Sacco & Vanzetti: The crime scene

The payroll office

On the afternoon of April 15, 1920, two men were killed in a payroll robbery at the Slater and Morrill shoe factory in South Braintree.

At approximately 3:05 p.m., paymaster Frederick A. Parmenter and guard Alessandro Berardelli left the company's executive office carrying a cash payroll of $15,776.51. 

The shooting

Walking toward the company's main factory, about 200 yards away, they were assaulted by two gunmen. Berardelli was shout four times and Parmenter twice. 

The robbery

The robbery site — just beyond the Rice and Hutchins shoe factory on Pearl Street, South Braintree. 

The signal shot

Seizing the payroll, the robbers reportedly fired a signal shot. A dark Buick, parked by the Slater and Morrill factory, sped up Pearl Street from the opposite direction. 

The escape

The robbers escaped over nearby railroad tracks, dropping nails to flatten the tires of any cars that might follow. Turning the corner of Washington Street, they quickly vanished.