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Joe Hill was railroaded to prison by an unfair trial, convicted of the murder of a man whom he did not know and whom he could not have possessed the slightest motive for killing. Joe Hill protested his innocence, but he was not allowed to prove his innocence. He had no money to employ legal aid, so the court appointed two lawyers to defend him; these lawyers displayed no interest in the case and did not try to defend him, so Hill dismissed these shyster parasites and would have pleaded his own case but the court told him he must put up with the services of the men whom he knew were betraying him.

Joe Hill had no chance in that prejudiced plute court. He was a friendless stranger in a strange land, and had neither money nor influence. Moreover, he was known to be an obnoxious labor agitator and had participated in a number of prominent strikes in the west. The court was against him, the witnesses (whom Hill charges with committing perjury) were against him, the prejudiced sentiment of the community was against him and the whole machinery of the injustice was oiled to move smoothly on its murderous way.