The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-05-06

allQ IlGdICIs Cl maps yOu St1i III
"And do you realize what this has
meant to Sacco's wife and children,
and to Vanzetti's father and mother
and family at home in Italy? 49,.
"And yet we ask you not for mercy
but for justice. We do not impose
their sufferings of our own upon
you. You cannot justly consider
their suffering or ours as a ground
for your official action, except that
suffering may seem to you reason
for giving the most careful and un-
prejudiced consideration to the two
grounds of our prayer-that we are
innocent and that our trial was un-
fair"
The text of the petition, abridged
in part, follows:
Eve, Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Mic
ola Sacco, confined in the Jail at Ded-
ham under sentence of death after
conviction of the crime of murder in
the first degree, hereby pray you to
exercise the power conferred upon
you by the constitution of Massachu-
sets publicly to investigate all the
facts of our cases and set us free
from that sentence, if the findings
will so dictate to your understanding
and conscience. We deem the faculty
of compassion to be one of the high
est of the human attributes, but here
we are asking not for mercy but for
justice, and this is the reason why we
have not used the printed form pro-
vided for petitions of this nature. 1t
contains the word pardon which we
are unwilling to use, although our
counsel has assured us that it does
not necessarily mean forgiveness OF
convey the idea of a confession of
guilt. But we wish the utmost pos
sible clearness and precision on this
point and are unwilling to risk being
misunderstood
Fearless of Prejudice.
"Our counsel has warned us that
what we have to say may deepen the
prejudice against US; but we are fore
mostly concerned to save what no
human power except ourselves can
deprive us Of, our faith and our dig
nifty, since we have already been de-
prived of almost all Of what men can
deprive men.
eve have been told that Your Elk
cellency stands and has always stood
for honesty in public and private life
as you understand it, and that you
have a mind free and not in legalistiC
bonds. So, since the nature Of each
human being is common with the fun
damentaI nature of mankind, and
consequently the sentiment of justice
is fundamentally common to all men
we can safely speak to you as man
to man, Notwithstanding deep differ
ences of opinion which divide US.
"Our present request is made first
and foremost on the ground of our
innocence. We had nothing whatever
to do with the South Braintree crime
Our instincts make us abhor and our
principles condemn such crime"
Outlines Family History.
The statement then tells briefly the
family history of the two men. Both
could have lived comfortably in Italy
it says, but they were drawn to Amer
lea by the love of freedom. 1t points
out that neither Sacco nor Vanzetti
after the South Braintree crime, con.
Quoted themselves like criminals, but
lived normal lives in the three week:
preceding their arrest.
The first discussion of the trial it.
self concerns the Identification tes
timony. There is reference to the
discrepancies in the regulations o.
Goodridge and Lola Andrews, two o.
those who identified Sacco.
Then follows a discussion of tn,
affidavit Of Capt. William H. Proc
tor Of the state police, with quota
tons from the record and from Judge
Thayer's charge.
eve mention this" the statement
explains, ITO show the great clever.
ness of the district-attorney in turn.
ing a hostile witness into a favorable
witness in such way that we and
T