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Jersey City, November 12th, 1915.

His Excellency William Spry,
Governor of the State of Utah.

sir:-

Having followed the trial of one Joseph Hillstrom, convicted
for alleged murder and sentenced to death by the authorities of your
State, and having read the statements issued by him, illustrating his
reasons why death sentence should be nullified, we have, after due
deliberation, come to the following conclusions:
1. No convincing proof has been adduced by the prosecuting
authorities that this crime was actually committed by the
accused.
2. The testimony presented at the police investigation differs
and conflicts so materially with the testimony offered at the trial,
thus in itself opening the minds of right minded people to the injustice
of the verdict.
3. His own statements are so straightforward, and his explanations and arguments so logical, that with proper legal aid (which
we are afraid he never had) notwithstanding the prejudice against
him in regard to his political activities in a movement looked at
askance by authorities in power in every State of the Unioin, and
by the National Government, we are convinced that the verdict would
undoubtedly have been different.