Stop!
Here!
This is the boss. Let's go!
Shit! Let's get out of here.
Stop there.
There's no doubt. It was anarchists who placed the bomb.
This is their "signature", gentlemen.
Minister, you must know that it's easier to falsify a flyer than to place a bomb.
After all, you are still alive Mr. Palmer.
Sorry to disappoint you.
Are not all these deportations illegal?
25,000 already got deported...
Do you mean that the anarchist bombs
against Morgan, Rockefeller and me are legal?
The objective of their attacks
is to terrify the unions,
the true enemies of capitalism.
You are poisoned by the red propaganda.
Your department is accused to infiltrate the unions.
Hundreds of spies and specialized provokers,
a full special espionage unit.
Also you are poisoned by the red propaganda!
The Bishop of New York says:
The country is imprisoned by the panic and the hysteria.
Another infamous part of the history of the United States.
Is the Catholic Church
also poisoned by the red propaganda?
The bishop take care of souls,
I take care of my country.
In Boston the Secretary of State declared:
"If we could...
we would deport them and shoot them."
- Do you agree? - Well, I wouldn't shoot them.
Why don't you say anything to us about Andrea Salcedo?
Like what?
How he mysteriously fell
from the 14th floor of the Police Department.
You are an anarchist!
The Minister of Labor is in opposition to the deportations.
Is he perhaps also a red rebel?
Soon we will know who is
the leader of the reds in our country.
Are you accusing the Minister of Labor?
I am not accusing anyone.
A few good quotes for the special edition...
- Who is it? - My name is Boda, Mrs. Johnson.
- I'm here to get my car. - One moment.
What's up?
It's the Italian, Mr. Boda, he's not alone.
Call the police.
Tell them that they are here.
I'll do that.
He's on the phone.
He's on the phone!
We shouldn't stay.
Sorry, we have to leave immediately.
No problem, I will help you tomorrow.
Stop it!
You're under arrest!
A Colt 32. Found in the pocket of Nicola Sacco.
32 bullets of various brands.
One Harrington & Richardson, caliber 38,
fully loaded.
Found in the pockets of the other fellow, Bartolomeo Vanzetti.
They deny illegal arms possession.
So what do you say?
Mr. Sacco, would you have the kindness to respond?
- We don't have permission to carry arms. - I don't know how to express myself.
Italians, right?
U.S. citizens?
Anarchists.
You know, Mr. Sacco, you have nothing to fear.
- You understand me? - More or less.
You said that you don't speak our language too well,
but we will make everything to help you.
Do you understand me now?
Yes, everything.
Tell me, Mr. Sacco, why do you walk around armed?
- And with all this ammunition? - These are difficult times.
Doesn't it strike you, Mr. Sacco, that in these difficult times
not even a night watchman could go armed at night
without permission to carry arms?
- What did you do in Bridgewater? - I accompanied Vanzetti.
- He went to look for a friend. - What friend?
- Poppy. - Poppy?
Poppy, I know him only by that name.
An where did you meet this Poppy?
In the drugstore, like always.
And when meeting this Poppy at the drugstore,
why did you come armed?
Well, I wanted to see Poppy to request him to help a friend.
I believe he wanted to sell him fish.
That was a good one, Mr. Sacco.
"I believe he wanted to sell him fish."
And what type of fish?
Hammerfish? Swordfish? Or flatfish?
Bartolomeo sells fish.
And what do you sell, Mr. Sacco?
Lies?
I'm a shoe factory worker.
Who were the other three on the tram?
I don't know them.
They were friends of Vanzetti, I don't know them.
One of them is called Mike Boda.
Does that name mean anything to you?
No.
So you go out armed at night, looking for Poppy,
and end up at the house of Simon Johnson...
...and then with three guys on a tram.
Three guys who you say you don't know.
I don't understand politics.
- Union man? - No.
Then you are an anarchist.
No.
Do you by any chance know... Andrea Salcedo?
No.
Today, Wednesday the 5th of May, 1920,
we have interrogated two suspects...
...many contradictions...
Nicola Sacco, a shoe factory worker.
Wait.
The assault on the shoe factory on South Braintree...
...wasn't there shots fired from a Colt 32?
Hello?
Nicola Sacco or Nick Sacco.
Nicola.
Quiet.
It's been confirmed. Sacco did not attend his work on the 15 of April.
And the other case?
Nothing. No proof that the anarchist movement
have received any larger sums of money until now.
The hats.
Put the hats on.
Hats off.
Very well.
Now pretend you're holding a gun.
The right arm!
More lifelike, please.
Come on!
They aimed upwards!
- What...? - Quiet.
Don't move!
Turn against the wall.
They want to scare to us.
Now turn to the right.
You are lying, systematically.
Are you always lying?
I'm not lying.
You were armed, right, Mr. Vanzetti?
You're an idiot and a liar.
- Always lying. - I'm not lying, I insist.
Are you an anarchist?
You understand me?
- Are you an anarchist? - No!
A communist?
Mr. Vanzetti, don't make have to repeat all my questions. - No.
- A socialist? - No.
Answer with "No, sir".
No, sir.
- Union man? - No, sir.
Member of the mafia?
No, sir.
Where were you on the night of the 2nd of January?
Don't remember?
You're a liar, Mr. Vanzetti, a charming liar.
Do you recognize him?
Do you remember that day?
- Which day was it? - The 2nd of January.
This year?
This year.
And the 15th of April this year, where were you at 3 pm?
You want this question also repeated to you?
I'm trying to help you.
Today is Thursday 6th of May,
three weeks since the 15th of April.
Simple, right?
Where were you on
the 15th of April at 3 pm?
I was selling fish.
What's so funny about selling fish?
Where?
In Plymouth as usual.
You were not in Plymouth the night of the 2nd of January,
nor any other night.
And if I showed you another photo, Mr. Vanzetti,
a photo taken at 3 pm on the 15th of April,
this year, 1920,
showing you in South Braintree...
South Braintree?
As the District Attorney
for the cities of Norfolk and Plymouth...
I formally accuse Bartolomeo Vanzetti
for double homicide and robbery...
...together with Nicola Sacco
...and other unknown men.
These crimes were committed on the 15th of April at 3 pm,
on Pearl Street, South Braintree,
in front of the Slater & Morris shoe factory
where a bloody assault occurred in which
Frederick Parmenter, the company's cashier,
and a guard, Alessandro Berardelli, were shot dead.
I don't believe you mean this seriously.
Take him away.
What are you doing?
- Take him away. - What are you doing?
How can you?
Damn you!
Bastard! Damn you!
Let go of me!
- Bartolomeo! - Nicola, Nicola!
Homicide!
Homicide, Nicola!
- Bartolomeo! Bartolomeo! - Homicide, Nicola!
Let me out of here!
Remember your promise, don't make this political.
Have faith in us, madam.
Moore have defended many striking workers.
He is the lawyer all unions have trust in.
He knows what to do.
Just stay calm, Mrs. Sacco.
The District Attorney agrees to
not make this a political trial.
But outside...
Court in session!
Attention.
The state and commonwealth
of Massachusetts.
versus Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, both present,
arrested in the afternoon on the 5th of April, 1920, in Brockton,
formally charged for double homicide and robbery.
on Pearl Street, South Braintree
on the 15th of April, 1920, at 3 pm.
The shooting started here.
Mr. Bostock...
You were closest to the scene.
At what distance...
...were you when Parmenter and Berardelli went down?
I would say about five or six yards.
So you saw both bandits when they shot?
Yes.
Would you recognize both the accused
or at least one of them?
One of the bandits who was shooting in South Braintree?
I'm not sure.
When the shooting started, Mr. Spencer, you were the first on the scene.
What did you see?
I saw the guard Berardelli lying on the ground...
A man was shooting at him.
- This man, what did he look like? - He had dark,
wavy hair, cut short in the back.
What was your distance to that man?
About 4 or 5 yards.
- Is that man in this room? - Yes.
Can you point him out?
It's him!
Do you know his name?
The one without moustache.
Say his name.
- Nicola Sacco. - Who? Me?
What are you saying!?
Nothing has changed, stay calm.
- The man driving the car? - Blonde, pale.
Thin, blonde, pale, weak.
Dark skin, black moustache.
I'm not in any doubt,
it was that man, Bartolomeo Vanzetti.
The train was coming.
The crossing barriers were down.
The car came towards me.
He aimed at me and said: Put up the barriers!
- And another thing... - Yes, what?
He called me a son of a bitch.
Only one small circumstance.
Vanzetti doesn't know how to drive.
Perhaps the man with the moustache...
...sat down in the car later...
And when you were confronted with a gun...
you became confused... - Objection.
Objection sustained.
I will reformulate the question.
Are you sure that the man with a moustache,
identified as Vanzetti, was the driver?
- Well, not absolutely, but... - But you are sure that...
the face you remember is the face of the defendant?
Yes, sir.
In conclusion, Mr. Goodridge...
You heard the first shots when you were playing billiards.
First you went to the window but didn't see anything,
then you heard more shooting and went outside.
At what did distance did you see the dark car?
More or less 6 yards.
And what more did you see?
I saw a dark-haired man
who aimed at me with a pistol.
- Would you recognize him? - Yes.
It's him, the man to the left.
- Are you sure? - Completely.
Isn't there a pending trial in this court against the witness?
Then his testimony has no validity.
Dr. Moore!
When addressing a judge, please rise!
Understood, Dr. Moore?
You know or should know
that the criminal records only mean something
after pronouncing the sentence. Cancel the question about the car.
I ran towards the window,
the one facing Pearl Street.
I saw a dark car on the street,
driving very fast.
I want to ask what distance it was.
Go on.
- You understand the question? - Yes, sir.
Let's say... around 20 yards, and it can be verified.
Please continue.
I saw a bandit, the man over there...
Objection.
Very well, objection sustained.
The witness should only rely on facts.
- May I speak? - Sure.
Well, I would say his face had some noticeable characteristics.
Fine features, high forehead, no beard.
Swept back hair style...
his hair about 2 inches in length.
I noticed that his left hand...
he held the gun in his right hand, of course,
but the left hand was holding the arm support of the front seat.
I remember it well, it was a firm hand
which gave an impression of strength... - Do you also recall the dimple on his chin?
Mr. Moore!
How long did this extraordinary vision go on?
Objection. The defense asks the witness to guess, not to rely on facts.
Objection sustained.
However, the prosecution should ask the witness this question.
Answer the question.
I don't know exactly...
...perhaps one second.
And tell us, Miss Splaine,
who is this bandit that you have described in such detail?
I already told you.
Nicola Sacco, without a doubt.
One moment, sir.
Thanks.
The car was found in the woods,
not far away from here.
Marie Splaine stood in the window on the second floor.
There, Goodridge.
Spencer and other witnesses in those windows.
Levangie at the railroad crossing.
Those bullets were shot at Bostock.
Who tried to help the cashier.
That's all, gentlemen.
Miss Splaine, do you know that this case
is resting on your testimony?
- Objection! - Objection sustained.
You said you were about 20 yards from the car?
Yes.
In your opinion, what was the speed of the car?
- Objection! - Objection sustained.
Miss Splaine...
Take a look at that man,
the first on the second row to the right...
Can you tell me the color of his tie?
No, sir.
- I do not see well at that distance. - How far would you say it is?
- Objection! - I'd say it's less than 15 meters!
Do you want us to believe...
Young lady, tell us the truth...
there's no shame in using eyeglasses.
It's true that when I'm at work...
I use eyeglasses all the time.
I forgot to say that, how stupid of me.
So you're saying there is no doubt that the man who was shooting was Sacco?
I have no doubts, no.
- No doubts? - No, I already said that.
No?
Nevertheless, at the police station...
you identified another man on a photo, and you said:
"This is the first one that I recognize."
Why have you changed your mind?
Answer the question.
I was confused.
When indicating the photo, or when indicating Nicola Sacco?
I didn't say it was him...
I just said that Mr. Sacco looks like the man that I saw in front of the factory.
But what did you really see?
Objection.
The defense is frightening the witness.
Objection sustained.
Very well, you may leave the stand, but not the court,
I'm not done with you.
- You were at the scene, together with Mr. Pelser? - Yes, sir.
Please tell us what you saw.
The shooting started...
Pelser threw himself to the floor, so did I.
We were lying next to each other
Only later did I get to the window.
I did in fact not see the men...
I only saw the number on the license plate.
Thank you, Mr. McCallum.
Mr. Wade works at the gas station.
That's here.
On his way home
he passed, less than eight yards away,
the car of the attackers... exactly here.
This is very serious...
You said before the man looked like Sacco...
Can you confirm that under oath?
I...
I'm not sure...
Finally an honest man.
And why are you not sure?
The truth is, that some time afterwards...
I saw another man at a barber-shop
who also looked like the man who killed Berardelli.
Thank you, Mr. Wade.
As you all know.
The gentleman here is the only person
who've said that the man who was driving the car had black moustaches,
and that this man is Bartolomeo Vanzetti.
All the others say that the driver
was blond or thin.
Then...
the prosecution suggests you're saying
that Vanzetti could have been the man that was seated behind the driver.
You saw a man leaning out of the car, but you didn't recognize him, right?
That's right, sir.
- You were here, right? - Yes, sir.
That is wrong, totally wrong!
You said that you lowered the barriers,
which means you were here, to the right, and not next to the driver.
After lowering the barriers,
he could have crossed the street. - Thank you, Mr. Katzman...
We still need to hear it from the witness.
- Yes, like that. - Like what?
Like Mr. Katzmann said.
So you lowered the barriers and crossed the street
and when the car came,
you were there?
- Yes. - Yes?
Too bad for Mr. Levangie, and the prosecution,
that there are many witnesses,
workers and neighbors,
who give contradictory testimonies.
- Did Mr. Levangie stand near the sentry box? - Yes.
On the left hand side?
Yes, sir.
I accuse Mr. Michael Levangie
of giving false testimony. - Silence.
Session suspended.
Seems like all is going well.
If we were just thieves it could go well.
But we are anarchists, that's not allowed.
Just watch them.
This trial may go wrong.
But who are you?
We worked for the committee, but without means.
The defense is our hope. - Who, Moore?
The comrade Moore?
He just looks for another legal victory.
I don't trust him.
Levangie has completely turned the trial.
The jury will have to listen to Bostock
and the other witnesses again...
- Enrico, all well? - Good work, Mr. Moore.
It's necessary to give him a lesson.
Let's enter.
This court...
in rejecting the incrimination of Mr. Michael Levangie...
it condemns
the terrorist methods used by the defense
when interrogating the witnesses.
They are making it a political process.
We have responsibilities
that we should comply to.
We can't keep up with all witnesses
changing their minds.
Attention, people waiting.
Please make room.
Don't worry, Nicola, everything will be fine.
I have much faith.
Step back!
We need to pass!
Dante!
Dante answer me! Where are you?
Dante!
Dante.
What are you doing? What do you want?
Come with us.
Coward.
This will learn to change your testimony.
If they prohibit alcohol...
they would also have to prohibit
French people...
The Irish...
English...
Quite many Italians. The Greek and Polish too.
- That's Boston. - You forgot the Germans.
Do you mean D.A. Katzman, Mrs. Evans?
Here are your Germans, madam.
And Judge Thayer!
And finally, a few drops of Angostura.
The majesty of justice...
The concept of justice is rather bitter.
You don't believe in the innocence of those two, do you?
I don't know. All I know is that this is an ordinary trial.
Until recently, two anarchists like Sacco and Vanzetti, would have been deported.
But now they might end up in the electric chair.
It's an ordinary trial.
And after the attacks of Mr. Palmer,
the American democracy will be pleased.
Mr. Thompson,
the most famous lawyer in Boston,
saying this is an ordinary trial?
A new cocktail?
Perfectly "Legal", Mr. Katzman,
without one drop of alcohol.
I call it "Sidecar".
Why?
Perhaps everything started with a motorbike? A Sidecar?
Are you speaking about the trial against Sacco and Vanzetti?
Yes, a trial out of the ordinary.
It begins with a Sidecar and ends up
with witnesses being beaten up.
Do you remember the man who worked in the gas station?
What are you insinuating, Mr. Rennie?
Excuse me.
The deportations were criticized and unpopular.
- However, an ordinary trial... - A trial against two anarchists, Mr. Rennie.
Is it a crime to be an anarchist?
- Anarchists and immigrants. - This is a country of immigrants.
How long have you been in America, Mr. Katzman?
I'm convinced that Sacco and Vanzetti have robbed and assassinated,
and I will prove it.
The sentence will soon have some political meaning.
Captain Proctor, could you explain to us the results
of the ballistic investigations.
This is a Colt 32 that belongs to Mr. Sacco.
This is a Harrington & Richardson 38 that belongs to Mr. Vanzetti.
The bullets are recognized by the caliber
but also from when they were fired...
They rotate from left to right,
or from right to left,
leaving grooves in the bullet.
But the only type of American pistol
that rotates from the left
is a Colt 32.
Thank you, Captain, please be seated.
3 of the 4 bullets from the body of Berardelli...
have right rotation.
The same for the two bullets taken from the body of Parmenter.
But the fourth bullet,
the lethal bullet,
has left rotation.
It was fired by a Colt 32.
Captain, after the ballistic tests, can you tell us
if this bullet was shot by the Colt of Mr. Sacco?
In my opinion,
it was probably shot by that pistol.
Sacco was not in South Braintree that day!
He couldn't have been in South Braintree on the 15 of April.
Because that day he had requested a day off from the factory
for serious personal reasons.
Dear son...
I understand that the death of your mother has caused you much sorrow.
She expressed how much she wanted to see you again before dying.
Don't forget to meet up...
"You do not know what it means to have a son live so far away,
and for so many years."
"I hope we meet again."
"Longing to hold you close."
Mr. Consul, one moment please.
- Do you have any other documents? - This is all I have.
I've never before been presented with any such photographs,
so big, I mean.
There were two of them, I think.
It was the day of the 15th of April.
I remember because I looked at the wall calendar
hanging on the wall in the office.
Yes, it was at 2 pm or perhaps a little later.
I recall that day also because I closed
the consulate half an hour later.
With so many people visiting the consulate,
you said you're receiving between 150 and 200 visitors every day,
...that's correct, right? - Uhu.
You must have an incredible memory...
That day, how was the defendant dressed?
I don't remember that, only the peculiar photograph.
Let's talk about another peculiar date...
the 17, 19, 21 , 24 or 29th of April.
- Listen... - Choose any date,
2nd of May, or the 3rd or 4th, or the 6th.
Yes, I remember another peculiar thing that happened on the 1st of May...
but last year.
When the consulate was full of immigrants
that requested protection
from Attorney General Palmer.
Those are true facts!
Mr. Adrower, just answer the questions.
Mr. Palmer is the Attorney General of the United States...
and you are the representative of a foreign country.
You should pay respect to... and...
answer the questions.
So you don't remember any other peculiar events
at the Italian consulate, except the one involving Mr. Sacco?
Yes, sure, if you prefer it that way, Mr. Katzman.
Mr. Kelly...
Have a good look at this cap,
including the inside.
Do you notice something?
Yes, the lining is broken.
Didn't you say that Sacco
used to hang his cap on a nail?
Yes, but not...
Is this the cap of Mr. Sacco?
- It seems too small. - If it would be larger though,
it would be Mr. Sacco's, right? - Objection!
Well, Mr. Sacco...
can you put it on?
No.
What do you mean? You must put it on.
I'm no clown.
Mr. Sacco, nobody disrespects you, but you must put on the cap.
No, properly.
No, properly, I said.
Enough!
On the 15th of April,
I was in Plymouth, like every morning.
Bart! You want a cup of coffee?
I already had one, thanks, actually two.
Fish!
Big, tasty and fresh!
Fish!
Looks good, seems fresh.
Smell.
- Would that be all? - Yes.
How do you remember the time being 12.30?
I am a craftsman...
and I leave my workplace at 12.30, at the sound of the siren.
And why do you remember it was the 15th of April?
...and not the 13th, or 14th?
I don't remember it that way,
but because I buy fresh fish every Thursday.
It doesn't stay fresh more than a week.
Could it be another week, the 8th or 22nd of April?
Listen...
Could it be another week, the 8th or 22nd of April?
What are you saying?
On April 8 I was operated for my appendix. Look here.
Thank you.
And I had only one.
I was operated for my appendix on the following day, and...
- And what..? - He says it was his only appendix.
Mrs. Brini, have you known Mr. Vanzetti for a long time?
Ever since I arrived in Plymouth four years ago.
- He lives in your house? - Yes.
- Do you like lodging him? - Yes.
Do your husband like it?
Objection!
With the permission of the defense...
In case of necessity...
would you make a sacrifice to save a friend?
Specially if he's Italian?
- Objection! - What's wrong?
Mr. Katzmann, omit the last part of the question.
Omit "Specially if he's Italian."
Would you do anything for a friend?
- Of course. - Answer yes or no.
You remember where you were on the 15th of April,
because you bought a dress...
...quite peculiar, no?
People like me do not buy dresses every day.
- We talked about it also. - You talked about it?
- We reconstructed everything. - Reconstructed? With whom?
With my husband and the neighbors.
Also with the man with appendicitis?
Of course.
Thank you, Mrs. Brini.
The ballistic tests established that at least one bullet,
the one that killed Berardelli,
came from the pistol of Mr. Sacco.
With such evidence,
scientific and indisputable,
all arguments of the defendant collapse like
a house of cards.
Tens of witnesses have declared...
But what kind of witnesses?
A row of pitiful people...
from the underbelly of our society.
Ragged!
They hate us!
Silence!
The prosecution...
The prosecution has shown that the defendants were present
at the violent robbery in South Braintree on the 15th of April
I don't want to offend anyone,
but the Italian witnesses are not trustworthy.
Mr. Katzmann,
moderate your language.
Moderate? This is racism! - Racism!
Do you want to end up on the defendants' bench, Mr. Moore?
The defendants' bench is the most untainted place in this room.
Mr. Moore!
We confront reality,
we examine it well...
We are uncivilized!
Italians, Greeks, Poles, Puerto Ricans, Chileans.
It takes efforts and pain
trying to settle
in a superior society
trying to assimilate to our way of life and thought.
This is racism!
Members of the jury...
The defense talks of racism,
it opposes testimonies from honorable American citizens,
in favor of irresponsible and scrupulous witnesses,
a bunch of poor immigrants,
people who do not know anything
about our national principles,
about the grand ideals of our democracy,
and the justice that reigns in our country.
People who don't speak our language.
Racism! Racism!
These are the same ideas of the fanatics in the Ku Klux Klan.
They poison America. Ku Klux Klan!
One more word, Mr. Moore,
and I'll charge you for contempt in court.
Continue, Mr. Katzmann.
They represent the greatest danger
to our free institutions.
We must be perceptive, certainly,
but not until the point of...
Racism! Racism! Ku Klux Klan!
The Californian lawyer, the indescribable Mr. Moore,
mention the Ku Klux Klan.
Does he know that bonds also exist
between the immigrants?
That there are deviant blood ceremonies among Italians,
where the blood of the teacher
is mixed with the blood of the disciple... that's perverted!
Barbarians! Barbarians!
Thank you, Mr. Thompson,
for coming to the defense committee,
but I don't agree with you.
The objective of the court,
whatever the cost,
is to reach a just sentence.
I'm not so sure about that.
Whatever the cost, they want to reach
a political sentence.
That's the reason of the justice.
Such premise does not lead
to any acquittal.
Why do you think that they would be acquitted?
I believe in justice.
But Mr. Thompson, everything is so obvious.
I asked myself the same as Mr. Moore...
Speak out, forget formalities.
We are all convinced
that Sacco and Vanzetti are innocent.
They are.
But then where are those truly guilty?
We will know in time!
I just wanted to say...
Have they done something to find them?
To find them?
Why not ask the police, or Thayer, or Fuller!
This way you aren't of much help.
You don't seem to believe
that the police, the judge, or the governor
are in agreement
of a sentence, to whatever the cost.
Do you mean you were convinced that
they don't wanted to mix the trial with politics?
That is right.
I made that mistake.
I ask the court
to interrogate the defendant Bartolomeo Vanzetti.
When did you arrive in the United States, Mr. Vanzetti?
Thirteen years ago, in 1908.
Were you an anarchist already then?
- Not completely. - Please explain.
When I saw how bad things were in my country
I thought things here would be different.
Is that why you became an anarchist here?
Let's say that I finished my radicalizing here,
as I began working in a factory, 13 years old,
to support myself.
And you ended up being an anarchist?
I am still an anarchist...
Everyone here is.
I don't understand the reason of this farce.
Mr. Vanzetti...
Why did you lie to the police officers in Brocton
the night you were arrested?
I was scared.
Scared of what?
Mr. Moore...
I'll tell you what I and Nicola was doing that night.
We were returning propaganda material
to the houses of comrades, in order to hide it.
For that reason we needed Boda's car.
We knew also... that another one of those big "razzias"
against foreigners was being prepared.
And two days earlier...
the body of...
one of our comrades...
was found...
at dawn.
Mr. Vanzetti.
And I'm saying his name:
Andrea Salcedo!
Andrea Salcedo, our comrade!
He was found dead after falling from the 14th floor
of the building of the New York City Police Department!
Bravo, Vanzetti.
We were scared.
And that's why you were armed, I suppose.
Have you ever fired a gun, Mr. Vanzetti?
No, I've never fired a gun in my life. I don't even know how to point a gun.
Or how to drive a car.
Please...
tell to the court why you were armed.
We had really thought of throwing them away.
We had brought all the bullets
that we had kept in our drawers.
Mr. Sacco, did you need weapons that night
like one of those guards would do?
We did, but we wanted to throw them anyway, it was too dangerous.
Why didn't you apply for a firearms license?
It's not easy in this country
for an anarchist to get permission to carry arms.
Like in any country, Mr. Sacco.
Yes.
In any country.
You don't love this country, do you?
Why do you say that? I love this country.
Did you also love it in May of 1917?
That is not so easy to explain...
You didn't understand the question? You need the interpreter?
No, it's not necessary, I understood.
Then answer with a yes, or a no.
Yes.
You say you loved this country...
but when you needed to serve it as a soldier
you ran away to Mexico?
- Let me explain... - Answer yes or no.
Did you run away to Mexico to avoid serving
the country that you love? - But I'm a worker.
Did you run away to Mexico in May, 1917?
Yes, I did.
Finally!
It's difficult to get an answer from this gentleman.
- Why did you run away? - Because I'm an anarchist worker!
Which means..?
It means that the anarchists
believe in a world without borders.
I understand.
We are objectors of conscience.
Do you love the government of the United States?
I do not love the government of the United States.
Is that why we see bombs against ministers
and bankers of the state?
I've never put any bombs, or shot any shots.
You never put any bombs. You don't believe in bombs then?
I believe in anarchism.
But what type of anarchism is it that you want to create?
- Could you explain that to the court? - Anarchism means freedom.
The abolition of societies divided by classes.
Respect for the other.
- Enough! - To me, these are the things
that matter in life.
I try to live my life following these ideals.
Here are the arguments of the prosecution!
Workers who fight against their bosses.
Only to shorten unacceptable work hours,
of 16, 17, 18 hours per day, and to ask for better wages.
This is the true meaning of this trial.
To cause harm to workers and to the unions,
through an infamous campaign
against foreigners.
Counselor, I demand silence!
It wouldn't have been allowed for a defendant
to distribute documents to the jury.
I give you a serious reprimand.
Take those photographs back.
Very good!
Bravo!
Silence!
Otherwise I will expel you.
So you hand out anarchist leaflets,
but know nothing about bombs.
And speak of love for your neighbor, but walks around armed.
You love this country but when you are asked to serve it you run away to Mexico.
Why didn't you stay in Mexico? It's a free country.
I didn't do well there, I couldn't find work in my trade.
After all sacrifices I made to learn my trade,
I wouldn't go to Mexico to work with anything.
So your relation with the United States is just a work relation,
measured by how much money you get.
Mr. Sacco, this is the love you have for our country, isn't it?
Measured in dollars and cents.
- Objection! - Objection overruled.
The defense have introduced these kind of arguments. Please continue.
- May I speak? - Request granted.
You speak of dollars and cents, sir.
Lets speak about millions of dollars.
If you speak of an industry manager or the head of a bank
who donates money to a university everybody says:
What a great man he is!
But I have worked 13 years in this free country,
doing what I've been told to.
I have worked like a slave
and still I don't own anything,
not a single dollar.
In here, all you here is: "Passport, passport!"
But when I went to the consulate to organize my journey back,
to be repatriated...
I didn't even have money to pay for the trip!
After thirteen years I would return to my homeland with nothing.
Like when I started.
Sit down.
This is why I became an anarchist,
I just wanted to live a decent life...
that our children would get education,
a good start.
White, blacks that's not important.
However, the capitalist class
who just accumulate money in the banks
and command young people to go to war, to death...
We don't want that. We don't accept it.
We don't accept the war.
What right does a man have to kill another man?
I work with German friends
who treat me like a brother. Why should I kill them?
Morgan and Rockefeller are not the great men of this country, sir.
I have seen better people than them.
Some are in the jail,
like Eugenio Debs,
a great man of this country.
He is also imprisoned
because he is socialist.
They are great people who make this country progress.
I love this country because of them.
I don't have more to say.
Thanks to the court for its kind tolerance,
and for listening to what one of the defendants
have to say about our institutions.
Remember what you have heard
and what has been documented.
This is just a small part of the red and anarchist activity against our country.
At this point I want to ask you to remember and reenact,
in all its aspects,
the purpose of the assault in South Braintree.
The verdict can be only one.
I have nothing more to say. Thank you.
For you it's more or less the same, isn't it?
Sure, my wife has been feeling lonely
all the time I have been here.
- Sheriff, we are finished. - Already?
That was fast, it's just five o'clock.
You have only used less than two hours. A bit hasty perhaps. - Hasty?
Yes, perhaps you're right.
Did you say five o'clock?
Then we can have another meal, courtesy of the state.
Come!
Come, they are here!
Attention.
It looks like armed Italians have come from New York
to liberate the convicts.
Keep your eyes open.
Press.
Today they check everyone. They suspect something.
- Do you know why? - They must be scared.
The time has come. Don't worry.
They are 5 hours delayed, that is a good signal.
Court in session!
Mr. Chairman.
- Have you reached a verdict? - Yes.
Nicola Sacco!
Bartolomeo Vanzetti!
Mr. Chairman,
raise your right hand and turn to the defendants.
Defendants, listen to the chairman of the jury.
Mr. Chairman,
Do you declare the defendants guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
- Guilty of murder? - Murder.
- In the first degree? - In the first degree.
Do the jury declare under oath
that the defendants, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti,
are guilty of murder in first degree?
Yes.
- Is that your verdict? - That's our verdict.
Is that the verdict of all members?
Yes.
That's our verdict.
Nico! They want to kill you!
I don't understand this sentence. It's absurd.
It is an absurd sentence.
Vanzetti, this is a conspiracy.
Sacco, it's clearly a conspiracy.
We will appeal.
Shut up!
We must. It's a conspiracy.
You and your politics.
We wont go to the electric chair.
Enough committees. I don't want to be a political martyr. I want to live.
To live!
I also want to live, but in another world.
Freedom for Nick and Bart.
No!
Freedom for Nick and Bart.
Nick and Bart, talk to us.
We are two unfortunates.
We have been deceived.
Freedom for Nick and Bart.
Look at this.
We will insist that the verdict is discharged,
a very important filing. - Perfect, make a copy of this.
First of all we must locate
Mary Splaine, Goodridge and Pelser, the key witnesses of the prosecution.
The police is attacking the protesters. Everybody, come!
Freedom for Nick and Bart.
Clear! Clear!
Sergeant, this is abuse!
Are you wounded?
The strong arm of the law.
Where do you want to go?
To the Defense Committee?
Rennie, I don't want to see my name in the newspapers.
When it comes me, you can be calm.
Which means?
Somebody doesn't like what I write.
- They refused it? - Uhu.
From now, Moore will be aided by Thompson,
he is a great lawyer.
They are preparing an appeal.
I'm sure you will soon be released.
You are too far away, Rosa, I want you near me.
Come closer.
I could not live without you. I'm not able.
- Do you remember the night when... - Nicola, you will soon be released.
I'm thinking of you all the time.
Most Americans are taking our side.
Your speech really impressed everyone.
They speak about you on the radio, in the newspapers too.
People are working... printing flyers with your picture.
- There are manifestations... - No!
What's wrong, Nicola?
It's Moore who's asked you to say that, isn't it?
What are you saying?
Rosa...
We were going to return to Italy...
And now this...
Why?
- Can you tell me why? - No, Nicola, nobody can.
Dante...
Come here. Come to your father.
What's wrong? Are you ashamed of me?
Are you ashamed of your father?
Because they say that I'm a thief and a killer?
Get out of here. Go now! Now!
Get out. They should all die.
Freedom for Nick and Bart.
No! They call me an assassin and a thief!
They say that I'm an assassin.
An assassin and a thief!
They say that I'm an assassin and a thief!
Thief, thief, thief...
Assassin and thief.
I know that your name isn't Goodridge at all...
you're also a bigamist...
and has been accused of swindle.
Or am I wrong?
Forgot everything during the interrogation, that's for sure!
And now, what happens?
What do you get in return for your false testimony?
You've been promised impunity, isn't that so?
I... can't stand this anymore.
You live in hiding, Pelser, like an animal.
No friends around, only policemen.
Why is that?
Are they forcing you?
Yes.
We have read the withdrawal statements, obtained by Mr. Moore...
of the prosecution's witnesses
Mr. Pelser and Mr. Goodridge.
Pity that the Mr. Pelser and Mr. Goodridge
also sent these declarations to the court,
where they blame Mr. Moore for
putting strong pressure on them.
Mr. Moore, your conduct is unprofessional.
The withdrawals are the results of intimidation.
Therefore your appeal, as presented here,
is rejected.
You cannot speak of my professional conduct, sir,
because during all this trial the court has used every occasion...
to show its preconceived ideas...
and its racist hatred of the defendants.
And to you, Mr. Katzmann,
who uses scum like Pelser and Goodridge...
Be careful of what you say, Mr. Moore.
Only courtesy for this court prevents me from indicting you.
The court is suspended.
Mr. Feliciani said you will withdraw.
I'm thankful to you.
There were difficult moments and we didn't always understand.
But you are a good and honest man...
and I'm very thankful to you.
Thompson will do better than I have. He is more capable.
If I'd continue...
it would all be the same.
Are you leaving immediately?
I have everything here. This... and this.
- Please send us your articles. - Good bye, counselor.
- I'm sorry. - Good bye.
Good bye.
- Have a good trip, counselor. - I'm very sorry.
I know who attacked the shoe factory... I was there...
- What's your name? - Celestino Madeiros.
I'll be damned...
We were five guys in the Buick that committed the robbery.
We changed car in a forest,
and arrived in South Braintree around noon.
- Then we began to drink. - Where did you know each other from?
I worked for some time with Barney
at the Bluebird Inn.
It's in Providence, five miles across the Massachusetts border.
A very comfortable place...
to rest in between one work and another.
- So you met the others there? - Yes.
Are they from Providence?
What are their names?
No, I wont say that. I'm not an informer.
Tell us everything or tell us nothing.
I'm not a snitch.
So what makes you want to speak out now?
I saw Sacco... that was painful.
You have been sentenced to the electric chair...
for robbery and homicide? - Yes.
And now you're hoping for a delay..?
What's the benefit of that?
There are witnesses, maybe someone saw you shooting.
I didn't shoot anything in South Braintree, I was drunk.
I was scared and stayed in the back seat of the car...
I didn't move a finger.
They fooled me, okay?
Back in the forest, when changing car,
they fled with the loot and I never saw them again.
Where did you say you worked?
- Excuse me, does Barney live here? - May!
- I'm looking for Barney. - He's not here.
Is this his house?
It used to be. Now it's a shanty.
Do you know Celestino Madeiros?
And who are you?
I'm a lawyer.
Well, you don't look like a police.
Did Madeiros work here
in April of 1920?
I don't know, perhaps he was in Mexico.
No wait, he went there later. He gave me a present...
on the 1st of May. He was always broke,
but I remember that day, because he had 2800 dollars.
He lied, they didn't fool him.
After the robbery he had 2800 dollars...
Exactly a fifth of the loot in South Braintree
Here they are.
- Go back to your country! - Bastards!
Yes, we had a gang here in Providence
that used to rob cargo trains.
They were Americans of Italian descent.
Known as the Morell gang, or Morelli gang.
Arrested on the 8 of October of 1919.
Then they were in prison on the 15th of April, right?
I'll check that out.
Joe, Fred
Mancini, Pascuale Morelli.
Trials in May, 1920.
No, in April they were out on the street, released waiting trial.
- Thank you, inspector. - You're welcome.
Excuse me, inspector.
Who was the lawyer defending Morelli in May, 1920?
Don't speak to me about professional ethics
when defending the Morelli gang of robbers,
and the boss of it all, Joe. He was bad.
But anyway...
they had informants in the industrial areas.
They made notes about transport trucks,
what was being loaded, for later use...
Mr. Geary, which were those factories?
There were many.
Everything is in the files.
"Rice & Hutchins", for example.
- That's all I remember. - I see.
In South Braintree.
Everything is in the archives of the court.
Counselor! The file of the trial isn't here.
No indications, sir, no suspicious talking.
Not even when he was delirious.
Only two names, always Rosa and Dante.
No messages from the outside either,
except for letters controlled by you, sir.
If you prefer, sir, if you have other instructions...
I don't have, thank you.
I could write that your woman needs you, and your son too,
but I ask you to recover, for the benefit of our comradeship.
And when I say comradeship, I'm speaking about our innocence.
The truth, our ideas...
I'm speaking about our freedom.
Doctor...
not today.
Please, not today.
- I want to improve without. - If you want to improve...
it means you are getting better, Nicola.
I am piano salesman.
What brand of pianos, Morelli?
Listen, if you're here to cut my hair...
Have you ever heard of South Braintree?
- No. - Mr. Morelli,
do you know a Puerto Rican called Celestine Madeiros?
I've never known any Puerto Rican.
And Steve Bentkowski, this Polish guy?
No Poles either.
And this man? Bloody Gyp?
Nobody I know.
- What? - He's never heard of him.
And I suppose you don't know Mancini.
Mancini who? There are so many Mancinis.
There are also many Morellis...
but Mancini was in your gang.
Have you ever heard of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti?
Sacco.
Yes...
I read that he was prosecuted
and tried for robbery.
Exactly. Do you know where?
Nicola Sacco. Sacco.
But if you know Mancini, why don't you ask him?
These men are Sacco and Vanzetti.
Have you ever seen them?
No.
They don't seem like types who do armed robberies.
It's hard to judge only by their faces, of course, but...
they could be radicals and extremists, but they don't seem like robbers to me.
Do you think these two look alike?
No, not at all.
Did you use a Colt 32? - No.
A Spanish pistol. A Star.
During the trial...
you said about the bullet that killed Berardelli:
"In my opinion
it was probably shot by that pistol."
What does that mean?
It hoped that Moore would ask me more about that in the court,
but he didn't. I would have said that...
it could be several American pistols...
A Colt 32 can shoot that bullet,
any Colt 32.
In other words, not necessarily the one of Sacco?
There's been no test proving it was Sacco's pistol.
You must have said that in the court.
You said several American pistols?
Yes...
and an Austrian, the Steyr,
and a Spanish who can shoot that type of bullet.
The Spanish Star.
Here's Mancini's weapon file...
It's a Spanish make, a Star Automatic, to be precise.
Can I see this pistol?
For an old friend? Of course, come with me.
Only because it's you.
It never fails.
The archive-number is 33.410.52.
But...
This is Nicola Sacco.
- Nicola Sacco, without doubt. - Thank you, Mrs. Splaine.
This is the man who fired on the guard.
He wore a beret.
He looks like many other men, but it's him alright.
- Very good, thank you. - You're welcome.
Yes, he was one of them.
He's the man who was driving.
Unfortunately, Captain Proctor has passed away.
Therefore I must still rely on his testimony from the trial...
Why not bring in another expert?
As the previous test indisputably has proven the guilt of Nicola Sacco,
all new attempts to reopen the trial are useless.
As for hearing Celestine Madeiros, who at the moment is on death row,
I must conclude that it is of no relevance.
It would be a groundless testimony from an unreliable man.
To annul the verdict based on this type of evidence
would seriously undermine truth and justice.
You are the one that undermines justice.
No one dares to admit the mysterious disappearance of the Morelli case file,
that Mancini's weapon has disappeared from the Attorney General's office in New York.
- What do you want to insinuate? - I don't insinuate, I'm pointing at facts.
No, you're making accusations.
You're accusing me and a public office,
and also ex-minister Palmer, who is now the Magistrate of the United States.
You accuse everybody of conspiracy to put Sacco and Vanzetti in the electric chair.
Exactly my point.
The court hereby rejects
the request to reopen the trial.
It is now the hope of the court that nothing will prevent the sentence.
I'm very thankful to you, Mr. Thayer.
You have helped me to completely lose the hopes
I have had for justice and for this nation.
I will never again put my foot in a courtroom.
Never more exert a profession
that forces to me to deal with people like you.
People for whom I only feel the deepest contempt.
"Not even a dog deserves to die...
based on the evidence presented in this trial.
- Radical? - Conservative.
The Springfield Republican.
Very good. It speaks only of the most important matters.
- What's that? - The petition asking you to intervene.
Signed by 474,842 people.
Here are more petitions,
signed by the universities of Yale, Columbia, Kansas, Ohio...
- Missouri, Minnesota... - Just tell me the ones missing.
None, sir.
- Counselor Thompson, sir. - Let him in.
In conclusion,
to this date,
our office has received more than
17,000 letters and telegrams.
I'm requesting that you hire more personnel.
- To reinforce the secretariat. - Very well, we will speak about that.
- Adams. - Sir?
Good morning, Mr. Thompson.
- Please be seated. - Good morning, Mr. Fuller.
Governor, I've come to ask you to reopen the trial.
There are fair reasons to suspect
bias of prosecutor Katzman...
- ...and of judge Thayer... - Do you mind to sit down?
These are very serious accusations.
A cigar?
We are very far from the terror climate and persecutions established by Palmer.
Palmer is now gone... American democratic institutions have been restored...
- ...then, why...? - Mr. Thompson...
I know what you're going to say
and you know what my answer will be.
You want to save the lives of Sacco and Vanzetti?
You know I can't intervene in the decisions of judge Thayer.
There is only one way.
Bartolomeo Vanzetti, have you got anything to say
before the sentence of death will be passed upon you?
Yes. I want to say that I am innocent.
In all my life I've never killed or robbed anyone.
I've never spilled a drop of blood.
I have fought for a better world.
I've fought exploitation of human beings.
That's the reason why I'm standing here now. None else.
There is something Mr. Katzman said, that keeps ringing in my mind:
"Mr. Vanzetti came to this prosperous country...
in order to become rich!"
It's a phrase that amuses to me.
I never wanted to become rich.
That's not the reason why I'm standing here now.
I'm paying for mistakes made by others.
I am suffering because I am a radical,
and indeed I am a radical,
and because I was an Italian,
and indeed I am an Italian.
I am so convinced to be right that
if you could kill me two times,
and if I could be reborn two other times,
I would live again to do exactly the same.
Nicola Sacco.
My comrade Nicola!
Perhaps I'm a better babbler than he is,
but many times, many times...
when I hear his voice, when I think about him
This man...
called thief and assassin
and whom you are going to kill...
When your bones, Mr. Thayer, will be dispersed by time,
and your name and your law
are nothing but a deem rememoring of a cursed past,
his name, the name of Nicola Sacco,
will live in the hearts of the people.
We are thankful to you.
Without you, we would be nobody.
A good shoemaker...
and a good fish-peddler, sure,
but never in our full life
could we hope
to do so much work
for tolerance, for justice,
for man's understanding of man.
You have given meaning
to the lives of two poor immigrants.
Nicola Sacco, have you got anything to say
before the sentence of death will be passed upon you?
No.
On this day, the 9th of April, in the year of our Lord, 1927,
this court sentence
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti
to suffer the punishment of death
by electrocution of their bodies.
This is the sentence of the law.
Why don't you have a look?
Look out, it's beautiful.
Look.
What do you want to see, Bart?
Have you lost your hope?
After seven years...
I want an end to all this.
We've had discussions in the Committee.
Did you read the petition written by Thompson
to Governor Fuller?
- Yes, I read it. - And what do you think?
It's good.
Modify two or three things...
but it's good.
- It's good. - Did you sign it?
Yes, I signed it.
Virginia!
- Have you lost your faith? - Nicola did not sign.
You know how Nicola is.
He has lost faith.
I hope that some comrade of the defense committee
can make him change his mind.
Virginia.
Virginia!
Bartolomeo Vanzetti, sir.
Come here, Mr. Vanzetti.
I've been eager to meet you for a long time. I am Governor Fuller.
Bartolomeo Vanzetti.
- I want to return to my cell. - Please.
Have a seat.
So you are the famous Bartolomeo Vanzetti?
I've never had the intention to be famous.
But now you are.
You have submitted a petition
in order to obtain my mercy, and to pardon you.
- Are you sorry? - No.
It may sound strange, Mr. Vanzetti,
but I would like to ask for your advice. What would you do in my place?
You are the authority.
Let's see.
You are an anarchist,
I'm a conservative.
In addition I am the governor
of one of the most conservative states in America.
What makes you think that I would have mercy for you?
I understand what you mean.
Why should an anarchist
believe in the mercy of the bourgeoisie.
I would like to know...
how do you regard power relations
within what you call bourgeoisie.
Mr. Fuller...
you're ignoring my case,
my petition for mercy.
You are fighting against a system...
represented by president Coolidge,
judge Thayer, the governor...
and every guard of this prison.
Do you think that this chain,
this system,
is so weak
that an important person, like a governor,
would grant mercy for an anarchist,
an enemy of the system?
So now you admit...
that we were condemned for being anarchists,
not for being thieves and assassins.
Well...
Suppose you were not an anarchist or a radical, and was accused of homicide,
do you think you would have got such red-blooded reactions from the world?
Of course not, Mr. Vanzetti.
You do not appeal to the authorities like an ordinary citizen,
but like an anarchist,
supported by a global movement.
An act of mercy might cause certain opinions about challenging the system,
or could be regarded as an act of weakness.
I only want justice, Mr. Fuller.
You don't think justice can be part of an authoritarian system.
What if you were in the power...
would you grant mercy?
I don't ask for mercy, I only want justice.
But I want to repeat that this system is based on violence and not on justice.
You, Vanzetti, an anarchist,
is talking about violence?
I've heard that nonsense for seven years now.
I already told you.
This is a society where we are forced to live, and we want to destroy
any society based on violence.
To beg to be alive is violent.
The misery which we are subjects to.
So many men are violent.
Money is violent. The war.
Including the fear to die.
The fear that we all feel, every day,
is also violent.
So, Mr. Fuller, don't simply say to me...
Bartolomeo Vanzetti, your petition is rejected.
Excuse me, Governor,
remember that you have to be at the palace for the reception of Charles Lindbergh.
Very well.
I haven't decided yet.
Before my decision I wanted to speak with you.
You are a symbol, Mr. Vanzetti,
but the man behind it is about to be executed.
What should we save? The man or the symbol?
Nicola...
I just want to say that you did good not asking for mercy.
Only an assassin would do that.
My son,
instead of crying be strong
Be brave
and comfort your mother
Don't cry
for the tears are wasted
Let not
also the years be wasted
Forgive me, son,
for this unjust death
which takes your father
from your side
Forgive me all
who are my friends
I am with you,
so do not cry
My dear son,
I have dreamed of you day and night.
I don't know if I'm alive or dead.
I would have liked to embrace you and your mother.
Forgive me, my son, for this unjust death
which takes your father from your side.
Today they will crucify our bodies,
but they can't destroy our ideas.
They are for the youth of the future to come,
for young people like you.
Remember, my son...
in the play of happiness,
don't you use all for yourself.
Comfort those in need...
your neighbor, those who cry,
the persecuted, the oppressed.
To all who might need it.
Remember, my son...
in the play of happiness,
don't you use all for yourself.
Remember, my son...
in the play of happiness...
They can't destroy our ideas.
They are for the youth of the future to come,
for young people like you.
Good bye, my love.
My son.
Comrades.
According to the law, I declare you dead.