One of the largest single collections of original, historical documents concerning Joe Hill is in the Archives of the state of Utah. Given the greater context of his story, we know that these documents also give us clues how an innocent man was framed, convicted, and murdered.
These documents have now been digitized and made available online. You can read every heartbreaking letter and petition to stop then to condemn the execution. You can read the surveillance reports as the state of Utah infiltrated the local branch of the IWW. It’s a telling story of paranoia, corruption, and power—and, ultimately, murder of a poor, working stiff.
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