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Show HILLSfflOM PAYS PENALTYFOR CRIME CONVICTED MURDERER OF SALT LAKE GROCER AND HIS SON EXECUTED AT PRISON. Pinal Efforts to Secure Stay of Execution Exe-cution Prove Futile and Condemned Con-demned Man Faces Firing Squad After Night Spent in Sleep. Salt Lake City Joseph Hillstrom, convicted of the murder of J. G. Morrison Mor-rison and his son J. Arling, January 10, 1914, was executed at the state prison Friday morning. Hillstrom was sentenced to be shot on September 4, 1914, 'but a delay of the date of execution was secured and he was resentenced to be executed on October 1, 1915. At the request of President Wilson, in- compliance with a request of the Swedish minister, Governor Spry granted a respite until un-til the board of pardons could con- eider the case. The board of pardons considered the appeal for clemency and denied it, and on October 18, Hillstrom was again sentenced to be shot on November Novem-ber 19. Another request for clemency clem-ency came from President Wilson two days before the execution, asking for clemency. Declaring that his obligations obliga-tions as chief executive of the commonwealth com-monwealth of Utah, and his oath as governor to enforce the laws of the state, precluded his interference with the court's order for the execution of Joseph Hillstrom, convicted murderer, mur-derer, Gov. William Spry, after careful care-ful consideration of President Wilson's Wil-son's request, declined to act on the appeal of the nation's chief for re consideration of the Hillstrom case. Hillstrom went to the death chair without faltering. He preserved the same calmi demeanor that has been characteristic of him since he was Erst arrested. ' During the greater part of his last night on earth Hillstrom slept soundly. sound-ly. When he awakened he said he felt well, with the exception of a sore throat. His voice was husky. A message received by Governor Spry at 5:30 Friday morning caused the governor to get into touch with members of the board of pardons. The message was from Judge Hilton of Denver and said William Busky of Seattle had made affidavit that he was with Hillstrom on the night of the murder. Hilton asked for a respite re-spite of ten days to investigate. Hillstrom, Hill-strom, when asked if he knew Busky, denied he knew of such a man. This decided the governor to order the execution ex-ecution without delay. Joseph Hillstrom iwas convicted of the murder of John G. Morrison, a , grocer, and his son, J. Arling, 17 years oia, at Morrison s store in the southern portion of the city about 9 o'clock on the evening of January 10 1914. The shooting was witnessed by Merlin Morrison, another son, 14 years old. According to this 'boy's story, which was corroborated on many points by other evidence, two masked men entered the store with drawn pistols, and saying: "We've got you now!" opened fire on Morrison, Morri-son, who fell mortally wounded with a bullet thrugh his chest. J. Arling Morrison ran to an ice box in the store, seized a .38-calibre revolver and fired. Before the boy could shoot again, he fell, pierced by three bullets bul-lets and died almost instantly. Hillstrom, also known as Joe Hill, was arrested three days after the shooting on information given by Dr. A. A. Bird. Hillstrom staggered into the doctor's home two hours after the shooting, with a large bullet wound through his left lung. He told the doctor he had been shot in a 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 9 wound and took Hillstrom to the house of the Eselius brothers in Murray, Mur-ray, where he had been spending several sev-eral days. Accounts of the murders recalled the case to the doctor and he informed the officers. The doctor noticed an automatic Pistol, of the same calibre as shells found in the grocery after the shooting, shoot-ing, in Hillstrom's pocket. Hillstrom threw the weapon away after leaving the doctor's home. Blood was found at several places in a general southerly south-erly direction from the store, and members of the Eselius family said a companion had visited him late the night of the murders, talked private-- private-- ly with him and left. This man was not apprehended and has not been heard of since. The sheriff's office eaid it was Otto Applequist, who had for some time been Hillstrom's companion. |