◆ SpookStack

bore bID NTERVIE: with = L _wecenrercrecw! Springfield, I11- N inols, wes interviewou ant his hone on —, m 1943, anew locse 1 by Special Agents and ay cooperative, but because of his limite se not believed he would make an effective witmess. He clainsd fo Fave no crime inal record, The fcllowing is the signed statenent of SY "Springfield, Illincis August 31, 1943 "I moke the following voluntary stascnent to | ceeter ani » Whom I know to be Special Agents of tho cdera]l Bureau of Investigaticn, of my cwn free will, with no threats or promises made. “I wos bern I first joinod e union, the United Mine Workers in oine e Fropressive Mino Work- “decane eiptoyed——— ers in 1932 while I was working at Panther Creek Mino #4. I bocane at Mine B in and pm employed there at the present time. "Bofcre 1937, fram the time I became employed at Mine B, I knew of ne trouble of ony kind ot the nine. I wns entirely antisfied as to the PMA, and had no doubts in the £ the 7MA union. . "Before the strike, in 1937, ot Mine B, I imow of no activity on the part of UMi men in Mine B. I was not contacted by any UMW man myself, and did not knew cf anyone whe was. "I did not know of any meeting of the PMA held the night before the striko. I ¢o not know if there wns o meéting or not, for I never heard anything about it. On the day of the strike, we were onlled cut ct che nine, and were told that there was a strike, I de not remember who tcold me that a strike had been called. I don't remember hearing anything abdcut why the strike startec that day in May of 1937. I didn't hear anything about there boing U.M.W. spies in the mine, causing the strike, but I do know thnt the strike was not called becnuse of wages. I do not know the couse of the strike. I kmow that the nen were satisfied with tho F.M.A. and the effurts the P.M.A. was making to settle the were question. , "I dc not renembor signing a P.M.A. petition in the summer of 1937. I don't ranember signing any petitions at all in the summer of 1957, “In the sumer of 1937, TONY PLOTCH and COTTON ANANIAS cane to ny home and asked me to join the U.M.W. I told then I wouldn’t join unless I = 402 « atm meet ee ee a rE eae SRR cma «tar arm nN ST .