◆ SpookStack

RE: JOHN L. LEVIS, ET AL i TERVIE. WITH 1 ; erncon cf Septcmbor 13, 1943, by Special Agents a: wrecnarsrsntanncl | is considered nan good potential witness. He is no cu tu underst.rd, ho ean express himself fairly well, amd -he would be difficult to confuse on cross cxaminetizn. He give information set forth in the follow- ing signed stitement: "Springficid, T11_ September 13, 1943. "My name is ,-—ti‘C;t~ésé—~S*@S I was born Ble ce sR aC Z I em 2 citezen through ry fcther, I en now working et Panther Crock Mino #4. ae «: i Agents co e Federal Bur- I make the following stetement to who have identified thansclves to me to be Specic eau of Investigeticn. Ue promises thrents cr considerntion sf any kind hos been made to ae to mrko this statement. It is true en! accurnotes "TI wont to Kine 4 in 1933 cr 1934. I wes employed at Mine A in 1941, and stayed there until Jnnucry 1943. Uuring ell of the time that I was en- ployed at Mine A, I wns a membor cf tho Pregressive Mino “Yorkers of Amorioa up until September 1941, when I jcined the United Mine Forkers. I joined the UL in order to keep my jzb. All the time before that I had beon satisfied with tho Pill, end would heve preferred tc stey in thet union. It wos a strong Pouiv mine. I think all cf the men were satisfied with the Pd, and I did not he.r ony talk cbout changing unions until the anncuncenent in the paper that ELSHOFF wee gcing tc epcrate dine A. “Seon after thet I pct a ecrd from rereanes re He asked me to come to c mocting. I dic nit go. I did ge to mn couple cf meetings at the Progrcssive Hall. I do not reenll exactly what hepponed at these nectings. There was o lot cf tulk. <«s I rceecll the talk was that they were going to close down the minc, ani tike the con] cut throush Hine B, and the men told us thet they would close the mine down nnd net work it if we stayed Pili, They seid that we would have tc join the UW in order to work at Hino A. I did nct want tc jrin the Ulli, nnd did not go to the meeting whon they wted abcut changing unicns. VWhon the rest cf the men had jcined the UM, I decided to go back tc work, and te work abcut three days later. I would rather have sttyed in the PIMW. After the nine becamo UMY, they would not let us tcolk at £11 abcut things ct the mine. The old men were not allowed to speak their cwm languages. Those of us who thoy thought were still strongly PMW, were given poor rooms, and treated poorly. They wore trying to get us to quit. They kept an ermed guard et the mine shaft for quit 1 while after the change and the opening as UM¥. There never hid been an armed guard there before. - $89 -