Now my friends know I am innocent
and I dont care what the rest think.
-Joe Hill
Hellraisers Journal, Sunday November 14, 1915
Sketch of Utah State Prison Yard Where Joe Hill Will Be Shot
The execution of Fellow Worker Joe Hill is set for November 19th, five days from today. Yesterday, Parsons Daily Sun of Kansas published the following drawing of Utah State Prison showing, in detail, the exact “procedure” planned for the shooting down of our Rebel Songwriter:
From the Appeal to Reason of November 13, 1915:
At long last, President Samuel Gompers of the A. F. of L. has made a statement regarding the impending execution of Fellow Worker Joe Hill. A week or so ago, Samuel Gompers, with a party of union officials, was traveling to San Francisco by private coach to attend the thirty-fifth annual convention of the American Federation of Labor. During a lay over in Salt Lake City, Mr. Gompers was questioned by a local reporter about the now famous case. He replied that he hoped that Governor Spry “in the bigness of his heart” would extend clemency to FW Joe Hill until his case could be further investigated.
The Appeal takes note of the statement of President Gompers in this weeks editorial section.
Let Joe Hill Be Given His Day in CourtSAMUEL GOMPERS, President of the American Federation of Labor, when in Salt Lake City the other day made the public statement that he hoped Governor Spry of Utah would further postpone the execution of Joe Hill so that a more thorough examination of the I. W. W. poet’s case might be made. This, and more than this, is the demand of justice for Joe Hill. He should not be killed while there remains a possibility of his innocence.
The state of Utah has no moral right (although it no doubt has a legal right) to exact the penalty of a crime by shooting Joe Hill unless the state of Utah can prove beyond peradventure that Joe Hill is the real criminal. This the state of Utah has thus far failed to prove. The alleged evidence of Hill’s guilt consists of circumstantial, contradictory and on many points plainly manufactured testimony upon which no honest and fair-minded man would base an important decision, especially one affecting the life of another human being. So far as we are concerned, Joe Hill is in effect innocent because the state of Utah has not succeeded in proving him guilty.
Joe Hill should be granted another trial. There is no doubt that the previous trial contained errors that were fatal to Hill’s defense. A new trial at this time, after the agitation of Hill’s friends and fellow workers has drawn nation-wide attention to the case, is certain to be conducted much more carefully and with a great deal more regard for justice to Hill. Doubtless Hill himself made mistakes in his former trial. He discharged his lawyers and it is said that through his inexperienced meddling he tangled up the case and made things look needlessly bad for himself. It is reasonable to assume that in a second trial Hill would benefit from his experience in his first trial. He would engage competent and trustworthy lawyers and let them guard his interests.
The demand for a new trial for Joe Hill is a humanitarian demand and rises above the petty statutes of a state, which all of us know are filled with ridiculous and ofttimes grave errors. Joe Hill is a human being and his life is of great human importance-and the state of Utah has no right to take his life from him unless it can establish proof of a good and sufficient reason for so doing.
We do not believe there is any good reason for taking the life of a human being under any circumstances, legal or otherwise. It so happens that Utah still retains the barbarous provision for capital punishment, that has been condemned and rejected by the civilized conscience of many states; so that if Joe Hill can be proved positively guilty, the law of Utah says that he shall be officially murdered. But let it prove him guilty first. And, what is more important, give Hill a chance-every possible chance-to prove his innocence.
—–
From The Sun of Price, Utah, of November 12, 1915:
ATTORNEY E. B. CRITCHLOW RETAINED IN
THE NOTORIOUS HILLSTROM CASE
—–Retainment of E. B. Critchlow, an attorney of Salt Lake City, by W. A. F. Ekengren, Swedish minister to the United States, is the latest development in the notorious Hillstrom case. At the request of the diplomatic official at Washington, D. C., Critchlow will examine all records in connection with the case and report his findings before the date set for Hillstrom’s execution, November 19th. In a telegram to Critchlow, Minister Ekengren said that he had been recommended at Washington to conduct an examination into the case, which, it is understood, the Swedish government has asked for. Critchlow, accompanied by Soren X. Christensen, one of Hillstrom’s attorneys, conferred with the prisoner at the state prison at Salt Lake City last Friday. After a brief conference with Warden Pratt the two lawyers were admitted to Hillstrom’s cell.
Attorney Christensen after conferring with his client introduced Critchlow and an extended conference followed during which, it is understood. Hillstrom explained the reason why in his opinion, he did not have a fair and impartial trial. Following the conference with Hillstrom, Critchlow conferred with court officials relative to arrangements for him to obtain a transcript of the evidence in the case. A transcript will be furnished Critchlow, it is understood, and he will devote several days to an investigation of the record.
He will then send his report to Minister Ekengren. It is believed that the latest action is preliminary to further efforts on the part of the Swedish government to obtain clemency for the condemned murderer.
—–[Photograph added.]
The Man Who Never Died:
The Life, Times, and Legacy of Joe Hill, American Labor Icon
-byWilliam M. Adler
Bloomsbury Publishing USA, Aug 30, 2011
https://books.google.com/books?id=nCwHDiXYMRMC
Appeal to Reason
(Girard, Kansas)
-Nov 13, 1915
http://www.newspapers.com/image/67311846/
The Sun
(Price, Utah)
-Nov 12, 1915
https://www.newspapers.com/image/83341210/
IMAGE
Joe Hill execution , Diagram sketch of Utah state prison yard, Parsons (KS) Daily Sun, Nov 13, 1915
http://www.newspapers.com/image/63174433/
Samuel Gompers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_unionism
Joe Hill, Hillstrom to face firing squad soon, Ogden Standard, Nov 1, 1915
http://www.newspapers.com/image/80811299/
The Swedish Minister, W. A. F. Ekengren, had available $1,500 from the Swedish government and had been instructed by his government to use it to do all within his power to prevent the execution. Ekengren then enlisted the firm of Pierce, Critchlow, and Barrette to look into the case and review the trial records in the hope that something could be done to save the life of FW Hill. Joe was less than enthusiastic about working with this new attorney who insisted that the facts about his wound should be revealed. This, of course, Hill absolutely refuse to do. Joe Hill maintained to the end that the circumstances surrounding his gunshot wound were nobody’s business but his own, that it was the job of the state to prove his guilt and that the state had failed utterly to so do. On November 12th he wrote the following letter to Minister Ekengren:
Salt Lake City, Nov. 12, 1915
To Ekengren, Swedish Minister
Washington DCJudge Hilton is the best attorney in the world. Please dont expend any more money on others. The case is closed. Now my friends know I am innocent and I dont care what the rest think. Hearty thanks to you and the whole Swedish nation for your noble support.
Remain Yours Joseph Hillstrom
The Letters of Joe Hill
-by Philip S. Foner
Oak Publications, 1965
https://books.google.com/books?id=1tHfAAAAMAAJ
Joe Hill
-by Gibbs M. Smith
Gibbs Smith, Sep 1, 2009
https://books.google.com/books?id=wFwsHQVuHVUC
IMAGE
Joe Hill arrest record, Salt Lake County Jail, ab Jan 14, 1915
http://local.sltrib.com/charts/joehill/gallery/joehill.html
IWW Membership Card
http://www.iww.org/content/red-card
Information from Archie Green via Gibbs Smith:
After the Sixth Edition of the IWW songbook (Little Red Songbook), dated August 21, 1913 and before the Seventh Edition, dated June 1914, an unnumbered and undated edition was published by IWW locals of Seattle, Washington. This edition featured four new songs by Joe Hill including “The Girl Question” of page 35.
The Girl Question
-by Joe Hill
Tune: Tell Mother I’ll Be There
A little girl was working in a big department store,
Her little wage for food was spent; her dress was old and tore.
She asked the foreman for a raise, so humbly and so shy,
And this is what the foreman did reply:
CHORUS:
Why don’t you get a beau?
Some nice old man, you know!
He’ll give you money if you treat him right.
If he has lots of gold,
Don’t mind if he is old.
Go! Get some nice old gentleman tonight.
The little girl then went to see the owner of the store,
She told the story that he’d heard so many times before.
The owner cried: “You are discharged! Oh, my, that big disgrace,
A ragged thing like you around my place!”
The little girl she said: “I know a man that can’t be wrong,
I’ll go and see the preacher in the church where I belong.”
She told him she was down and out and had no place to stay.
And this is what the holy man did say:
Next day while walking round she saw a sign inside a hall,
It read: THE ONE BIG UNION WILL GIVE LIBERTY TO ALL.
She said: I’ll join that union, and I’ll surely do my best,
And now she’s gaily singing with the rest:
FINAL CHORUS:
Oh, Workers do unite!
To crush the tyrant’s might,
The ONE BIG UNION BANNER IS UNFURLED —
Come slaves from every land,
Come join this fighting band,
It’s named INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD.
Performance by Lucas Stark
Source for Lyrics:
http://www.folkarchive.de/girlquest.html