Helen Keller's Protest The case of Joe Hill attracted more than its share of celebrity voices seeking to block the execution. Helen Keller, in 1915 a recognized national heroine for her triumph over multiple disabilities, dispatched this heartfelt plea to President Woodrow Wilson just days before Hill's rescheduled execution. Her life movingly portrayed in books, theater and, eventually, film, Keller was an outspoken critic of the nation's economic and working conditions. Woodrow Wilson quickly told Keller that there was nothing more he could do for Joe Hill, but subsequent pressure from organized labor convinced Wilson to attempt a second intervention to block the execution at the eleventh hour. (Courtesy: Library of Congress) Read this historical document's full text                 About the Program || Joe Hill Home || PBS Home