Joe Hill's Trial
Joe Hill photos Photos of the Morrison family IWW images
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Judge M.L. Ritchie
Judge M.L. Ritchie presided over Joe Hill's murder trial in Salt Lake City in June 1914.
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Jan. 10, 1914: The murders
On Jan. 11, 1914, The Salt Lake Tribune's front page was largely devoted to the murders of John G. Morrison and his son Arling in their Salt Lake City store.
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Jan. 14, 1914: The arrest
On Jan. 14, 1914, The Salt Lake Tribune ran a story detailing the arrest of Joe Hill and the information that police had gathered.
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Jan. 15, 1914: The search for Appelquist
On Jan. 15, 1914, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that police were trying to find Joe Hill's friend Otto Appelquist while Hill continued to proclaim his innocence.
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Jan. 14, 1914: Detailing the arrest
The Salt Lake Tribune ran a story detailing the arrest of Joe Hill and the information police had gathered at that time.
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Jan. 14, 1914: Witness identification
After Joe Hill's arrest, witness Merlin Morrison was taken to the jail to see if he recognized the man the police had in custody.
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The jurors
The names of the jurors in Joe Hill's trial.
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June 18, 1914: Merlin Morrison testifies
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that if Hill were to be convicted, it "undoubtedly will be due in large measure to the story told on the witness stand in the district court yesterday by Merlin Morrison."
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June 19, 1914: Virginia Snow Stephen
Virginia Snow Stephen, an art professor at the University of Utah and the daughter of late LDS Church President Lorenzo Snow, was convinced of Hill's innocence and was working to raise money for his defense.
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June 19, 1914: Hilda Erickson
Hilda Erickson appears in court during Joe Hill's trial and reporters speculated she might be the woman Hill was trying to protect by refusing to discuss how he had been shot.
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June 19, 1914: Hill's attorneys
Joe Hill tried to fire his attorneys by rising to his feet and telling them to get out of the courtroom.
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Jailhouse interview
In this interview published on June 21, 1914, Joe Hill talks to The Salt Lake Tribune about his songwriting.
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June 27, 1914: Conviction
Joe Hill was convicted of killing John G. Morrison.
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On July 8, 1914: Firing squad
Joe Hill chose to be executed by a firing squad.
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Wilson rebuffed
Many Utahns thought it was inappropriate for President Woodrow Wilson to interfere in what they saw as a state matter.
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Nov. 19, 1915: Execution
Hill was executed at 7:22 a.m. on Nov. 19, 1915.
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Nov. 19, 1915: Execution
This is the front page of The Salt Lake Herald-Republican on the morning Joe Hill was executed.
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Nov. 19, 1915: Execution
This photograph shows people gathered outside the Utah State Prison on the morning of Nov. 19, 1915, as Joe Hill was executed.
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Nov. 21, 1915: Funeral
Photos of Joe Hill's funeral service in Salt Lake City on Nov. 21, 1915.
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Nov. 21, 1915: Funeral
Plans for Joe Hill's funeral service on the day of the Nov. 21, 1915
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Governor’s declaration
"I.W.W.'S MUST LEAVE UTAH, SAYS SPRY" was the headline over a Salt Lake Telegram story.
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Salt Lake Telegram publishes Hill’s Last Will
This poem was written by Joe Hill on the eve of his execution at the Utah State Prison.
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Widow thanks officials
This quote from Marie Morrison, the widow of murdered grocer John G. Morrison, ran on the front page of the Salt Lake Telegram on Nov. 19, 1915, the day of Joseph Hillstrom's execution.
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On Nov. 20, 1915: Editorials
The day after Joe Hill was executed, The Salt Lake Tribune ran a series of "Editorial Comments" about the sentence.
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IWW rally attack
Axel Steele, seen pictured on the page, led a group of men in an attack on an Industrial Workers of the World rally.
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Frank Z. Wilson
Potential suspect turned over to authorities in Nevada.
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Governor William Spry
William Spry was the third Governor of Utah and served from 1909 to 1917.
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Spry family plot
This stone marks a small family plot where Governor William Spry is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
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Spry's headstone
The headstone of William Spry, Utah's governor from 1909 to 1917, at the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
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Virginia Snow Stephen
Virginia Snow Stephen was a University of Utah art professor who believed in Joe Hill's innocence and worked to raise money for his defense.
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Virginia Snow Stephen
Virginia Snow Stephen wears an Industrial Workers of the World ribbon and one of the men on the floor is holding a program with a portrait of Hill.
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The prosecutor
This newspaper clipping of a photo of E.O. Leatherwood, the prosecutor in Joe Hill's murder trial, is part of Aubrey Haan's extensive research collection.
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Supreme Court appeal
This copy of Orrin N. Hilton's argument before the Utah Supreme Court belonged to Virginia Snow Stephen. Her name, in her handwriting, can be seen written in faded pencil along the top of document's cover. It os part of Aubrey Haan's research collection.
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Judge M.L. Ritchie
Judge M.L. Ritchie presided over Joe Hill's murder trial in Salt Lake City in June 1914.
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Jan. 11, 1914: The murders
On Jan. 11, 1914, The Salt Lake Tribune's front page was largely devoted to the murders of John G. Morrison and his son Arling in their Salt Lake City grocery.
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Jan. 14, 1914: The arrest
On Jan. 14, 1914, The Salt Lake Tribune ran a story detailing the arrest of Joe Hill and the information that police had gathered. Hill was identified as a musician and told police he was shot by a friend as they argued over a woman.
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Jan. 15, 1914: The serach for Applequist
On Jan. 15, 1914, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that police were trying to find Joe Hill's friend Otto Applequist while Hill continued to proclaim his innocence. Applequist, whom police suspected of being Hill's accomplice and shooting teenager Arling Morrison, was never found.
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Jan. 14, 1914: Detailing the arrest
On Jan. 14, 1914, The Salt Lake Tribune ran a story detailing the arrest of Joe Hill and the information police had gathered at that time. Police found a note from Hill's friend Otto Applequist that said Applequist and Hilda Erickson had been looking for Hill, along with another friend.
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Jan. 15, 1914: Witness identification
After Joe Hill's arrest, witness Merlin Morrison was taken to the jail to see if he recognized the man the police had in custody. The story about his inconclusive identification ran on the same page as a story about the funeral for his father and his brother, murdered days earlier. These stories appeared in The Salt Lake Tribune on Jan. 15, 1914.
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The jurors
These are the names of the jurors in Joe Hill's trial. The list appeared in The Salt Lake Tribune on June 18, 1914.
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June 19, 1914: Merlin Morrison
On June 19, 1914, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that if Hill were to be convicted, it "undoubtedly will be due in large measure to the story told on the witness stand in the district court yesterday by Merlin Morrison." After his father and brother were shot, the teenager said, "I ran to my father. He was face down behind the counter. He was not dead and he spoke to me." The report continued: "Merlin's voice choked here and he wiped his eyes. He was given time to calm himself before another question was asked. Only the muffled grief of the boy was to be heard in the room for a moment."
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June 20, 1914: Virginia Snow Stephen
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Virginia Snow Stephen, an art professor at the University of Utah and the daughter of late LDS Church President Lorenzo Snow, was convinced of Hill's innocence and was working to raise money for his defense.
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June 20, 1914: Hilda Erickson
On June 20, 1914, a reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune wrote about Hilda Erickson's appearance in court during Joe Hill's trial and speculated that she might be the woman Hill was trying to protect by refusing to discuss how he had been shot. Hill had told the doctor who treated him that he had been shot in a fight with a friend over a woman. Prosecutors contended Hill was shot by Arling Morrison after Hill fatally shot his father, John G. Morrison, in the family's grocery store. A second man, who was never arrested, shot and killed Arling Morrison.
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June 19, 1914: Hill's attorneys
On June 19, 1914, Joe Hill tried to fire his attorneys by rising to his feet and telling them to get out of the courtroom. His outburst occurred while the state chemist was testifying about blood spots found near the grocery store where John G. and Arling Morrison were fatally shot.
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June 21, 1914: Hill interview
In this interview published on June 21, 1914, Joe Hill talks to The Salt Lake Tribune about his songwriting.
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June 27, 1914: Conviction
On June 27, 1914, Joe Hill was convicted of killing John G. Morrison.
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On July 8, 1914: Firing squad
On July 8, 1914, Joe Hill chose to be executed by a firing squad. At the time, people sentenced to death in Utah could choose to be executed by firing squad or by hanging.
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Day before execution
The day before Hill was executed, this story ran on the front page of The Salt Lake Tribune. Many Utahns thought it was inappropriate for President Woodrow Wilson to interfere in what they saw as a state matter.
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Nov. 19, 1915: Execution
This headline appeared in The Salt Lake Tribune on Nov. 19, 1915. According to prison records, Hill was executed at 7:22 a.m. on that date.
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Nov. 19, 1915: Execution
This is the front page of The Salt Lake Herald-Republican on the morning Joe Hill was executed. The headline notes that, even with his execution imminent, Hill refused to reveal the name of the woman he said he was fighting over with a friend when he was shot in January 1914.
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Nov. 20, 1915: Execution
This photograph shows people gathered outside the Utah State Prison on the morning of Nov. 19, 1915, as Joe Hill was executed. It ran on the front page of The Salt Lake Herald-Republican on Nov. 20, 1915.
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Nov. 22, 1915: Funeral
The Salt Lake Herald-Republican published these two photos of Joe Hill's funeral service in Salt Lake City on Nov. 22, 1915. The top photo shows the hearse that carried Hill's body to a train depot. Six women, including his friend, Hilda Erickson, walked alongside as pallbearers. The bottom photo shows the crowd gathered outside O'Donnell's Mortuary, where Hill's service was held earlier in the day.
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Nov. 21, 1915: Funeral
The Salt Lake Herald-Republican reported on plans for Joe Hill's funeral service on the day of the Nov. 21, 1915. As expected, mourners sang "There is Power in a Union" as they escorted his Hill's body to a train depot. The body was sent to Chicago for a larger funeral there.
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Nov. 19, 1915: IWW
"I.W.W.'S MUST LEAVE UTAH, SAYS SPRY" was the headline over a Salt Lake Telegram story describing the execution of Joseph Hillstrom, known as Joe Hill, on Nov. 19, 1915. The execution took place just before 7:30 am. and the Telegram was published in the afternoon.
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A poem by Joe Hill
This poem was written by Joe Hill on the eve of his execution at the Utah State Prison. It was published the day of his execution, Nov. 19, 1915 in the Salt Lake Telegram. It reads:
My will is easy to decide
For there is nothing to divide
My kin don't need to fuss or moan
"Moss does not cling to a rolling stone."
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
Perhaps some fading flowers then
Would come to life and bloom again
This is my last and final will
Good luck to all of you, Joe Hill
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Widow thanks officials
This quote from Marie Morrison, the widow of murdered grocer John G. Morrison, ran on the front page of the Salt Lake Telegram on Nov. 19, 1915, the day of Joseph Hillstrom's execution. She thanks Utah Gov. William Spry and other state officials for carrying out Hillstrom's controversial death sentence. An anonymous writer clipped the quote from the newspaper and mailed to the Morrison family with a note that read: "You have just signed Perry's death warrant." Perry Morrison was Marie's oldest son; her son Arling also had been killed in the attack that killed her husband. Marie and her son Robert discussed getting a letter in a recording the Morrison family made in about 1967. The family perceived the letter as a threat from angry Industrial Workers of the World members.
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On Nov. 20, 1915: Editorials
On Nov. 20, 1915, the day after Joe Hill was executed, The Salt Lake Tribune ran a series of "Editorial Comments" about the sentence. Editorials from the New York Times, New York Globe, New York Sun and the Detroit Free Press said Hill had deserved to be executed. The Globe wrote: "The attempt to make it appear that Joe Hillstrom of Salt Lake City is a victim of a class war has not succeeded."
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IWW raly attack
The Salt Lake Herald-Republican reported on its front page about a riot at the corner of 100 South and Regent Street on Aug. 12, 1913. Axel Steele, seen pictured on the page, led a group of men in an attack on an Industrial Workers of the World rally. Steele was shot, but not seriously injured, by IWW member Tom Murphy and was heralded as a hero for his role in the incident. When police arrived, they took IWW members to jail. After the police wagons left, Steele reportedly shouted to a crowd of about 200 people: "I am an American citizen and proud of it. I am proud of the American flag. Let us give three cheers for the colors that stand for law and order."
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Frank . Wilson
This mugshot ran in The Salt Lake Tribune on Dec. 26, 1912. The names Frank Z. Wilson and Tim Hurley were aliases used by a career criminal named Mangus Olson. He was arrested as a suspect in the murder of Salt Lake City grocer John G. Morrison and Morrison's son Arling before police pursued Joe Hill. Olson was not charged, and was instead turned over to authorities in Nevada, where he was wanted on burglary charges. Olson went on to become a bodyguard for Al Capone and was connected to Chicago's Valentines Day Massacre in 1929. In his 2011 book, "The Man Who Never Died," historian William Adler offers a compelling argument that Olson could have killed the Morrisons.
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Governor William Spry
William Spry was the third Governor of Utah and served from 1909 to 1917.
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Spry family plot
This stone marks a small family plot where William Spry, Utah's governor from 1909 to 1917, is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
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Spry's headstone
The headstone of William Spry, Utah's governor from 1909 to 1917, at the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
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Virginia Snow Stephen
Virginia Snow Stephen was a University of Utah art professor who believed in Joe Hill's innocence and worked to raise money for his defense.
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Virginia Snow Stephen
Virginia Snow Stephen, in the center of this unidentified group and wearing a cap, was a University of Utah art professor who believed in Joe Hill's innocence and worked to raise money for his defense. She is wearing an Industrial Workers of the World ribbon and one of the men on the floor is holding a program with a portrait of Hill on it. The program the other man on the floor is holding has the name of Oscar Larson's Swedish organization, Verdandi, on the cover.
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The prosecuter
This newspaper clipping of a photo of E.O. Leatherwood, the prosecutor in Joe Hill's murder trial, is part of Aubrey Haan's extensive research collection.
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Supreme Court appeal
This newspaper clipping of a photo of E.O. Leatherwood, the prosecutor in Joe Hill's murder trial, is part of Aubrey Haan's extensive research collection.
