In Salt Lake, Joe, says I to him
Him standing by my bed
They framed you on a murder charge
Says Joe, But I ain't dead
Says Joe, But I ain't dead
-Alfred Hayes
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Monday October 11, 1915
From the Deseret Evening News: A Statement by Fellow Worker Joe Hill, Part 1
On October 4th, the Salt Lake City
Deseret Evening News published a long statement by Fellow Worker Joe Hill which
Hellraisers will republish in three parts, beginning today with Part 1. The statement was prepared by Joe Hill as a statement made for the Utah Board of Pardons in order to explain his reasons for insisting upon a new trial rather than commutation. He made his position on that point clear right at the start of his statement:
When I was up before the highest authorities of the state of Utah I stated that I wanted a new trial and nothing but a new trial, and I will now try to state some reasons, why I am entitled to that privilege.
[Emphasis added.]
The article also covered the visit by the Swedish Minister, W. A. F. Ekengren, to the U. S. State Department on behalf of Joe Hill. This visit has been
previously covered by
Hellraisers, and was, therefore, edited out of the article.
From the Deseret Evening News of October 4, 1915:
HILLSTROM'S STATEMENT
MAKES URGENT APPEAL
-----
Joseph Hillstrom Gives His Side Of Case
and Asks for a New Trial on
Murder Charge
-----
STATEMENT IS MADE TO
BOARD OF PARDONS
-----
The statement issued by Joseph Hillstrom, convicted and sentenced for the murder of J. G. Morrison and his son [Joe Hill was neither tried for nor convicted of the murder of Morrison's son], and who is now enjoying a reprieve, a week ago to the board of pardons in which he explains his attitude and why he demands a new trial was delivered to Soren X. Christensen, attorney for Hillstrom, this forenoon by Warden Arthur Pratt of the penitentiary. The article goes into detail with the case, beginning with the arrest of Hillstrom, who declares that the fact that the prosecution did not go into his past life proves that it was pure. Hillstrom wrote the entire article without dictation, according to his attorney, except for the suggestion by Mr. Christensen that he explain in it why he discharged his first attorneys...
[Continued below.]
[Continued from above.]
The story as written by Hillstrom is as follows verbatim:
A FEW REASONS WHY I DEMAND A NEW TRIAL
When I was up before the highest authorities of the state of Utah I stated that I wanted a new trial and nothing but a new trial, and I will now try to state some reasons, why I am entitled to that privilege. Being aware of the fact that my past record has nothing to do with the facts of this case, I will not dwell upon that subject beyond saying that I have worked all my life as a mechanic and at times as a musician. The mere fact that the prosecution never attempted to assail my reputation proves that it is clean. I will therefore commence at the time of my arrest.
On the night of Jan. 14th, 1914, I was laying in a bed at Eselius house in Murray, a town located seven miles from Salt Lake City, suffering from a bullet wound in my chest. Where or why I got that wound is nobody's business but my own. I know that I was not shot in the Morrison store and all the so-called evidence that is supposed to show that I was is fabrications pure and simple. As I was laying there half asleep, when I was aroused by a knock on the door, somebody opened the door and in came four men with revolvers in their hands. A shot rang out and a bullet passed right over my chest, grazing my shoulder and penetrating my right hand through the knuckles, crippling me up for life. There was absolutely no need of shooting me at that time because I was helpless as a baby and had no weapons of any kind. The only thing that saved my life at that time was the officer's inefficiency with firearms.
I was then brought up to the county jail where I was given a bunk and went to sleep immediately. The next morning I was pretty sore on account of being shot in three places. I asked to be take to a hospital but was instead taken upstairs to a solitary cell, and told that I was charged with murder and had better confess right away. I did not know anything about any murder and told them so. They still insisted on that I confess and told me that they would take me to a hospital and "treat me white" if I did. I told them I knew nothing of any murder. They called me a "liar" and after that I refused to answer all questions. I grew weaker and weaker and for three for four days I was hovering between life and death and I remember an officer coming up and telling me that according to the doctor's statement I only had one more hour to live. I could, of course name all these officers if I wanted to, but I want it distinctly understood that I am not trying to knock any officers because I realize that they were only doing their duty and in my opinion the officers who were in charge of the county jail then, were as good officers as can be found anywhere. Well! I finality "pulled through" because I made up my mind not to die.
WAS OWN ATTORNEY.
When the time came for my preliminary hearing, I decided to be my own attorney, knowing that it could be nothing against me. I thought I'd let them have it all their own way and did not ask any questions. When the court went into session, I was asked if I objected to having the witnesses remain in the courtroom during the trial, and I replied that it was immaterial to me who remained in the court room. All the witnesses then remained inside, and I noted that there was a steady stream of "messengers" going back and forth between the witnesses and the county attorney during the whole trial, delivering their messages in a whisper. When the trial commenced, there were at first some witnesses of little importance, but then a man came up that made me sit up and take notice, he put up his hand and swore that he positively recognized me and that he had seen me in the Morrison store in the afternoon of the same day that Morrison was shot. I did not say anything but I thought something, this man was a tall lean man with a thin pale face, black hair and eyes and a very conspicuous black shiny mustache. I don't know his name and have never been able to find it out. (Keep this man in mind, please.)
The little boy, Merlin Morrison, was the next witness that attracted my attention, he was the first one to come up and look at me in the morning on the day after my arrest, being only a boy, he spoke his mind right out in my presence and this is what he said; "No, that is not the man at all, the ones I saw were shorter and heavier set."
When he testified at the preliminary hearing, I asked him if he did not make that statement but he then denied it.
I accidentally found a description of the bandit in a newspaper, however, and the description says that the bandit was 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighed 155 pounds. That description seems to tally pretty well with Merlin Morrison's statement. "The ones I saw were shorter and heavier set." My own height is six feet and I am of a slender built.
DENIES IDENTIFICATION.
The next witness of importance was Mrs. Phoebe Seely, she said she was coming home from the Empress theater with her husband and she met two men in a back street in the vicinity of Morrison's store, one of them had "small features and light bushy hair." This description did not suit the county attorney, so he helped her along a little by saying "You mean medium colored hair like Mr. Hillstrom's don't you?" After leading her along that way for a while, he asked her this questions "Is the general appearance of Mr. Hillstrom anything like the man you saw," She answered, "No, I won't,-no, I can't say that."
This is the very same woman who at the district court proved to be the star witness for the prosecution, she did not only describe me into the smallest details but, she also told the jury that the man she saw has scars on both sides of his face, on his nose, and on his neck. I have such scars on my face, and that was practically the testimony that convicted me. Just think of it, a woman not knowing a thing about the murder passing a man in a back street in the dead of a winter night, and six months later she described that man into the smallest details, hat and cut and color of clothes, height and built, color of eyes and hair, and a number of scars, and when asked "is the appearance of Mr. Hillstrom anything like that man you saw?" she answered, "No, I won't-I can't say that." Her husband who was with her was not even there to testify. It is true that the prosecuting attorney put his questions in a such a way that all she had to say was, "yes, sir." and "all the same, sir," but she said that just the same, with a hostile judge, and attornies, who merely acted as assistant prosecuting attorney, the prosecuting attorney had what in the parlance of the street would be called "easy sailing."
The next witness was Mr. Zeese, detective. When I was sick in bed at the Eselius house in Murray, the lady of the house gave me a red bandana handkerchief to blow my nose on, at the trial she told that she had several dozen bandana handkerchiefs that were used by her boys and brothers when they worked in the smelter. After my arrest, Mr. Zeese went to the Eselius house looking for clues. He found this handkerchief and with his keen, eagle eye, he soon discovered some "creases at the corners." with the intelligence of a super-man, he then easily drew the conclusion that this handkerchief had been used for a mask by some "bandit," then he capped the climax by going on the stand and telling about his marvelous discovery to the judge, Mr. Zeese is well-know in Salt Lake City and comments are unnecessary.
ALSO SAW MEN.
The next witness at the preliminary hearing, Mrs. Vera Hanson. She saw two or three men outside of the Morrison store shortly after the shooting, she heard one of the men exclaim, "Bob," or "Oh, Bob." and she thought that my voice sounded the same as the voice she had heard on the street. I then asked Mrs. Hanson this question, "Do you mean to tell me that you thought that the single word Bob, were able to recognize my voice," now I am coming to the point.
After the preliminary hearing I got a record of the hearings and took it to my cell in the county jail. I immediately discovered that they had been tampered with, that everything I had said had been misconstrued in a malicious way. It was a little hard to prove it at first but on page 47, I found the questions that I had put to Mrs. Vera Hanson, and there the tampering was so clumsy that a little child could see it. In the records the question reads like this, "Do you mean to tell me that you through the single word, mark, "single word," "Oh, Bob, I'm shot" could be able to recognize my voice, "O, Bob, I'm shot," four or five words, here anyone can see that the official court records were altered for the express purpose of "proving" that somebody was shot in the Morrison store. I then started to look for testimony of a man with black shiny mustache but to my great surprise I could not find it anywhere in the records in spite of the fact that this man had positively recognized me at the preliminary hearing. No wonder that this very dignified stenographer, Mr. Rollo, who is also stenographer for the United States supreme court, was shaking like a leaf when he put up his hand and swore that the records were "correct" in every detail. The strange part of it was the state supreme court in a statement prepared by them for the press are, so my attorney told me, (I am not allowed to see any papers.) making the very same mistake they say that Mrs. Vera Hanson said in her testimony, "O, Bob, I'm shot," which is not correct.
[Photograph added.]
SOURCE
Deseret Evening News
(Salt Lake City, Utah)
-Oct 4, 1915
http://newspaperarchive.com/...
http://newspaperarchive.com/...
IMAGES
Joe Hill, Salt Lake Tribune,
Sept 19, 1915
http://newspaperarchive.com/...
Joe Hill, Arrest Record, Salt Lake City, Utah
about Jan 14, 1914
http://local.sltrib.com/...
See also:
"The Legacy of Joe Hill"
http://local.sltrib.com/...
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Information from Archie Green via Gibbs Smith:
The Industrial Worker of March 6, 1913 announced that the new edition of the I. W. W. songbook (Little Red Songbook) would include eleven new songs. That edition of the songbook was designated as the Fifth Edition on the front cover. Nine of the eleven new songs were by Joe Hill, including "Should I Ever Be A Soldier" on page 5.
Tune: "Colleen Bawn" by Byron G. Harlan & Frank C. Stanley, 1906
SHOULD I EVER BE A SOLDIER
By Joe Hill
(Tune: "Colleen Bawn")
We're spending billions every year
For guns and ammunition,
"Our Army" and "Our Navy" dear,
To keep in good condition;
While millions live in misery
And millions died before us,
Don't sing "My Country, 'tis of thee,"
But sing this little chorus.
CHORUS
Should I ever be a soldier,
'Neath the Red Flag I would fight;
Should the gun I ever shoulder,
It's to crush the tyrant's might.
Join the army of the toilers,
Men and women fall in line,
Wage slaves of the world! Arouse!
Do your duty for the cause,
For Land and Liberty.
And many a maiden, pure and fair,
Her love and pride must offer
On Mammon's altar in despair,
To fill the master's coffer,
The gold that pays the mighty fleet,
From tender youth he squeezes,
While brawny men must walk the street
And face the wintry breezes.
Why do they mount their gatling gun
A thousand miles from ocean,
Where hostile fleet could never run
Ain't that a funny notion?
If you don't know the reason why
Just strike for better wages,
And then, my friends-if you don't die-
You'll sing this song for ages.
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