Tag: Joseph Hillstrom

Hellraisers Journal: Joe Hill’s Ashes Handed Out to Delegates of IWW Convention; Four Packets Cast Upon Lake Michigan

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Then we’ll sing one song of the One Big Union Grand,
The hope of the toiler and slave,
It’s coming fast; it is sweeping sea and land,
To the terror of the grafter and the knave.
-Joe Hill

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Hellraisers Journal, Friday December 1, 1916
All Over the World – Fellow Worker Joe Hill Gets Grand Send-Off

Joe Hill Memorial Edition, LRSB, March 1916

The body of Fellow Worker Joe Hill will find its final resting place all over the world as the delegates to the Convention of the Industrial Worker of the World leave Chicago today with some 600 packets of the the martyr’s ashes in their pockets. Envelopes of parchment containing the ashes of Joe Hill were handed out to the delegates at a memorial meeting held Sunday November 19th on the first anniversary of the murder by the State of Utah of our rebel songwriter. Four of those packets were cast upon the waters of Lake Michigan on November 25th in a ceremony which included Big Bill Haywood and members of the local Marine-Transport Workers I. U.

From The Chicago Daily Tribune of November 20, 1916:

I. W. W. DELEGATES GIVEN HILL’S ASHES
TO SCATTER.
—–

Parchment Packages Distributed at Massmeeting
to Keep Green the Memory of
an Executed Member.
—–

Joe Hill, ashes envelope front

That Joe Hill’s name shall not die, delegates to the tenth convention of the I. W. W., the Industrial Workers of the World, were given parchment packets yesterday containing Hill’s ashes, with instructions to scatter them where they wished. In all there are 600 packets. At the memorial meeting in West Side auditorium yesterday 150 delegates in the audience of 1,500 were presented with envelopes.

Joe Hill was shot in the Utah state penitentiary a year ago yesterday for the murder of a groceryman for which he was convicted on circumstantial evidence. President Wilson twice interceded for him and his last telegram to Gov. Spry asked an entire reconsideration of the case. Yesterday speakers called Hill a martyr.

Among the foreign delegates who were given packets were Charles Carter, Philippine islands; K. Taro, Japan; J. R. Webster, Australia, and A. B. Prashner, England.

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Hellraisers Journal: Seattle’s Kept Press on IWW “Song of Hate” & Joe Hill Memorial Edition of Songbook

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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My body? Oh, if I could choose,
I would to ashes to reduce
And let the merry breezes blow,
My dust to where some flowers grow.

Perhaps some fading flowers then
Would come to live and bloom again.
This is my last and final will,
Good luck to all of you,
-Joe Hill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal: Friday November 17, 1916
Seattle, Washington – “Christians at War,” a Blasphemous Song?

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer makes clear that the I. W. W. song, “Christians at War,” is blasphemous song and a “song of hate.” The “Intelligencer” warns that the song is found in the I. W. W. Songbook dedicated as the “Joe Hill Memorial Edition” and goes on to describe Fellow Worker Hill as “an I. W. W. sympathizer.” We proudly point out that Joe Hill was a card-carrying member of the Industrial Workers of the World. FW Hill was a world-famous songwriter, a poet, an artist, and a true blue rebel, dedicated to the principles of the One Big Union of all the workers.

WE NEVER FORGET

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer of November 15, 1916:

IWW "Hymn of Hate", Stt P-I, Nov 15, 1916 (UW 100)
1-Front cover of the I. W. W. Book of Songs, containing the “Hymn of Hate” and other seditious [?] verse. The volume is inscribed “Joe Hill Memorial Edition,” The “Joe Hill” being the notorious Joseph Hillstrom, an I. W. W. sympathizer who was executed in Utah for cold-blooded murder. The I. W. W. sought at the last moment to prove as alibi for the murderer, but the [attempt failed?]. Spry [Governor of Utah] declined to interfere, and the verdict of the jury and the sentence of the court was carried out. This I. W. W. book of songs is sold [?] in the Seattle local and wherever the organization is allowed to exist.
2-“Christians at War, “ a blasphemous song set to the music of “Onward, Christian Soldiers,” which was sung by the Seattle I. W. W. when they invaded Everett and fought the battle that resulted in six deaths, Sunday, November 5.

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WE NEVER FORGET: The Love Songs of Joe Hill

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Organize! Oh, toilers, come organize your might;
Then we’ll sing one song of the workers’ commonwealth,
Full of beauty, full of love and health.
-Joe Hill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hilda Erickson
Hilda Erickson

There are three love songs written by Joe Hill that have survived to make their way into our Rebel Songwriter’s musical legacy. Two were found in his room when it was searched soon after his arrest in January of 1914. These two songs were subsequently published in The Salt Lake Tribune of June 21, 1914. The third was found years later in Stockholm, Sweden, during a search of the Joe Hill file of the Archives of the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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Hellraisers Journal: Joe Hill Lives! “Do you hear it every body? Joe Hillstrom will never die.”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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But tho’ his clarion voice is hushed,
And tho’ his harp lies mute and still,
Hill’s murdered dust is vocal yet
With words that burn and notes that thrill.
-Major Honere J. Jaxon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday November 30, 1915
From The Day Book:
“Another Immortal” by Honore J. Jaxon

Joe Hill, charcoal, by L. Stanford Chumley, ISR, Dec 1915

In yesterday’s Day Book we find a poem, written by Honore J. Jaxon, which declares Fellow Worker Joe Hill to be “Another Immortal” and begins:

Once more a glorious rebel falls,
Ensnared by knaves in legal guise.
Once more a rebel’s name is smirched
By slaves who peddle purchased lies.

But tho’ his clarion voice is hushed,
And tho’ his harp lies mute and still,
Hill’s murdered dust is vocal yet
With words that burn and notes that thrill.

These words recall the chant voiced by members of I. W. W. Local 69 and their Verdandi allies as they kept vigil throughout the long night of November 18th until sunrise the next morning when the shots rang out that ended the life of Joe Hill. There, in Salt Lake City, on the corner of Second South and Commercial Streets, where Local 69 soapboxers had rallied since its founding five years earlier, they gathered and sang the songs of Joe Hill and listened to speeches by members of the Joe Hill Defense Committee, Ed Rowan and Fred Ritter among them.

The chant began, “And Joe Hill will be shot in the morning,” and was answered by “Not if we can help it!” Then someone called out:

Something is going to happen. Joe Hillstrom will never die,
do you hear it every body, Joe Hillstrom will never die.

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Hellraisers Journal: The Body of Rebel Songwriter, Poet, & Artist Joe Hill Reduced to Ashes

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Through this aperture each of us, one at a time,
and each with feelings all his own,
viewed the flame-lashed casket.
-Ralph Chaplin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Monday November 29, 1915
Chicago, Illinois-
The Body of Fellow Worker Joe Hill Reduced to Ashes

Joe Hill, charcoal, by L. Stanford Chumley, ISR, Dec 1915

In his Last Will, FW Joe Hill wrote:

My body? Oh! If I could choose
I would to ashes it reduce
And let the merry breezes blow
My dust to where some flowers grow.

In accordance with the wishes of our Rebel Songwriter, Hill’s body was taken to the crematory at Graceland Cemetery on Friday, November 26th, and cremated. Ralph Chaplin has provided a moving description of the cremation procedure:

The coffin lid was raised for the last time to permit final identification. The attendants looked to me as committee spokesman for word to proceed. I bowed my head. The casket was wheeled to the doors of the blast chamber, which creaked open to receive it. The steel doors creaked together, and the tiny room was all white again. Only the roar of the fire blast could be heard, growing louder and louder. We could hardly bear it.

—–

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Hellraisers Journal: “The Firing Squad With The Screen Removed,” a Cartoon by Ralph Chaplin

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Don’t Mourn; Organize!
-Joe Hill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday November 28, 1915
From Solidarity:
The Joe Hill Edition: “Don’t Waste Anytime Mourning!”

The latest edition of the I. W. W. newspaper, Solidarity, is dedicated to Joe Hill and features the following cartoon, penned by Ralph Chaplin:

Joe Hill, Cartoon/ Firing Squad with Screen Removed, Solidarity Newspaper of Nov 27, 1915
Drawing by Ralph Chaplin from Solidarity of November 27, 1915

According to the cartoon, the firing squad is made up of the five members of the Utah Board of pardons, which includes Governor Spry, Attorney General Barnes, and the three members of the Supreme Court: Chief Justice Straup, and Associate Justices Frick and McCarty. As the money power directs the state-sanctioned murder of Fellow Worker Hill, the rising sun of Organization appears over the prison wall.

Below Chaplin’s drawing is a banner with FW Hill’s farewell message:

Don’t Waste any Time in Mourning-Organize

—–

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Hellraisers Journal: Thousands Gather in Chicago to Honor FW Joe Hill and Sing His Rebel Songs

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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I. W. W. movement has been sealed in
the sweet blood of this poet-radical.
-Jim Larkin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday November 27, 1915
Chicago, Illinois-
I. W. W. Gives FW Joe Hill a Grand Send-Off, Thousands March

Joe Hill's Funeral, Chicago, Nov 25, 1915-2, ISR of Jan 1916

A grand funeral hosted by the Industrial Workers of the World was provided for Fellow Worker Joe Hill, Working Class Martyr. Thousands gathered in the West Side Auditorium on Thanksgiving morning, November 25th. The windows of the auditorium were open and the singing within could be heard by the the thousands who filled the streets outside, extending for blocks in every direction.

After the morning’s orations were completed, a great throng of mourners followed the casket to the train which bore the remains of FW Joe Hill to Graceland Cemetery. Another funeral service took place there followed by singing which lasted late into the night.

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Hellraisers Journal: Joe Hill’s Body Arrives in Chicago, Will Be Cremated According to His Wishes

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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My body? Oh, if I could choose,
I would to ashes it reduce..
-Joe Hill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday November 24, 1915
Chicago, Illinois-
Body of Fellow Worker Joe Hill Arrives on Train from Salt Lake City

Ralph Chaplin, Spartacus ed

The body of Joe Hill, accompanied by Fellow Worker Bert Lorton, arrived by train from Salt Lake City yesterday. On hand at the Northwestern Depot to take charge of the of the remains of the Rebel Songwriter was a committee from the national headquarters of the Industrial Workers of the World, which included another rebel poet and songwriter, Ralph Chaplin. Chaplin states that arrangements are underway for the funeral of Joe Hill and that his body will cremated according to Hill’s wishes as expressed in his “Last and Final Will.”

The will was written by FW Hill in the form of a poem, now being published in newspapers across the nation. The following is from a Kansas newspaper, The Salina Evening Journal, edition of November 22nd:

Joe Hill Last Will, The Salina (KS) Evening Jr, Nov 22, 1915

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Hellraisers Journal: “I Will Die Like a Rebel!” FW Joe Hill on His Last Day & at His Execution

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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I will die like a rebel…
My best to everybody. Goodbye.
-Joe Hill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday November 21, 1915
Salt Lake City, Utah-
Walking with FW Joe Hill on His Last Day and to the Execution

Joe Hill, lgr

Today there will be held in Salt Lake City a grand I. W. W. funeral for Fellow Worker Joe Hill. After the funeral his body will be placed on a train and shipped to Chicago where another funeral will be held later this week. The Chicago send-off may prove to be the largest funeral ever held in that city.

Today, as promised, Hellraisers, to the best of our ability and from the sources available, reconstructs the last day and the final moments of Fellow Worker Joe Hill.

JOE HILL’S LAST DAY
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Hellraisers Journal: Joe Hill’s Body Not Yet Cold As Governor Declares War On IWW In State of Utah

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Now my friends know I am innocent
and I dont care what the rest think.
-Joe Hill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday November 20, 1915
Salt Lake City, Utah-
Mourners View Body of Joe Hill as War Declared on I. W. W.

Joe Hill wiki

Joe Hill’s body, this morning, lies in state at the mortuary of E. G. O’Donnell at 225 South West Temple Street. Hundreds of mourners filed past last evening, so many that the the undertaker found it necessary to move the body from the “slumber room” to the funeral chapel. The doors to the chapel were locked after a few thousand had filed by, and the mourners were advised that the chapel would reopen the next afternoon (today.)

Members of the local I. W. W. are planning a grand I. W. W. send-off for Fellow Worker Joe Hill, to be held tomorrow afternoon, after which the body will be shipped to Chicago. Plans are being made there at the headquarters of the Industrial Workers of the World for another mass funeral. Thousands are expected to attend that event, and it may prove to be the largest funeral ever held in the city of Chicago.

—–
UTAH GOVERNOR DECLARES WAR ON I. W. W.

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