◆ SpookStack

Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL INTERVIEW WITH Italian fellow, whose name I don't know, told m that the men on top were deciding to load short because Elshoff wouldn't nu play the game, and fire the men who had been kicked out of the U.M.w. I started loading cars short, and most of the ~en J «-~ were doing the seme. When I came up from the mine, I asked what the trouble wis, and I wes told there was a strike. JI think Elshoff's failure to fire these men w:s the very reason for the strike. Elshoff wanted trouble at the mine, didn't want-to sign a contract with P.M.A. but wanted to sign with the U.H.W. "I remember signing a P.M.A. petition shortly after the strike started, probably at Progressive Hall. ¥e wanted to show Elshoff that P.MLA. head a majority in the mine. I signed voluntarily. No one forced me to. "In the fall of 1937 I heard that Elshoff tried to open the mine with ten or twelve U.M.W. men. I went out there the next day. There were many P.M.A. men there that day, but hadn't been many the first day, because none of us knew of Elshoff's attempt to open the mine. ‘When we got there, John Schneider and other P.L.A. Committeemen told us not to let any U.E.W. men down into the Mine. We stayed on the grounds until the federal injunction in 1937 December. The purpose of the picket was to keep U.M.W. men fron working the Mine, and to keep them from damaging the Mine. Elshoff got the injunction to get us off the property, and not to protect it, because we were puarding the property. I went out to the picket line of my own accord, I didn't see any but Mine B men there. "In December of 1937, I heard of the election dorn at P.M.A. headquarters. We had a meeting the day before, and we were told where the election w2s to be held. On the day of the election we went in small groups from Progressive Hall, and voted. Iwas not told by anyone how to vote and voted for the P.l.A. because I liked that union and wanted to keep it. As far as I know, it was an honest election. "In November of 1939, when the Mine opened up, I went back and worked for seven deys. I had not been contacted by anyone about joining . the U.L.N. up to this time. After I had worked seven days, I had to quit. The room I worked in ran into an old entry. My entry ran south, and old man Sirtout had an entry going west near mine. Falcetti told me he wanted the entry driven west, and I was told to stay home until Falcetti called me back to work. I was out for two months, before Falcetti called m back, and I got my old entry back. “after I went back to work, some time later, around May of 1940, not the P.N.A. man, nd another man came and sat behind me in my room. They were there three days, and set there all day long without saying a word to me. ey were trying to sczre me, but didn't say anything to ma, The next day, - 158 +