The case of Sacco and Vanzetti

With the sea of immigrants flowing into the United States during the early 1900’s, many Americans became distrustful of these newly arrived individuals. Differences in language, culture, and the fear that immigrants would “take jobs” away from U.S. citizens increased suspicions toward foreigners. A number of bombings which were linked to anarchists also occurred. Many Americans also felt that immigrants were also responsible for these bombings.

The Facts of the Case

In 1920, Braintree, Massachusetts, a violent crime occurred. Early in the day, the Slater and Morrill Shoe Company was preparing to pay each of its workers. An American Express agent delivered cash to the shoe company’s uptown office. As he made his delivery, the agent noticed an unfamiliar car parked outside the office building. It was a dark blue touring car. Several of the town's residents saw the car as well, driving here and there on the city's streets. Meanwhile, in the shoe company's bookkeeping office, each employee's pay was counted out and placed in one of 500 pay envelopes. The envelopes full of cash were put in two metal cashboxes so that the money could be delivered to the factory, and then to each of its workers. Anarchist- a person who does not believe in government, law or rules.

As they did every week, the paymaster and his guard came to take the envelopes to the front of the factory. The money would be handed out to workers at quitting time.

Carrying the cashboxes, the two men walked down the street toward the factory. Suddenly, two gunmen stopped them. With a gun in his face, the guard began to plead for his life. One of the gunmen, wearing a dark cap, fired several times. The guard went down, blood pouring from a main artery. His “.38 revolver-gun” fell from his coat. His attacker reached for the gun and pocketed it. The second gunman shot the paymaster.

The killers picked up the moneyboxes and ran to a dark blue car, which had pulled up, beside them. The men jumped in. The car pulled away, turned a corner, and was gone. At the scene, the guard died within minutes. Witnesses picked up used bullets from the killers' guns, as well as a dark cap dropped by one of the men. Days later, a dark blue Buick car with no plates was found abandoned in the nearby woods. Tracks in the wooded area indicated a smaller car had been parked in the same area, awaiting the robbery gang.

Within three weeks, investigators had identified suspects. Two men were led into a police trap and arrested. One of the two was a laborer at a local shoe factory. The other sold fish on the city streets. Both were Italian immigrants who had fled the U.S. to avoid being forced to fight in World War 1. They had returned to the U.S. to become involved in radical protests. When captured, the two were discovered to have papers for an anarchist rally in their pockets. Nicola Sacco and Bartolommeo Vanzetti were charged with robbery and murder.

Anarchist- a person who does not believe in government, law or rules.

Radical- extreme, non-traditional