The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-08-23

support this. vanxetti told Of being
at work delivering fish. and offered,
testimony TO substantiate this.
The state. produced witnesses who
identified them as men they saw at
the scene of the crime. Expert tes-
timony was given to show that a bull
let taken from the body Of one Of
the murdered men twas consistent
with Sacco's revolver. Defense OK
perts gave opposite testimony. Both
were found guilty, but sentence
was stayed pending motions for new
trial.
A Sacco-v anzetti defense commit
tee was organized, and financial aid
was sought to help them. The cry
was raised that the men had been
found guilty because they were radi-
Gals. About this, time the first of
was made by labor committee in
Milan. Italv. In t.. seven years that
dragged out before Governor Avian
T. Fuller made his decision on the
case, numerous threatening letters
were receive by men prominent in
the case, and bombs were placed near
the American embassies at Paris and
Buenos Aires, the American legation
at Montevideo and other places in
Mexico. Europe and South America.
New Trial Denied
On December q, 1921, Judge Thay-
er denied the first of the motions
for new trial. This was met by
demonstrations at home and abroad.
Several supplementary motions for
new trial were made from time to
time. but all were denied. Mean
while, Vanzetti was in the state pris:
on. Sacco was held in Norfolk county
Jail at Dedham. In February, 1929,
Sacco began hunger strike. Alien
lists declared him sane and he was
forcibly fed in March. This broke
his hunger strike. While in the
Psycopathic hospital at Boston, where
he had been taken for examination,
Sacco attempted suicide by beating
his head against a piece Of furniture.
He did not severely wound himself.
In December, 1924. the question Of
Vanzctti's sanity was raised and he
was taken to Rridgewatcr State hos
pital for observation. In April Of
, that year he was declared sane.
Moore withdrew as counsel for
Sacco and Vanzctti in November,
1924. He was succeeded by Thomas
F. and N. J. McAnarncy. Later
they withdrew and William &.
Thompson eminent Boston attOr-
ney, became counsel for the two men.
Thompson argued before the supreme
court of Massachusetts, an appeal
from Judge Thaycr's denial Of new
trial, but the supreme court, prevent
ed by law from passing OF questions
Of fact in murder cases, sustained
Judge Thayer's trial.
In January, 1926, Cclcstino Madci-
ros, under sentence Of death in state
prison for murder Of bank cashier,
made a statement in which he de-
clarcd SaccO and Vanzctti were in
nOcent of the Braintrec murders and
that a gang Of which he had once
been a member had committed the
crimes. The gang Madciros spoke Of
was the "Morclli gang" Of Providence,
r. |.
Decision Upheld
The defense committee sought n
new trial on the strength Of this
statement. Judge Thayer denied this
in October, 1926. Meanwhile, sew
cral stays halted the execution of
Madeiros while an appeal was taken
from Judge Thaycr's ruling on the
Maderios evidence. On April 5, 1927,
the supreme court upheld Judge
Thayer's decision on the MadeirOs
statement and few days later Sacco
and Vanzetti were taken to Dcdham
courthouse and there Judge Thaycr
pronounced upon them the sentence
Of death.
BY this time the case had attracted
world wide attention and petitions
of astonishing length. containing
many thous sands of signatures, had
been addressed to the governor
When Judge Thaycr was about to
impose sentence he asked Sacco and
Vanzctti if they had anything to say.
Both made dramatic pleas of inno-
ccnce and openly accused Judge
Thayer of prejudice and Of conduct
ing their trial in such manner that
College professors had written
Massachusetts, law crept into news
papers Of standing and men and wo-
men of Importance openly questioned
the guilt of the two men and the
fairness Of their trial. Thousands Of
words had been printed about the
case in pamphlets and circulars. The
general tenor of the more cOnscrva-
tive criticism Of the trial was that
il was held at time "the nation was
suffering from war hysteria', and in
other quarters the cry Of persecution
Of radicals arose.
Turn to Governor
The clamor eventually focused on
Governor Fuller. He held the right
- L. -:
sentences or he could prepare the
were making efforts to save Sacco
ward Governor Fuller.
Thompson carried to the governor
a petition from Vanzetti askln" mot
a pardon, but Justice" Sacco re-
fused to sign the petition. Thompson
explained to Governor Fuller that
Sacco had felt the strain of inprison-
ment and that alienists had indicated
that he was abnormal in certain re-
spects, and asked the governor to
consider plea for Sacco although he
had not signed it.
The petition was accompanied by
the statements of five newspaper
writer's who covered the trial and
these intimated that Judge Thayer
had been biased and had spoken out
side of the courtroom in a manner
that revealed this alleged prejudice.
Governor Fuller then began an in
vestigation Of the case. He appointed
an advisory council comprising A.
Lawrence Lowell, president Of Harv-
ard University, Samuel w. Stratton,
president Of the Massachusetts, In
stitute Of Technology, and former
judge Of probate court Robert Grant.
On June 20, respites were granted
by the governor for Madeiros, Sacco
and Vanzetti, postponing their
TO-.
Investigations Made
The governor and the advisory