Last will of Joe Hill, 1915.
Joe Hill was a labor-activist, songwriter and member of the Industrial workers of the world. Following a controversial trial in which he was convicted for murder, he was executed in November 1915. The day before the execution he wrote his last will.
Him standing there as big as life, and smiling with his eyes,
Says Joe, “What they forgot to kill went on to organize!”
[IMAGE DESCRIPTION - A yellowed sheet of lined paper, criss-crossed with fold lines. The title is at the top: My Last Will. The body reads as follows:
My will is easy to decide
For there is nothing to divide
My kin don’t need to fuss and moan
“Moss does not cling to rolling stone”
My body? Oh — if I could choose
I would to ashes it reduce
And let the merry breezes blow
My dust to where some flowers grow
Perhaps some fading flower then
Would come to life and bloom again
This is my last and final will
Good luck to all of you,
Joe Hill"
END IMAGE DESCRIPTION.]