 9 Sacco and Vanzetti were
taken to the Dedharn court house and
sentenced by Judge Thayer to die in
the electric chair at the state prison in
the week of July 10. In the court
room both made dramatic pleas, as
Serting their innocence. They openly
accused the judge of prejudice and OF
influencing I ,st them.
Then Governor Alvan T. Fuller be-
came the center of interest in the
case. His office was deluged with let
ters, kilograms and cablegrams from
all parts of the world. The majority
of these communications which came
from persons of all classes including
many clergymen and college professors,
urged the governor either to pardon
A~-o men, commute 49,.
or appoint a. committee of citizens to
make an impartial investigation into
the whole case. Some of them, how
ever, asked him not to interfere with
the courts decree. Occasionally there
came threat of violence.
In due course, counsel for the con-
demned men carried petitions to the
governor, asking his Intervention In
long, written plea, VanVetti asked
not for pardon" but for Justice"
Sacco refused to sign the petition in
his behalf and Mr.. Thompson, in fill
ing the plea for clemency, explained
that he felt that the long nervous
strain had brought about a mental at
titude for which Sacco was not alto
gether responsible. An alienist indi-
Gated that he found Sacco abnormal
in certain respects and the governor
was asked to consider the plea, even if
Sacco had refused to sign it.
Accompanying the petition of the
counsel for the defense were five af-
fidavits by newspaper writer's who had
been assigned to the trial, and others,
who affirmed that Judge Thayer, dur
ing the trial, had spoken outside the
court room in language that showed
he was prejudiced against the de-
fendantS.
The governor began a personal in
vestigation into the case. On June l
he announced that he had appointed
an advisory committee to make a sep
arate investigation. This committee
was composed of President A. Lawrence
Lowell of Harvard university, Presi-
dent Samuel w. Stratton of the
Institute of Technology
and former Judge Robert Grant OF
the probate court who also was widely
known as an author.
On June 20, with the approval of
the executive council, Governor Fuller
granted respite to Sacco and Van
zetti and Madeiros ''to and including
August TO-" In a statement he said
this was done for the reason that the
task of reviewing the evidence and
record approximately 1000 pages) and
witnesses (nearly 200) |
cannot well be completed by July TO-"
The separate Investigations proceed |
ed, large number of witnesses being |
called before the governor and the |
advisory committee.
The governors advisory committee
invited counsel for the government and
the defense to call witnesses who had
not testified during the trial. This ac-
ton was construed as opening to the
defense lines of evidence that were
barred under technicalities in the court !
procedure.
On July II Sacco and Vanzetti be- (
gan a hunger strike. They refused /
food for a week. Then Vanzeti par
took of a single meal and thereafter
reioined Sacco in his refusal to ac- !;
cept food.
Governor Fuller visited the state
prison, on July % and interviewed
Sacco, Vanzetti and Madeiros. Van
zetti, the last of the three to be
brought into the wardens' office, talked
with the governor for an hour. After
ward the governor announced that he /
would make second visit to the
prison.
The advisory committee completed
it's hearing of witnesses on July 81.
1t heard arguments on July Is by At
torney Thompson, Herbert G.. Ehr-
mann, associate defense counsel, and
Dudley P. Ranney, assistant district
attorney of Norfolk county, and then ]