The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-11-19
.lEADER0Fl. VI ". u
|. ISSHOT TO DEATH.
Case Attracted Nationwide At
tention Through Efforts Made
To Save Murderer
tAssociatsd Press BY Federal wireless,

| (Associatsd Press by Federal wireIess1
SALT LAKE CITY, November 10
Joseph Hillstrom, leader amongst the
]. W. W., was executed in the state
penitentiary early this morning, being
shot to. death; according TO the method
Of execution in use here. Governor
Spry, although his own life and those
of the members of his family have
been repeatedly threatened unless h.
pardoned Hillstrom, refused TO inter
fere in any way with the carrying out
of the sentence Of the court.
On Thursday, the Governor received
a telegraphic suggestion from President
Wilson that the case might properly
be reopened for another hearing, but
this suggestion the Governor declined
to consider. Previously, President vii.
son, at the request of the Swedish min.
lister at Washington, had had the ex.
ecutiOn, first set for October ], post
| poned, Hillstrom having claimed Swed.
ish citizenship and having appealed to
| the minister.
The case has attracted nationwide
attention through the efforts Of thu
!. W. w. members to secure Hillstrom' s
release, through petition to state AMI
national officers and through threats Of
fire, dynamite and bullets il the con
victed murderer be executed.
Convicted Of Murder
HillstrOm was convicted of the muir.
der Of John G.. Morrison, grocer of
Salt Lake City, and his son, Airing,
| seventeen years old, at Morrison g store
in the southern portion Of the city
about nine O'Clock on the evening Of
January 10, 1914.
The shooting was witnessed by Mer.
lin Morrison, another son, fourteen
years old. According to this boys
story, which was cOrrObOrated on many
points by other evidence, two masked
men entered the store with drawn pis
tolls and, saying we We got You nOwl"
opened FIRE on Morrison, who fell NOR
tally wounded with bullet through his
chest. Airing Morrison ran to an ice
box in the store, seized n 3S.calibre re
vOlver and fred. Before the 10y could
shoot again, he fell pierced by three
bullets and died almost instantly. The
men then ran from the store, one of
them exclaiming that he was shot, and
were observed to run southwark from
the store. The surviving son bent over
his father, who became unconscious af-
ter having inquired where his assailants
were, and died soon afterward.
HillstrOm, also known as Joe Hill,
was arrested three days after the
shooting on information given by
doctor near Murray, Utah, two and
half miles south of the scene Of the
crime. dIillstrOm staggered into the
doctor IS home two hours after the
shooting, with n large bullet wound his
left lung. lie told the doctor he had
been shot in n quarrel over a woman
and requested that nothing be said re
garding his visit or wound. The doe
tor, not having heard of the murders,
treated the wound and took Hillstrom
to house where he had been staying
for several days. News of the muir
ders recalled the ease to the doctor
and he informed the officers. The doc
tor found an automatic pistol, of the
same caliber as shells found in the gro.
Gerry after the shooting, in Hillstrom =
pocket. Hillstrom threw the weapon
away after leaving the doctor 3 home
Blood was found at several places be
tween the store and the home of the
doctor, and member of the family
where Hillstrom lived said cOmpan-
ion had visited him late the night of
the murders, talked privately with him
and left. This man was not appre
hended and has not been heard of
since.
Hillstrom Is Identified
The Morrison boy, because of the
mask and confusion of the shooting
was not able to identify Hillstrom ex-
cept in general description of his size
and clothing, but another witness gave
minute and particular description of
HillstrOm as one of the assailants seen
in bright moonlight near an electric are
lamp with snow on the ground. Hill
strom also was identified as a man who
visited the store the afternoon of the
murders and talked with Morrison.
HillstrOm 3 recovery from his wound
was rapid and complete. He has al
ways maintained his innocence, but has
never told where he was the night of
the murders. or who shot him. He
created n scene at his trial by dramati
eaily dischargihg' his attorneys in open
court, later giving as his reason their
failure to "tear young Morrison 10
pieces on cross examination, refer.
ring to the boy who witnessed the
shooting. He refused to go on the wit
ness stand himself or to offer any evi
dence as to where he was or what he
did the night of the murders. He was
found guilty by the trial jury, the
judgement was affirmed by the supreme
court, and the board of pardons, after
an exhaustive review of the case, de-
clined to commute his sentence of
death.
He was sentenced to be shot OctO-
Der and was reprieved by Governor
Spry September 80 at the request of
President Wilson, who acted on a re-
quest of the Swedish minister The
case had previously been investigated
for the Swedish minister by the Swed-
ish vice.consul for Utah. well known
attorney, who advised that his inves-
tigation developed nothing that would
justify the board of pardOns in com
L..