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Prosecution Thunders ‘Slacker’ at Defendant When Life Story is Told By John Nicholas Beffel ’ Federated Press Staff Correspondent, Dedham, Mass.Heavy guns wer fired in the Sacco-Vanzetti trial on the twenty-ninth day. The prosecution at last disclosed its hand. It corroborated the often reiterated charge that the two Italian labor organizers are being prosecuted not for payroll murder, but for their political beliefs. It forgot about crime and began to wave the flag so that the jury, chosen from country towns, might be duly impres sed, Bartolomeo Vanzetti was on th witness stand in his own behalf. He had told his life story freely and frankly, told of his dreams in Italy, his dreams and struggles in America, had traced his tortuous career as a pick-and-shovel man on the railroads and construction jobs of New Eng land. And then he came to the spring of 1917, when he went away from Ply mouth, where he had lived for several years. He went away, just before draft registration day, to Mexico. Bit by bit the story unfolded, under direct examination by Defense Counsel Jere miah McAnarney. “I went to Mexico,” Vanzetti ex plained, “because I didn’t want to go to war as a soldier,” Vanzetti spoke with the tone of a man who is sure of himself. Surprise: swept over the courtroom. Some of this surprise was experienced by the prosecution, Vanzetti’s voluntary statement on the draft question took some of the wind out of the common wealth's sails. All along the defense had he to exclude every reference to ism, Communism, anarchism, the war, and pita beliefs, and had such m was plain the stand Prosecutor Frederick Rutz mann would thunder home the big ac cusation that Vanzetti had evaded going to war. Defeated in this, Katemann made the most of the situation. His red face flaming, the prosecutor opened his cross-examination with a sneer, “So you ran away from Plymouth in May, 1917, to dodge the draft?” he demanded. Vanzetti did not flinch. “Yes,” he answered in firm tones, And you stayed away till all men of your class were drawn?” “Not exactly.” “You were physically fit?” “It was not a matter of physical fitness, but of my civil condition, I would not have fought if I were in Italy.” Katzmann rang in various changes on the draft question, making the walls resound with his thunders. Vans zetti never hesitated, but answered each question confidently. The prosecution witness had identi fied Vanzetti as the driver of the bandit car at South Braintree. Katz mann now asked Vanzetti if he hadn't driven a motor truck at Springfield. “Nobody can prove I ever drove an automobile anywhere,” said Vanzetti. Under direct examination by Con fense Counsel McAnarnay, Vanzetti recounted for all of his time from the morning of April 15, 1920, the crime date, up to the night of May 5, when he was arrested, Hour by hour he re vealed his movements, told who he met each day and where he slept, “When I was In the Brockton polles ‘station that night, he said speaking of his arrest, “a policeman came to my cell, unloaded a revolver, showed me the cartridges, reloaded it, pointed the revolver at me, and said: “Tomor row you will be lined again at a wall and shot.’ He said that the police said nothing to him about any payroll murders that first night, but had asked him about his political beliefs. And next when Prosecutor Katzmann him, he said, Katzmann asked him if he was a radical, an anarchist or a communist; whether he believed, in the government of the and whether he or ent th weg jot anid, did the authorition of the murders. A belated report from Norway tae forma wa thet » general strike in progress in that country the ot May. ‘The capitallet press strangely silent these Tewtee [idan Sphaerl ts erppe
Newspaper Details
The Toiler
Cleveland, Ohio, US
Sat, Jul 16, 1921
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Steven R.
