Pennsylvania [32 items]

TO THE HONORABLE WILLIAM SPRY Governor of the State of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah

THE UNDERSIGNED, all being citizens of the United States, and whose addresses are set opposite their names, having been informed concerning the recent trial and conviction of one Joseph Hillstrom, (also known as Joe Hill) by the District Court of Salt Lake County, Utah, for the alleged killing of J.S.Morrison and his son, Arling Morrison, in Salt Lake County, Utah, On January 10th, 1914, and of theaffirmance of the Judgement of conviction of said District Court by the Supreme Court of the State of Utha [sic], hereby make appeal to your executive clemency on be-half of said Hillstrom, and request that you grant him a pardon, for the followingreasons, to-wit: That the said Hillstrom was denied by the Judge of the said District Court of Salt Lake County that fair and impartial trial which is guaranteed to all citizens of the United States by the Constitution thereof, and the laws of the State of Utah,in that the said Court denied to him the privilege of being defended by counsel of his own selection, or of conducting his own defence, and that he has therefore been deprived of the benefit of counsel. Because the conviction of said Hillstrom was obtained upon flimy and wholly insufficient evidence, the said trial being a mockery of justice and the verdict rendered therein due wholly to prejusdice prevailing in said Salt Lake County against Hillstrom because of his activity in the labour movement NAME ADDRESS

To His Excellency WM. SPRY Governor of the State of Utah Dear Sir: We, the undersigned, citizens of the United States, petition Your Excellency for a commutation of the death sentence imposed upon Josep Hillstrom, now awaiting execution. The essential grounds of this petition are that the condemned man was convicted on purely circumstantial evidence, as we belive, by a prejudiced jury. We do not believe that the circumstances proved in his case were sufficient to justify such a fearful punishment, when another convicted murdered, Ed. Johnson, of Corbin County, got an exceedingly short term in the penitentiary for the killing of one man and wounding another man, with eye witnesses of that tragedy to give testimony, and the dispcrepancy in the two cases must lead to the conclusion that other and outside influences aided in the conviction and sentence of Joseph Hillstrom. The fact that Joseph Hillstrom was a leader in labour circles may have exercised a strong influence against him, facts that have no material bearing upon the crime charged against him. It is not the purpose of the law, or the policy of our judicial tribunals, to inflict punishment upon a man because we or they do not like him. In every case of proven crime there can be no valid objection to a just and fitting punishment, but in the case, wherein we now petition you, we are of the opinion that prejudice rather than fact worked to his conviction and sentence. Inasmuch the evidence was altogether circumstantial in Hillstrom's case, we believe that justice demands, and mercy and humanity demands a furtehr inquiry before the judgement of the law is put into execution, to the end that at least human justice shall be done in his case Respectfully Submitted,

To His Excellency WM. SPRY Governor of the State of Utah Dear Sir: We, the undersigned, citizens of the United States, petition Your Excellency for a commutation of the death sentence imposed upon Josep Hillstrom, now awaiting execution. The essential grounds of this petition are that the condemned man was convicted on purely circumstantial evidence, as we belive, by a prejudiced jury. We do not believe that the circumstances proved in his case were sufficient to justify such a fearful punishment, when another convicted murdered, Ed. Johnson, of Corbin County, got an exceedingly short term in the penitentiary for the killing of one man and wounding another man, with eye witnesses of that tragedy to give testimony, and the dispcrepancy in the two cases must lead to the conclusion that other and outside influences aided in the conviction and sentence of Joseph Hillstrom. The fact that Joseph Hillstrom was a leader in labour circles may have exercised a strong influence against him, facts that have no material bearing upon the crime charged against him. It is not the purpose of the law, or the policy of our judicial tribunals, to inflict punishment upon a man because we or they do not like him. In every case of proven crime there can be no valid objection to a just and fitting punishment, but in the case, wherein we now petition you, we are of the opinion that prejudice rather than fact worked to his conviction and sentence. Inasmuch the evidence was altogether circumstantial in Hillstrom's case, we believe that justice demands, and mercy and humanity demands a furtehr inquiry before the judgement of the law is put into execution, to the end that at least human justice shall be done in his case Respectfully Submitted,