◆ SpookStack

¢ Ms Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL as into my room. cy; Knew tum, maving been raised with him 2 Tllinois. told me that he'd gotten a telegram Ray Edmurids come to Springfield right away. He told me he was being paid by Edmundson to organize all Frenchmen at Mine B for the U.K.w. He told me he didn't want to force me to join the U.M.¥. because I was a smart fellow, but I imew that I'd have to join U.M.W. or lose my job, because Lewis was a big shot. He was only in Springfield a week, anc said he didn't wapt to kill himself here, but wanted to pet back +o iT He talked to oo and me several times, and col °° sign up he'd lose his job. He said that Elshoff would have an ction as scon as U.u.W. had 2 a and then the F.W en wouldn't have any jobs, go we'd better sign up. told me thet 5 a ‘gunman and an organizer and the U.M.W. sent him wherever they ha ouble. “After | a Albanese came to my home one day with 7 ad him ne not the P.w.A. man, and tried to get me to join the U.I.4. T tol had no business coming to my house, and he went away. He came back a second time, and said I'd better sign up or I'd lose my job. A couple of days latgr, told m that he wos getting so many docks he was going to sign up with the U.k.W.. He did si and didn't pet any more docks. I joined with UMN. the day aster 212. I had been getting a lot of docks, but after I joined the U.M.d., Fal@erti took them away. After I signed up just before the election of February, 1941, 2n¢ signed only to keep my job. In the election of February, 1941, I voted for the P.M.A., because I liked it better, and didn't like the roten business of the U.M.W. Nafter I went back to work, ae: working there as an air checker. He just wandered around the mine place to place, and talked to the men. He never talked ‘j me about the U.M.W. On day, I saw an old man, a crippled fellow named get beat up in the washhouse by Gan and two young fe siw Bohannon ond ows I didn't know. On the same day office. beat up a young Italian fellow in front of the “One day in the Mine, ea shot too high. He was fired for it, and an Italian fellow, tried to take his case to a U.M.W, meeting for him. Bohannon to oO down, and I heard, that after the meeting, he was beat up. I didn't see it, and don't know any- thing more about it. "On Tuesday, September 7, 1943, at the Mine, I heard some lawyer, | whose name I don't know, talking to all the men. I just heard the end of the meeting, but I heard him say that this is a democracy, that the miners didn't have to sign papers for the federal agents. On the next - 159 ~ 5 pee OO SO OS eT Te tr we ey ecru tet atet oe