Norwood Man Acquitted After Judge Questions Jury In Anarchy Case
In Dedham District Court, a tense legal drama unfolded when Segris Zakoff of Norwood was brought to trial on charges of advocating anarchy. The case drew unusual attention after Judge Webster Thayer directly questioned the jurymen about their reasoning, an uncommon step that underscored the era’s anxieties surrounding political radicalism.
Police officers Chief Harry Swift, Patrolman William Barrett, and Patrolman Peter Curran testified that Zakoff had expressed sympathy for Bolshevism and dissatisfaction with the government. But the jury, led by its foreman, concluded that while Zakoff may have voiced political opinions, he had not advocated violent overthrow, which the statute required for conviction.
Defense attorney Percy A. Katzmann argued that Zakoff’s statements were protected expressions of belief, while prosecutor William Kane pressed the charge. After deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty, emphasizing that no evidence showed Zakoff had urged force or violence.
The exchange between the judge and the jury highlighted a community grappling with national fears of radicalism while still upholding the legal threshold for criminal advocacy. For Norwood, the case became a local example of the tension between public safety concerns and civil liberties during the post‑World War I Red Scare.
Source: Boston Globe, April 24, 1920
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