Post by RedFlag32 on Nov 6, 2007 20:34:15 GMT
'Sacco and Vanzetti': the case that never dies
On the 80th anniversary of their deaths, a thoughtful new look at the
Sacco-Vanzetti trial.
By Terry Hartle
from the November 6, 2007 edition
Exactly 80 years ago, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were
executed for a robbery and double murder in South Braintree, Mass.,
that they may not have committed. The crime and trial quickly became
a sort of legal litmus test: Your view of it depended on whether you
saw the men as hardened criminals who killed to support anarchy and
terrorism or as simple, hard-working immigrants with unpopular
beliefs who were railroaded. Time has passed, but the controversy has
never disappeared.
Bruce Watson's new book Sacco and Vanzetti: the Men, the Murders, and
The Judgment of Mankind tells the story of this incident starting
with the decision of the two protagonists to immigrate to America,
through the trial and execution, and concluding with an assessment of
what one scholar has called "the case that will not die." This
careful and thoughtful volume is a valuable addition to the extensive
literature on this landmark case.
There was no dispute that a crime had been committed. There were
plenty of witnesses, and it happened in broad daylight. But there was
little agreement about anything else. Watson writes: "It had all been
over in a minute. One crime had been committed. One car had picked up
the bandits. One bandit had fired from its passenger seat. But as the
crowd began to babble, a kaleidoscope of impressions swirled around
the scene."
The trial was a circus. Several witnesses changed their stories,
evidence was tampered with, and the defense attorney managed to do
little except offend the presiding judge. After a trial that lasted
six-and-a-half weeks and involved 167 witnesses, it took the
all-white, all-male jury just three hours to find Sacco and Vanzetti
guilty. They were quickly sentenced to death.
Watson leaves little doubt that Judge Webster Thayer was biased
against the defendants. He ruled his courtroom with an iron hand and
off the bench had a habit of making shocking comments. Speaking
privately, he once said, "These two men are anarchists; they are
guilty.. They are not getting a fair trial but I am working it so
that their counsel will think they are."
Appeals and motions for a new trial would drag on for more than six
years and involve an enormous cast of characters. Given the
widespread impression that two poor immigrants with limited English
were being framed, it is not surprising that there were protests
worldwide. After being asked to commute the sentence, Massachusetts
Gov. Alvan T. Fuller appointed a three-man committee - that included
the presidents of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology - to review the trial evidence and verdict. The Committee
concluded that both the accused were "guilty beyond a reasonable
doubt." Governor Fuller let the sentence stand, and Sacco and
Vanzetti were executed at midnight on April 23, 1927.
Their deaths settled nothing. Arguments about their guilt or
innocence - and violent action on their behalf - continued long
after. The homes of both the electrician who was the executioner and
Thayer were destroyed by bombs.
Many of the issues surrounding the case have a surprisingly
contemporary feel. Immigrants who spoke a foreign language were
feared and suffered serious discrimination. Terrorist attacks could
and did kill innocent people. Courts were asked to protect the
country against terrorists, even if it meant that the rights of
defendants were trampled.
Watson has mined the massive trial record and the voluminous material
produced since the event and has written an extensive, even-handed
and detailed summary of the case and its aftermath. He recreates the
mood and events of the 1920s - from the Red Scare to bathtub gin to
Mussolini - and shows how social and international forces influenced
reaction to the case. Even though the outcome is never in doubt,
Watson conveys an air of suspense and uncertainty as the story
unfolds.
Watson offers no conclusion on guilt or innocence. He finds that the
behavior of Sacco and Vanzetti was suspicious and their alibis were
suspect. But he makes it abundantly clear that they did not get a
fair trial and should have had another day in court. After reading
this fine book, most readers will nod in agreement.
. Terry Hartle is vice president of government relations for the
American Council on Education.
On the 80th anniversary of their deaths, a thoughtful new look at the
Sacco-Vanzetti trial.
By Terry Hartle
from the November 6, 2007 edition
Exactly 80 years ago, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were
executed for a robbery and double murder in South Braintree, Mass.,
that they may not have committed. The crime and trial quickly became
a sort of legal litmus test: Your view of it depended on whether you
saw the men as hardened criminals who killed to support anarchy and
terrorism or as simple, hard-working immigrants with unpopular
beliefs who were railroaded. Time has passed, but the controversy has
never disappeared.
Bruce Watson's new book Sacco and Vanzetti: the Men, the Murders, and
The Judgment of Mankind tells the story of this incident starting
with the decision of the two protagonists to immigrate to America,
through the trial and execution, and concluding with an assessment of
what one scholar has called "the case that will not die." This
careful and thoughtful volume is a valuable addition to the extensive
literature on this landmark case.
There was no dispute that a crime had been committed. There were
plenty of witnesses, and it happened in broad daylight. But there was
little agreement about anything else. Watson writes: "It had all been
over in a minute. One crime had been committed. One car had picked up
the bandits. One bandit had fired from its passenger seat. But as the
crowd began to babble, a kaleidoscope of impressions swirled around
the scene."
The trial was a circus. Several witnesses changed their stories,
evidence was tampered with, and the defense attorney managed to do
little except offend the presiding judge. After a trial that lasted
six-and-a-half weeks and involved 167 witnesses, it took the
all-white, all-male jury just three hours to find Sacco and Vanzetti
guilty. They were quickly sentenced to death.
Watson leaves little doubt that Judge Webster Thayer was biased
against the defendants. He ruled his courtroom with an iron hand and
off the bench had a habit of making shocking comments. Speaking
privately, he once said, "These two men are anarchists; they are
guilty.. They are not getting a fair trial but I am working it so
that their counsel will think they are."
Appeals and motions for a new trial would drag on for more than six
years and involve an enormous cast of characters. Given the
widespread impression that two poor immigrants with limited English
were being framed, it is not surprising that there were protests
worldwide. After being asked to commute the sentence, Massachusetts
Gov. Alvan T. Fuller appointed a three-man committee - that included
the presidents of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology - to review the trial evidence and verdict. The Committee
concluded that both the accused were "guilty beyond a reasonable
doubt." Governor Fuller let the sentence stand, and Sacco and
Vanzetti were executed at midnight on April 23, 1927.
Their deaths settled nothing. Arguments about their guilt or
innocence - and violent action on their behalf - continued long
after. The homes of both the electrician who was the executioner and
Thayer were destroyed by bombs.
Many of the issues surrounding the case have a surprisingly
contemporary feel. Immigrants who spoke a foreign language were
feared and suffered serious discrimination. Terrorist attacks could
and did kill innocent people. Courts were asked to protect the
country against terrorists, even if it meant that the rights of
defendants were trampled.
Watson has mined the massive trial record and the voluminous material
produced since the event and has written an extensive, even-handed
and detailed summary of the case and its aftermath. He recreates the
mood and events of the 1920s - from the Red Scare to bathtub gin to
Mussolini - and shows how social and international forces influenced
reaction to the case. Even though the outcome is never in doubt,
Watson conveys an air of suspense and uncertainty as the story
unfolds.
Watson offers no conclusion on guilt or innocence. He finds that the
behavior of Sacco and Vanzetti was suspicious and their alibis were
suspect. But he makes it abundantly clear that they did not get a
fair trial and should have had another day in court. After reading
this fine book, most readers will nod in agreement.
. Terry Hartle is vice president of government relations for the
American Council on Education.