(6 PM – promoted by TMC)

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Friday June 10, 1904

From the Kansas City Star: Mother Jones Heads East to Speak in Kansas City on Sunday

“Mother” Jones to Speak at a Picnic

Mary G. [sic] Jones, known as “Mother” Jones, will speak at Budd park Sunday afternoon at 4 o’clock. “Mother” Jones once lived in Kansas City and had a dressmaking shop, but in recent years has devoted her attention to Socialism and has been active in big strikes as a crusader. She will talk on the miners’ strike in the Cripple Creek district. There will be a picnic in connection with the meeting Sunday afternoon.

SOURCE

Kansas City Star

(Kansas City, Missouri)

-of June 10, 1904

Image

Mother Jones

http://www.britannica.com/EBch…

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Wednesday June 10, 1914

From the Vancouver Daily World: Mother Jones to Arrive Tomorrow

“Mother” Jones Coming

“Mother” Jones redoubtable leader of the copper miners at Calumet, Mich., is expected to arrive in Vancouver tomorrow morning to give a lecture on labor topics in the Labor Temple tomorrow night. The lady got through the lines of Canadian immigration officers at Seattle after some little trouble and got as far as Victoria. She tarried too long in the clam, salubrious atmosphere of that sedate city and missed the boat which was to have brought her to this commercial metropolis this morning. She wired over to local leaders that she would sleep on board the gulf ferry tonight and would most certainly arrive early on tomorrow’s morn.

Fellow Worker Joe Hill, famous I. W. W. songwriter, goes on trial today in Salt Lake City, Utah. Our fellow worker is on trial for his life, having been charged with the murder of J. G. Morrison. Morrison was shot and killed along with his son during the robbery of his grocery store on the night of January 10, 1914. Joe Hill was arrested three days later, and pleaded “Not Guilty” on January 22nd to the charge of murder in the case of J. G. Morrison. Hill has been in the Salt Lake County Jail since his arrest.

District Attorney E. O. Leatherwood admits that all of the evidence against Joe Hill is circumstantial, but states that he will prove Hill’s guilt through a chain of circumstantial facts: 1). that a tall man in the company of a short man were seen near the store just before the murder of Morrison, 2). that Hill was that tall man, 3). that Morrison’s son fired at the men and wounded Hill who then shouted that he had been shot, 4). that Hill was treated shortly thereafter for a gunshot wound, 5). that Hill was carrying a gun of the same type used in the murder while at the doctor’s office.

Joe has strenuously denied any involvement in this brutal double murder. He states that he was shot by a friend during an argument over a woman known to both of them. He states that he is confident that he will be acquitted. Others are not so sure, pointing out that Fellow Worker Joe Hill has already been found guilty of being a member of the Industrial Workers of the World.

The following is a letter from Joe Hill’s attorney which was printed in The Voice of the People this past May:

JOE HILL’S TROUBLE

The following letter is published at the request of

Fellow-worker Ed. Rowan, Secretary L. U. 69:

                                                     SALT LAKE CITY. May 2. 1914.

Voice of the People, New Orleans, La.:

Gentlemen–On January 10th, 1914, J. G. Morrison, ex-policeman, was shot at 9:31 p. m. in his grocery store by two masked men, in Salt Lake City, Utah. His son was also shot, but is supposed to have wounded one of the men first. Another son claims to have heard the shots and reached the store just as the masked men were running away.

Four days later at the house of his friends, seven miles front Salt Lake City, Joe Hill was arrested on information of a Dr. Bird, who drove him to Eselius’ home about 11:30 p. m. the night of the murder. Hill stated to the doctor who attended him that he had been shot at the house of a friend because the friend thought he had insulted his wife and that he did not want anything said as he knew the friend did not mean it.

Another son of the dead man claims to have identified Hill. Yet as the men were masked I don’t think much of the identification. We are defending him, but he states that he does not wish to involve his girl friend and will not state who shot him nor her name.

The main thing the State has against Hill is that he is an I. W. W. and therefore sure to be guilty. Hill tried to keep the I. W. W. out of it and denied it, but the papers fastened it on him. For this reason he is entitled to be helped and not allowed to hang for being an I. W. W. Every man is presumed to be innocent till proved guilty. It should not he necessary for him to prove his innocence, and it would not be if he was not an I. W. W.

                                                              Scott and MacDougall, per Scott.

                                                                     (Attorneys for Joe Hill)

SOURCES

Vancouver Daily World

(Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

-of June 9, 1914

The Case of Joe Hill

-by Philip s. Foner

International Pub, 1965

The Voice of the People

(New Orleans, Louisiana)

-of May 21, 1914

http://chroniclingamerica.loc….

Image

Joe Hill

http://www.freedomarchives.org…

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The Ballad of Joe Hill – Phil Ochs

Then, the trial was set in a building of wood,

And there, a killer would be named;

And the days weighed more than cold copper ore

Cause he feared that he was being framed,

Cause he feared that he was being framed.            

                -Phil Ochs (pdf!)

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