The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-01-13

Seven Years Bitter Struggle
To Save SaCCO and vanzetti|
From Jaws Of Class Justice

TINE Saooo-NanLcttI case nTet
L arose as a part Of tho antl-red
outbreak Immediately following the
"rsd raids" early In 1920. Saeeo
and Vanzettl, two italian radical
workers, became prominent on 40
count OF their activities In RrousIng
labor against the torture and perse-
outlon Of their friends, Robert Ella
and Andrea salsedo, by D. Of J. ag-
ents. From that moment they were
marked men.
THE attempt was at first made to
l. deport them. II was with thls
In view that saoso and Vanzetti
were originally arrested and ques-
tIoned as to their radical activities.
But II Immediately became clear
that the evidence was hardly suffiel-
ent to accomplish this purpose. An
other way Of getting" these two
labor aaItators had to be dlecoV-
cred.
Payroll robberIes were very COM
mon In that section OF Massaohu-
sets and Il did not take long before
the Idea occurred TO some Ingenious
mind that one OF tho best ways to
get rid OF Saeeo and Vanzettl
+WOvId be to connect them up with
one Of these. As Letherman, a pos
tal inspector and D. Of J. man In
Massachusetts, later explained:
~The department Of Justice In 6os-
con was anxious to get sufficient evil
denee against saoeo and Vanzatti
70 deport them, but never suooeeded
In getting the kind and amount OF
svi6ence required for that purpose.
"a was the opinion q the depart
Msemt agents that q conviction OF
eaceo and VRnzcttl for murder
WOULD De ONE WAY OF Dis
POSING or THESE TWO MEN,
(AsfidavIs Of Lawrence Letherman-l
EWNALLY, on May 8, 1920, Nicola
4 saoco and 6artoIomeo Vanzettl
wore arrested at Rrockton, Mass,
and charged with the murder Of tho
paymaster and guard Of the Slater
and Merrill Shoe Company at South
nralntree.
From the beginning, those ao-
auainted with the CAGE wore con-
vlnesd Of the Innocence Of the two
men. Letherman's affidavit states:
"le wac also the general opinion Of
such Of the agents In Boston as had
any actual knowledge Of tho $4,000
Vsnzsttl case, that sacoo and Van
xsttl, aitho anarchists and agItators,
Wsro not highway robbers and had
nothing to do with the South Brain
tree crime. My opinion, and the
opinion OF most Of the older men In
the government service, has always
been that the South 5ralntrce crime
was the work Of professionals"
Nevertheless, aItho this was the
opinion Of the agents Of the depart
mont Of Justice, the federal autheri-
ties stimulated and aided the state
authorities In raIlroadino Sacco and
vanxettl 70 the grave; they had to
get" them ono way or another.
IN the trial that followed, every
thing possible was done to charge
the atmosphere with a strong anti
radical and antl-allen sentiment.
The class partlallty Of the presiding
Judge, Webster Thsyer, was go Gym
leslly obvious as to evoke protests
from even the capitalist newspapers.
Statements TO the effect that those
damned foreign radicals would get
theirs" were heard everywhere. on
July IA, 1921 both men were convict
cd and sentenced to death.
THIS brsxen piece OF Glaze justice
i aroused stormy protests Of thous-
snds Of workers at homo and broad.
In the month that followed stay
Of execution had been granted and
urotlons for new trial were ar
pued--the entire labor movement Of
America and Of the world were
aroused to a high pitch Of Indlena-
ton. Tho case began to assume
real international proportions and
American embassies In many a for
eipn country were ploIoeted by work.
ere protesting against the Judicial
murder OF their two eomrades In
America.
40 time went on the utter hollow
ness Of the case against tho two
italian workers became more and
moro evident. One after another
the witnesses produced by tho
prosecution were exposed as per-
Jurers and unreliable characters.
Experts testified that from many an
giles tho oharpes OF murder and
robbery against the defendants were