The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-05-27
SACC0, VANzETT|
DEFENSE STARTED
BY POOR FRIEND
FeIIicani, Without Funds,
Has Built Up Remark
able Movement.

BB Times Special
BOSTON, Mass, May 27.-When
he isn't busy on his job as linotype
operator for the Boston Italian Ian
guase newspaper, Lanotezia, tall,
gaunt immigrant of distinctly schol-
arly caste of countenance, with
deep-set and very sad eyes, moves
restlessly around the Sacco-Vanzetta
Defense Committee headquarters.
He is Aldino Fellicani, friend to-
the-finish of the condemned radicals,
who from his humble station, and
with nothing at the start but a pen
ell and paper, organized one OF the
most remarkable defense move
ments in the history of this country.
The Sacco-Vanzetti Defense Com
mittee is now the subject of friendly
discussion in the most respectable
quarters of this city, long famous
for it's conscious responsibility. In
Harvard Square, in Back Bay, Sacco
and Vanzetti are the subject OIL
much concern.
Well Financed
The defense committee might al
most be called prosperous. With
over 100000 collected, it hasn't Is
sued an appeal for funds for year.
and vet enough money to keep going
comes in by voluntary subscription
Rut this is a distinctly new phase
of the case. Back in 1920 and 19z1
there was an altogether different
situation, Nicola Sacco and Bartol-
meo Vanzetti were being tried as
nav roll bandits and murderers. They
were Italians. They were confessed
and defiant political radicals, who
had fled the country to avoid serving
with the u. S. forces during the war
To virtually all of the people In
Massachusetts, where United states
Justice Department Red ralus
aroused tremendous excitement, sac
co and Vanzetti represented couple
of bad eggs who were trying 10
wreck the country. Their quit OF
innocence as robbers and murderers
was only an incidental public con-
Germ at the time.
This was the situation which Eel
licani faced. He had no money. lie
had few friends outside of smalf
group of Italians. But he had 1alth
in his convictions.
Forms Committee
When Sacco and Vanzetti were ar
rested May 5, 1920, and accused OF
highway robbery and murder, Fell
cant rushed to his Italian friends and
proclaimed that it was a case of per-
secution. He succeeded in forming
q defense committee composed en-
tirely of Italians, and then he
started to write.
He wrote letters to Italian papers
all over the world, he wrote to Eng
fish language papers, he wrote to
any and all papers which he thought
would print a simple account OF what
he charged was the shameful treat
ment of his frieuds and countrymen
for their political beliefs.
Vanzetti first went to trial at Ply
mouth, charged with an attempted
robbery in Bridgewater, Mass, on
Christmas Eve, 1919. Many wit
nesseS Italians, testified that Van
zetti fish peddler, was selling cells
in Plymouth, % miles from the scene
of the crime, at the time 1t took
place. They were not believed. Van
zetti was found guilty. Judge Web
ster Thayer, who is now under fierce
attack for his conduct of this trial
and the later one at Dedhaln, sem
fenced Vanzetti to serve from IL to
Is years in prison, the maximum
sentence for the offense involved.
Fellicani Continues
Fellicani attended every day of the
trial. When it was over he was
more convinced than ever that Van
zetti was the victim of race hatred
and political persecution. He con-
tinued to wear away the nights
writing letters. The letters went to
all corners of the world.
When Sacco and Venzetti went on
trial for murder and highway rob-
berry in 1921 Fellicani and his little
group of associates had built up
worldwide interest in the case. But
it was class interest. 1t was an
interest confined largely to Italians
and the working people of the world.
Any italian government interest in
the case has since largely disap-
peared Sacco and Vanzetti are
Italians, but they are enemies of
such a regime as Dictator Musso-
lini's. Fellicani and Mussolini were