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ae or ae Se ee ee akon - CONGRESS OF INDUSTRIAL OROAWNIZATIONS er én 421 atlente National Building ‘ eal Te eS - fJanvary 9, 194). . dtlenta, Georgia Dear Vrs, Roosevelt: - The situation in Vemphis continues so tense, I am azain appealing to you to see if something cannot be done through the P. 8 I. in Washington to relieve it, The information I am giving you is taken from letters from CIC representatives atationed in Vertis and is sore complete than anything that JI have yet. sent you or the Department of Justice. a : . of Yarner—fanble Trans. Case of Robert (or Willie) Cotton. Yerro emlove portation Co. Some months ago Cotton hired an attorney to aid bia in securing back wases against Yarner-Tfanbdle Company. Late in September his common law wife, Corine Canasta, 378 avery Street, Yeupnis, and his sister, Addie jones, 578 Varble Street, went to the Inland *oatments "nion office and reported to ¥, 2. Henderson, union agent, that Cotton had left home about five ofelock on Thuraday, September 12 and not been heard from since. , . + The revort from other scurces 1s that Cotton had been asked to come to Warner~Tamble's dock that moming for a “conference.” . - Tn a letter from Vemphis dated December 15, it fs stated that a nunter | of Negro deck hands on the steaner J. 8. Smith, who had know! Willie Cotton, said that on the steamer's last trip out of Yemphis they "saw a floating body dressed in clothing similar to clothes worn by Cotton.* ‘The mate of the steamer was notified but refused to lower a boat to investigate or turn back to port. Tie Warner-Tamble Company has « most unsavory reputation for disappearance of troublesome emoloyees. W. R. Henderson, Meaphie agent of Inland oataen's Union, tells we that in the last few years some nine or ten of its employees, most of them Nezroes, have diasppsared. - ne So , . Renderson told me about the attenpted aurder by two mexbers of the Yarnere Taable finn and two policesen of a Negro nawed Thomas Wetking, in Way 1937. Watkins ~~ - was President of an A. F. of Le Longehorenen'sa local, Watkins managed $o break the. ~~ ghain on his wrists and swia.to safety, though at the tine it was thought he wae 9 7” ed in the river, i W. A. Copeland, Tri-State "ditor of the Weaphis Press-Scimitar, told me. —.. eon I saw hin in Wemphis last October that he believed this report about Watkins _ de true, giving me further evidence which was_oonvincing though probably no§ oon: es — Te ficient for court procedure, ©’