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MASARYK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE Failed Justice. The Sacco -Vanzetti Case. Diploma Thesis Brno 2007 Supervisor: Written by: Michael George, M.A. Klára Vopálková Bibliographical note: Vopálková, Klára. Failed Justice. The Sacco-Vanzetti Case: Diploma Thesis. Brno: Masarykovo University, Faculty of Education, Department of English Language and Literature, 2007. 78 p., 1p. of annexes. Supervisor of Diploma Thesis: Michael George, M.A. Annotation: The theme of diploma thesis “Failed Justice. The Sacco-Vanzetti Case” is suggested in the title. In the very beginning, it introduces the two main characters, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, and then it proceeds to the crime, of which they were convicted and after seven years of imprisonemt sentenced to death. In addition, evidence of both procesution and defense relating to the crime is presented, emphasizing the anarchist background of the two prisoners. Finally, general opinion of the public on the case is shown. Key words: Prosecution, defense, court, jury, verdict, guilt, innocence, anarchism, motion, crime, death penalty, evidence, investigation 2 I hereby declare that this diploma thesis is completely my own work and that I used only the sources listed in the bibliography. Brno, August 7, 2007 Klára Vopálková 3 Acknowledgement: I would like to thank to Michael George, M.A. for his sophisticated and worthy advice and the autonomy he accorded me in his leadership. 4 The Content: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 6 1. NICOLA SACCO AND BARTOLOMEO VANZETTI .......................... 8 1.1. Italian childhood .................................................................................... 8 1.2. Arrival to America ................................................................................. 9 1.3. Anarchist activity ................................................................................. 12 1.3.1. The Death of Salsedo .................................................................... 14 2. THE CRIMES AND THE PLYMOUTH TRIAL .................................. 16 2.1. The Bridgewater holdup attempt and The South Braintree murder ..... 16 2.2. The arrest ............................................................................................. 18 2.3. The Plymouth trial ............................................................................... 21 2.3.1. Prosecution’s evidence .................................................................. 22 2.3.2. Defendant’s evidence .................................................................... 23 2.3.3. The verdict .................................................................................... 24 3. THE DEDHAM TRIAL ............................................................................. 25 3.1. Evidence relating to Nicola Sacco ....................................................... 26 3.1.1. Eyewitnesses ................................................................................. 27 3.1.2. The cap .......................................................................................... 30 3.1.3. The fatal bullet .............................................................................. 32 3.1.4. Sacco´s alibi .................................................................................. 34 3.2. Evidence relating to Bartolomeo Vanzetti ........................................... 35 3.2.1. Eyewitnesses ................................................................................. 36 3.2.2. Vanzetti´s revolver ........................................................................ 38 3.2.3. Vanzetti´s alibi .............................................................................. 39 3.3. Consciousness of guilt relating to both Sacco and Vanzetti ................ 41 3.4. Verdict .................................................................................................. 44 4. FURTHER DEVELOPMENT UNTIL THE EXECUTION (1920 – 1927) ......................................................................................................................... 47 4.1. Motions and other efforts to get a new trial ......................................... 47 4.2. The Supreme Court of Massachusetts .................................................. 52 4.3. Sentencing ............................................................................................ 52 4.4. Opinion of the public ........................................................................... 54 4.5. Governor Alvan T. Fuller and The Lowell Committee ....................... 56 4.6. Seven years of imprisonment ............................................................... 58 4.7. The execution ....................................................................................... 59 5. AFTERMATH ............................................................................................ 61 6. METHODOLOGY SECTION .................................................................... 63 6.1. Various activities based on the Sacco – Vanzetti case ........................ 63 6.2. Using the film version of the Sacco-Vanzetti Case in the classroom .. 65 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................... 67 Summary ......................................................................................................... 69 Bibliography ................................................................................................... 70 ANNEXES ...................................................................................................... 77 5 INTRODUCTION If it had not been for this thing, I might have lived out my life talking at street corners to scorning men. I might have died, unmarked, unknown, a failure. Now we are not a failure. This is our career and our triumph. Never in our full life can we hope to do such work for tolerance, justice, for man's understanding of man, as now we do by accident. Our words - our lives - our pains - nothing! The taking of our lives - lives of a good shoemaker and a poor fish peddler - all! That last moment belong to us - that agony is our triumph. (Bartolomeo Vanzetti, comment to a reporter before his execution (1927), source: New York World, May 13, 1927) Sacco and Vanzetti… having read Vanzetti´s statement before his execution, it evoques at any rate feelings of empathy and interest in the Sacco-Vanzetti case, that became famous throughout the whole world. Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were two Italian-born radicals, becoming victims of political attention. They came to America, where they were arrested, tried and finally executed in the state of Massachusetts because of being convicted of a participation in a payroll robbery, in which two men had been killed. The whole case covered the period of the years of 1919 – 1927 and was marked by the period of Red Scare, when The United States experienced a wave of bombings by anarchists and faced the power of strong influence of radicalism. As a result, millions of people were slaughtered withnout having a trial. During that period, the case turned from criminal to a political case. Many people believed that Sacco and Vanzetti were innocent and convicted mainly because of their foreign origin and radical beliefs, instead of relevant evidence of criminal guilt. Importnant role was played by Judge Thayer, who did not try to hide his hate for anarchists, and after seven years of imprisonement imposed on Sacco and Vanzetti the death penalty. 6 In my diploma thesis I would like to examine the evidence in the Sacco- Vanzetti case and provide an overall view on the case, laying the murder and robbery into political and social background. The first chapter of my work provides a brief look into the childhood of the two men, explaining the reason for departure to America. Moreover, their anarchist activities that led to the arrest will be displayed. The aim of the second chapter is to give a report of the two crimes, more accurately, the Brigewater holdup and the South Braintree murder. Apart from the arrest of Sacco and Vanzetti, the concern of the chapter will be mainly the Plymouth trial related to the Bridgewater holdup attempt. The second, the South Braintree murder, will be further discussed separately in the third chapter. The third chapter, as it has been already suggested, is an overview of the South Braintree murder and the Dedham trial. Evidence presented both by prosecution and defense relating to Sacco and Vanzetti will be discussed. This chapter will be concluded with the verdict of the jury. The next chapter will provide a look into the further development of the Sacco-Vanzetti case. Several motions and petitions filed in order to gain a new trial will be examined. However, no efforts were succesful, and so the opinion of the public as well as the feelings of Sacco and Vanzetti will be traced till the very end of the two prisoners. The fifth chapter deals focuses on the impact of the Sacco-Vanzetti case on the society. More accurately, some books inspired by this case will be mentioned as well as the proclamation of Sacco and Vanzetti Memorial Day. 7 1. NICOLA SACCO AND BARTOLOMEO VANZETTI 1.1. Italian childhood Investigating the Sacco-Vanzetti case, it is inevitable to introduce Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. In 1908 more than 130,000 Italians emigrated to the United States, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti being among them. They did