The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-20
HILLSTROM CASE CAUSE OF WORLD
 WIDE INTEREST
Utah Mans Execution Fol lowed Long and Rigid Sil-
 ence of the Condemned.

The execution Of Joe HlIISlrof1, TOT the Morrison murder, compelled in terest in America and Europe be- cause of the widespread influence ex- erted in his behalf. Joseph Hi1Istrom was convicted of the murder ofN John G. Morrison, a grocer of Salt Lake City, and his son, Arling, 1T years old, at Morr1son's store in the southern portion of the i city about o'clock on the evening 1 of January 10, 1914
 The shooting was witnessed by Mer- l linn Morrison. another son, If years I old. According to this boys story, i which was corroborated on many points by other evidence two masked men entered the store, with drawn dis to1s and, saying We've got you now!', opened fire on Morrison, who fell morta1ly wounded with 8 bullet through his chest Ar1ing Morrison
 ran to an ice box in the store, seized
 a 3S-ca1ibre revolver and fired. Be-
 fore the boy could shoot again, he fell pierced by three bullets and died
 almost instantly. The men then ran
 from the store, one of them eNclaim- ing that he was. shot, and were ob-
 served to run southward from the store. The surviving son bent over
 his father. who became unconscious after having inquired where his as-
 sailants were. and died soon after ward.
 ! E1AA1SbTOI1Is dASO kALOWn dS OO1 A3AA1s
 was arrested three days after the
 shooting on information given by a doctor near Murray Utah, two and | a half miles south of the scene of the crime. Hillstrom staggered into the doctors home two hours after the shooting, with a< large bullet wound 1 through his left lung. He told the doctor he had been shot in quarrel | over a woman and requested that nothing be said regarding his visit or wound. The doctor, not having
 heard of the murders treated the wound. and took HilIstrom to a house where he had been staying for sew eraI days. News of the murders re- called the case to the doctor and he | informed the officers. The doctor found an automatic pistol. of the 1 same calb bre as shells found in the
 grocery after the shooting. in Hil1- strom's pocket. HilIstrom threw the
 weapon away after leaving the doc
 tors home. Blood was found at sew eraI places between the store and the home of the doctor and members of
 the family where Hillstrom lived said
 a companion had visited him. late the l night of the murders, talked private l ly with lilin and left This man was
 not apprehended and has not been 1 heard of since.
 The Morrison boy, because of the
 masks 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 "a minute and particular description of I HilIstron as one of the assailants
 seen in bright moonlight near an cleo I tric arc lamp with snow on the iground- HiHstrom also was identified las a man who visited the store the afternoon of the murders and talked T with Morrison.
 Hillstrom's recovery from his I md raid 1ofo Els had always maintained his inno- l cence, but had never told where he
 was the night Of the murders or who shot him. He created a scene at his trial by dramatically discharging his lattorneys in open court, later giving as his reason their failure to tear I young Morrison to pieces on cross i exaTnination,'' referred to the boy who witnessed the shooting. He refused to go on the witness stand himself or I to offer any evidence as to where he was or what he did the night of the murders. He was found guilty by the 1 trial jury, the judgment was affirmed lby the Supreme Court, and the board ] of, 1pardons, after an exhaustive re- view of the case declined to com mute his sentence of death.
 He was sentenced to be shot Oct. and was reprieved by Governor Spry September 30 at the request of Presi- kdent Wilson, who acted on a request I or the SWeO1Snf munster. The case
 had previously been investigated for the Swedish minister by the Swedish T vice-consu1 for Utah, we1l-known at
 torney, who advised that his investi-
 gation developed nothing that would justify the board of pardons in com
 muting the sentence.
 Hil1strom declined to make any l statement before the board of pardons
 or to give it any 1nformatiQh as to
 where he was or what he did the
 night of the homicides or the circum-
 stances under which or the place T declined tON give the board any req
 sons why he should receive clemency and refused to let his own counsel or any member of the board interrogate l him on any subject whatever. He declared he did not wish a commuta- / ton or pardon and insisted that he have a new trial, which the board
 and his own counsel Informed him the board was powerless to grant. HiHstrom, who says he has been a rnachinist and laborer, claims to be a Swedish subject and on that ground the interest of the Swedish minister
 was obtained. Hillstrom was a menn-
 Der of the Industrial Workers of the
 been active in demanding his pardon
 or retrial. Resolutions to that effect have been passed all over the United
 States and in several foreign coun- 7 tries. Many of them showed ignor- ance of the crime charged against ; HiIlstrom and indicated a belief that ! he was accused of some political of ? lfense The governors office has re-
 ceived thousands of communications
 on the subject. As the day set for his . execution approached the number of , communications sometimes reached four hundred a day. Many of these contained threats of death to the gov
 ernor and members of his family, who , were placed under guard. Other
 threats were to destroy buildings and
 other property and many believe re-
 1 cent attempt to~ burn leading hotel ! was the work og Hi1lstrom sympathiz- ! CTS. Elaborate police precautions