The Man Who Never Died, written by William M. Adler, published by Bloomsbury USA, 2011.

Joe Hill was a songwriter whose tunes helped galvanize the world-wide union movement. His songs influenced Pete Seeger,Woody Guthrie, and Bob Dylan among others. Joan Baez sang a song in memory of Joe at Woodstock in 1969. But Joe Hill was more than a songwriter ... he was a rebel to the core.

On August 12, 1913, Local 69 of the Industrial Workers of the World organized a demonstration on Regent Street in Salt Lake City which turned into a riot. Joe Hill and his buddy, Otto Appelquist, turned up in Salt Lake City a short time later, and joined John and Ed Eselius, fellow "Wobblies," in Murray, Utah. The Eselius brothers had a niece named Hilda Erickson who resided in nearby Salt Lake City. This was a connection that would have dramatic consequences for all.

Months later, on January 10, 1914, a double murder took place at the J.G. Morrison Grocery in downtown Salt Lake City. Killed was the owner, John G. Morrison, and his seventeen year old son, Arling. Morrison's thirteen year old son, Merlin, who survived the shootout, was a witness to the murders. A witness, hearing shots fired, observed two men exit the grocery store and disappear down a nearby alley. One of the men was wounded and clutching his chest. A few hours later, Joe Hill sought medical attention for a chest wound and told the attending physician, Doctor Frank M. McHugh that a friend had shot him in an argument over a woman. Doctor McHugh observed that Hill was wearing a shoulder strap holstering a "large automatic revolver." Doctor Arthur Bird, a fellow physician, identified the gun as a .38 caliber Colt automatic, the same make and model used in the grocery store murders. On January 14, 1914, Joe Hill was arrested and charged with the Morrison murders. He was found guilty of murder on June 27, 1914 and opted for execution by firing squad. As Joe told the judge, "I have been shot a few times in the past and I guess I can stand it again." Although a stay of execution was requested by President Woodrow Wilson, Joe Hill was executed by firing squad on November 19, 1915.

The author presents a thorough review of the murder trial and how Joe Hill, by design, created his legacy as a union martyr. What makes Alder's book unique is his publication of a letter written in 1949 by Hilda Erickson defending Joe Hill. Her testimony could have possibly served as an alibi for Joe if she had been called upon to testify but she wasn't, reputedly because Hill wanted to protect her honor. Likewise, Joe Hill declined to take the witness stand and his friend, Otto Appelquist, remained a fugitive for the rest of his life and was never interrogated. What Hilda revealed in her letter was that she had visited Joe Hill at the Eselius family cabin the day after he was shot and Joe, lying on an iron cot, told her that "Otto shot him in a fit of anger." Hilda further revealed that she had been engaged to marry Otto but that she had changed her mind and Otto was angry over losing her to Joe. On the night of the Morrison murders, Hilda wrote that she had attended a performance at the Empress Theatre. She recalled that Otto joined her and that when they left, she observed Joe sitting at the back of the theatre. Hilda was not permitted to witness Joe's execution but she did serve as a pallbearer for his funeral service the following day at O'Donnell's mortuary. It remains a mystery why Joe Hill refused to testify on his own behalf. His appellate attorney, Orrin N. Hilton, believed Joe wanted to be a martyr for the labor movement. Perhaps, he also sought redemption.