_The promises made to me were these, first that Mr. Moore will use
his influence to get Martini and myself out of prison, and second
that Witner would go to New York and confess to his part of the
perjury which would show my innocence automatically. Third, that we
would receive $5,000 apiece before Martini takes the stand, $5,000
apiece after he goes off the stand; fourth, that Martini will get
a good lawyer who will instruct him while Martini is on the stand
testifying, this lawyer will instruct him to refuse to answer
questions on the grounds of incriminating and degrading himself, that
will create an impression with the judge that he did not want to
commit himself, but it is true that he is the one and not Sacco who
committed the holdup in Bridgewater, and he believes on these grounds
Sacco and Vanzetti will get a new trial. Later on Martini will be
able to defend himself by telling the truth and showing that really
while this murder and attempted murder was committed Martini was in
New York._
When Hurwitz asked Luban what Moore wanted Martini-Silva to do, Luban
replied: “He wanted Martini to confess that he together with another
man named Joe Napp and Jas Meade committed the attempted robbery at
Bridgewater. He said these two men were willing to take the blame for
it, and was also willing to testify that Martini was along with them,
providing Martini will consent to it, not otherwise.”
Witner, according to Luban, said that he was working as an
investigator for Moore and being paid fifty dollars a week and
expenses by the Amalgamated Garment Workers’ Union. He suggested
that Silva also should admit that he and two other convicts now dead
committed the Braintree murders. Later it would be easy to prove that
he was in New York on both days.
_He also stated they had two witnesses [Luban continued], one by
the name of Louis Pelser has already been fixed up to change his
testimony so it will be in favor of the defendants._
_He said they had another witness by the name of Roy Gould who
previously did not testify, but will testify now and will identify
Martini, but should they want to prosecute Martini for murder Gould
will retract his original testimony against Martini._
_One of the man’s witnesses, a certain woman whose name I don’t
remember, has already changed her testimony. From Mr. Moore’s
statement to me I first understood she first testified in favor of
the prosecution, and now she is ready to testify for the defense,
that the prosecuting attorney had coached her and induced her
when she identified Sacco, but she will switch over to Martini if
necessary, because they look so much alike, and Witner told me in
Jewish that it cost a good many thousand dollars to get the woman
to change her testimony, and they are ready to spend a good many
thousand more._
Luban gave a complicated account of Witner’s going to Moore’s office
and seeing a picture he recognized as Silva’s only to have Moore tell
him it was Sacco’s.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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