DOOM OF ITALIANS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19721, 22 August 1927, Page 9

DOOM OF ITALIANS.

EXECUTION PROBABLE.

APPEALS ALL REJECTED.

COURTS REFUSE A STAY.

COUNSEL STILL FIGHTING

DEATHS FIXED FOR TO-DAY.

Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received August 21, 5.5 p.m.) A. nr.d N.Z.-Sun. NEW YORK, Aug. 20 It now appears almost certain that the doom is sealed of the two Italians, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, who are tinder sentence of .death in connection with ihe murder of a pay-clerk and his guard at South Braintree, Massachusetts, in .April, 1920. / The application for a new trial was yesterday refused by the Massachusetts Supreme Court. A full Bench rejected the appeal, thus leaving the Supremo Court of the United States the only remaining resort. The Court over-ruled exceptions taken to Mr. Justice Sanderson's refusal of a writ of error, also the exceptions taken to Judge Thayer's rejection of motions for s new trial, a revocation of the sentence and a stay of execution. It also dismissed s petition for'a writ ,of error which was presented to the full Bench after Mr. Justice Sanderson had refused to issue a similar writ. This means that the Courts of Massachusetts have said the last word regarding the condemned men, who must be executed on Monday unless the Federal Court prevents it. Counsel for the defence applied for a stay of execution to permit him to apply to the Federal Court, but Mr. Justice Holmes, of that Court, to-day refused to grant a stay of execution. The Sacco-Vanzetti defence committee yesterday issued a call for a general strike throughout the world on Monday. Further Disturbances Feared, As a result of the adverse rulings of the Courts the two Italians are expected to be immediately returned to the death cells in the Charlestown prison, near Boston. They were removed from those cells at the eleventh hour on August 10, after the governor, Mr. Alvan Fuller, had granted a respite. The arrival of Vanzetti's sister at NewYork yesterday on board the Aquitania caused the police to fear a renewal of the tension and the outbreaks which were experienced in many parts of the United States prior to the Governor's temporary reprieve. New York is to be heavily guarded until the prisoners have been executed. Police are already patrolling the subway and elevated railway stations, and public buildings in New York, Boston, Washington and elsewhere. Mass meetings of protest and strikes are expected in many quarters. Defence Counsel's Desperate ESorts. A telegram from Washington says that as the hour for the execution'of Sacco and Vanzetti rapidly approaches their counsel is making last desperate efforts to save their lives. He lodged petitions with the clerk of the United States Supreme Court, one asking for a review of the case as it had developed before the Massachusetts Supreme Court and another asking for a review of the original trial. These petitions cannot formally be filed because the records accompanying them are insufficient, but counsel undertook to complete the formalities by Monday. However. as these proceedings themselves are not sufficient to stay the execution, and as the hearing of the applications would not come on before October, other members of the 'firm of counsel for the defence aie endeavouring to obtain a stay of execution. Many " Death. Watches" Arranged. Many "death watches" have been arranged lor the night of the execution. Fifteen Sacco-Vanzetti sympathisers were arrested while they were picketing the State House at Boston. Large delegations from New York and other cities have arranged to assemble outside the prison if the. sentence is carried out. > Sacco remains calm despite his weakened condition due to his hunger-strike. Vanzetti talks wildly as the hour of death approaches. It is feared the long strain is finally beginning to unsettle this man's mind. ,The New York newspapers, some of which have so far refrained from comment, all devote leading articles to the case to-day. The majority express the hope that the death penalty will not be exacted. Final Appeal to the President. • Other .reports of the case say that Strenuous legal efforts on behalf of the condemned men continued to-day. Petitions were presented to the Federal Court of Appeals and Mr. Justice Holmes of the United States Supreme Court, asking them to grant a further reprieve to permit appeals to be made for a writ of certioraii before the Supreme Court. Both declined to grant the petitions. Mr. Justice Holmes said he had no power to do so, but would be very glad if counsel for the condemned men would make a similar application to another Supreme Court Justice. , Counsel then appealed to the Governor for a further reprieve, and visited the United States Attorney-General, Mr. Saigent. He asked the latter to open the records of the Department of Justice, where he claimed data bearing on Sacco s and Vanzetti's Radical activities would throw new light on the case. Mr. Sargent declined, and an appeal was then made to the President, Mr. Coolidge, to instruct the Attorney-General to grant the request Intimations from Washington show that strong pressure is being brought to beai to induce the Federal Government to intervene in the case. Efforts are also being made to see Chief Justice Taft, of the United States Supreme Court. When the temporary respite was granted to Sacco and Vanzetti on August 10 the cable message® stated that the date of the . execution was set forward to the week August 22-27 inclusive. The messages now published are definite \n giving today as the date now fixed.