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Hellraisers Journal – Thursday January 15, 1914
Salt Lake City, Utah – Joe Hill Arrested in Connection with Murder of Grocer and Son
From The Salt Lake Tribune of Jan 14, 1914:
At an early hour this morning Sergeant Ben Siegfus expressed the belief that Joseph Hill, arrested for the murder of the two Morrisons, is Frank Z. Wilson, a former inmate of the state prison. The description of Hill corresponds closely with that of Wilson. The police have been searching for Wilson ever since the murders.
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Suffering from a wound believed to have been inflicted by John Arling Morrison, 17 years old, just before the boy fell dead, a victim of a murderer’s bullet, Joseph Hill, a musician, was brought to the county jail at 2 o’clock, charged with the murder of John G. Morrison and John A. Morrison, his son, in their grocery store in Salt [Lake City] last Saturday night.
Hill was arrested at 11:30 o’clock last night [January 13th] at the home of a family named Eselius on West Seventeenth South street, in Murray, by Marshal Fred Peters and Deputy Marshals Edwin Larson and Joseph Van Newland. They were told of his presence at this home by Drs. F. M. McHugh and A. A. Bird, who had been called to the Eselius home to treat the wounded man. Hill had been lying suffering from his wound at the Eselius home since last Saturday night.
Walked to Murray.
The wounded man walked into the residence of Dr. F. M. McHugh, 4002 South State street, in the outskirts of Murray, at 11:30 o’clock Saturday night [January 10th]. He was suffering from a wound to the left side. A bullet had entered the side pierced the left lung and emerged through the back. The man had apparently lost a great deal of blood and was in a weakened condition. He appeared to the doctor to have been walking a long distance.
The doctor took the man into his house and dressed the wound. Hill told the doctor that he had quarreled with a friend in Murray over a woman and that in the quarrel the friend shot him.
Later in the night Dr. McHugh saw Dr. A. A. Bird, also of Murray, driving by on State street, and called him in. At Hill’s request Dr. Bird drove the man to the Eselius home. Hill had previously known the Eselius family and they apparently believed Hill’s story of the shooting and gave him shelter. At the hour that Hill was treated by Dr. McHugh, the doctor had not heard of the shooting [of the Morrisons]. His suspicions were aroused later on hearing of the account of the murders in Salt Lake, and he then notified the Murray officers.
Maintained Silence.
Since his arrest Hill has maintained a sullen silence. When the officers entered the Eselius home, Hill made a feint as if to draw a gun and was quickly covered by the arresting officers. Hill then made no resistance. He has obeyed the commands of the officers quietly, but has refused to answer any questions.
After he had been brought to the county jail early this morning Hill was examined by Dr. W. N. Pugh, who said that while the wound was a serious one, there was a strong probability that he would recover from it. He said that his silence and apparently dazed condition might have been at least partially induced by opiates given him by the doctors to ease his pain.
The police are elated over the capture of Hill, whom they feel certain is one of the men wanted for the murder of the Morrisons. As soon as Hill’s condition warrants, an effort will be made by the officers to induce him to make a confession and give the name of the accomplice.
Linked about the wounded sufferer at the city jail hospital is already woven a strong chain of circumstantial evidence, even though Merlin Morrison, the only eyewitness to the tragedy, may be unable to make a positive identification of the man.
In a general way Hill’s description corresponds to that of one of the two scarlet-masked men who dashed into the Morrison store on Saturday night and shot to death the proprietor of the store and his brave son. Both Morrison and his son were killed with bullets fired from a .38-caliber automatic pistol.
From the blood-stained coat of Hill at midnight that same night Dr. McHugh took a .38-caliber automatic pistol.
[…..]
[Emphasis added.]
