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Re: JORN L. LEWIS, ET AL . } . uneven Was ae ee was jointly intepsjoued by Special ae nd at his residence, Tilinois, o September 3, Tot. He appeared willing to answer the questions put to him and would be willing to testify to the facts set forth in the following signed statement which he executed: pe Illinois September, 3, 945 : Tilinois, and I am empl Illinois. tT was born on , ; T joined 2 nited Minc Workers of Amer » resuired to hereinafter as the UM, about | t Tll. I also worked in other local mines near thore. I. wortted i © mines in Illinois from to about 1934. About 1935 I started working &t “ine E and continued there until the mine closed on May iz, 1937. "After Mine B closed on May le, 1937 I helped the PMA picket for about three months in 1937. I worked as a driver ond digger at Mine 5, In 1932 when PMA was organized I joined it voluntarily ot fg Ill. ft this time, I +35 unemployed and I remained uncmployed ckpeagan’ 1935 when I ~ent to work at Mine B as a PMA member. From 1935 to April 1937 the rclations butween Elshoff and FMA vere good. I never hcard Elshoff or Falcetti say they favored PMA, which is the Progressive Wine “orkers of America, or faver the UM’ but I thought they liked UMW better. As far as I know, the FMA is a good union. I am still a member of PMA. The officials of this union got along fine “ith the rank end file. I did not take an active vart in organizing PMA. I never held an officc in & mince union. "about April, 1937 the following men started aggitating for the men to join the UN; Joe albancse, Pete Carter, John Cotton, Dominic Pasquale, Frenk Austin, Tony Plotch, John Sirtout, Andrew Schrclevious, Cudge Pumgarner, George and Emory Jacaway Charles Bowlingreen, James Hale. Thesc above listed men wanted the PMA miners te join UM but they did not ask me to join and Ade Re he Dah sea GY Bien ee a Sd Neda 2207 ch I did not hear them talking to the other miners. I did hear that these men went to the mincr's houscs at night to gst them to join UM. "I only attended union meetings about once a month and did not take an active part in’Union affairs. I did not attend the FMA meeting on the . night of May 11, 9s vhon some of the miners were expelled from the PMA for aggitating fe » but I heard this by word of mouth the next day at the mine,” “~- oe . | 1 -116- wee pe ene ame le a et cr a en eaten Semele phe An pe ible a Nl