New Britain herald., 1927-08-11
DRAMATIC SCENES
AT CHARLEST0WN
Governors Council Reluctant to
Grant ReprieYS

and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, who were
to have gone to their deaths in the
electric chair at Charlestown state
prison early this morning. today fac
ed - more days OF life by virtue Of
respites that came just Is minutes
before the hour Of their doom.
A third respite stayed for an equa,
length Of time the death Of Celestine
Madeiros. convicted of another muir.
der and self-identifled with the CASE
Of the other two.
The dramatic announcement from
the state house climaxed a day
charged with greater tension perhaps
than any other day in the sever
years the celebrated case has beer
before the courts of Massachusetts,.
Dramatic Announcement
It came after Governor Alvan T
Fuller, who once before had respiteC
the condemned men and who onl.
last Wednesday had turned down {
tigation. has presented to his coun.
Gil new reasons for delay.
Those reasons. in brief were the
contention of Arthur d. Hill, OF de.
tense counsel that few more days
were needed to prosecute his 11tf
hour fight through the remaining lie.
gal channels. and the decision o.
Justice George A. Sanderson of thl
state supreme court to defer unit
today announcement OF his decision
o whether to permit the defense to ap.
peal to the full bench of the high
court Of exceptions taken to hi:
earlier denial Of writ Of error ir
favor of the condemned men.
An iptimation that that decision
might be favorable was interpreted
in the announcement by Richard
Murray. messenger for the state SUI
prene court. that he was telegraph
ing members of the high tribuna
that a session would be held either
next Monday or Tuesday
But 1t was only an intimation, and
in the absence Of any word from
Justice Sanderson, those close to the
court would not venture a prediction
what his course might be.
The reprieves came not minute
too soon, for the defense's hope OF
possible intervention by the fedora
courts seemed blasted when from
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Of
the United States supreme court and
from Judge George w. Anderson OF
the United States circuit court, came
announcements that they would en-
terrain no motions for writs OF
habeas corpus.
Justice Holmes declared he could
find no authority unless he were
convinced that the trial court had nc
jurisdiction. He was not so con-
WINGED, he aid. and even il preju-
dice on the part of the presiding
Judge was as strong as alleged. II
would not deprive the court of juris-
diction. In my opinion nothing
hort of want of legal power to
ecide the case authorizes me to In
arfere In this summary way with
proceedings of the state court,
wrote
Judge Anderson COnCurS
Judge Anderson concurring In a
,temeut issued Jointly with that OF
,stice Holmes shortly before mid
ght declared he was unable to
Ike a different view.
Mr.. Hill and others for the de-
nse visited Justice Holmes at his
overly home and urged upon him,
they have before the Massachu-
stts courts, facts contained in afti-
uavits by newspaper men and wo-
men that at the trial Judge Webster
Thayer had been strongly prejudiced
and for that reason the condemned
men ought to be given a new trial.
News Of the reprieves, which had
been recommended by Governor Full
Ter after long conference with all
living former attorney generals OF
the state save one, who was unavall-
able, and which had been consented
to unanimously by his council, Of
ficially reached Warden William
Hendry's office at Has.
They were rushed to the big
prison by Captain Charles T. Beau
pre- of the state police but, unotfi-
cially, the intelligence had preceded
the papers and already the army
Of police guarding the grim peni-
Tertiary had started to disperse.
An inkling of what was to come
had gone out to the world nearly
an hour and quarter before
through an apparently inadrertent
announcement from the warden,
who, presumably, had been conf
dentially advised of the impending
action of the council. Approval by
the council Of any recommendation
of clemency is required by law.
An hour later the advance In
formation became confirmed and
the prisoners were notified. Only
Vanzetti showed any emotion and
he expressed pleasure 1T the news.
Sacco remained apathetic while
,>1ad ~ IS seemed not to care.
Quiet Day To-Day.
Having snatched their clients
from the very shadow of death, the
defense couNscl faced compare
lively quiet day i'll which the deci-
sion Of Justice Sanderson was ap-
parently the only major point Of In
terest.
The lull was in sharp contrast to
the feverish pace of yesterday when
MIR. Hill and his associates, disap-
pointed by previous decision of
Judge Thayer refusing their plea
for revocation of sentence prelimin-
I airy to argument for new trial. and
by the denial of Justice Sanderson
of a writ of error, caught their first
4 CLEAN of hope when Gov. Fuller an
} rounced he was giving their
p eleventh hour petition for second
respite serious consideration.
3 IT was made plain at the state
house that the governors convic-
ton of the guilt of the adjudged
slayers had not been changed but