◆ SpookStack

Re: JOIN L. LEVIS, ET AL IFTERVIEW WITu o mens union & I trusted the P.M.A. officiale, In all unions I dontt know anything about money matters, I went Nucas to F..A. meetings once in a while, F.M.A. local 54 was ; olright & I never saw anything wrong with it. Before Mine B closed n> U,M.>. men bothered me & I never know of any U.M.%. men being there till last cay. In rezard to parties by Elshoff for U.M.W. I heard Elshoff hod beer at office once for parties, I heard men say that made A wrong agreement with Mine B when the contract ran out in spring of 1937. Therc was n> trouble at all at Mine B because of this contract running cut. I did not know if Elshoff & F.M.A, were going to get torether & sign a contract, I did not zo to any meeting before Mince B closed. On doy Mine B closed I was on parting when I first heard of strike in afternoon. I heard that some men loaded cars short but no ome said anything to me about it, That same afternoon Jim Tale asked me what was going on & I asked him what he meant & ho did not answer me. IT also saw andy Schrelevious & Bowling Green (Chas. Eshanon) ride out with the mule together that afterncon & they worcs not supposed ts d> that, I honrd that trouble was over the fact that the rien Cid not get fired who wore expclled & I heard this sevoral days later while on picket on the road near the Mine B. While on picket I heard that some T.t%A. men were in the corn field with guns & that one was Cudge Baumtarnor & other was Italian named 'Tomy' from Pawnee, Ill. I also heard that some P.M.A. men at “line B were getting money from U.H.7. I don't know if I sicned any P.M.A. petition or not in summor of 1937 & I heard that U.MOV, hac a petition out but I never signed it & wos not asked to sign it or join U.N... In summor of 1937 nothing happened tc me & it was all quiet. In foll of 1937 I went to sit down strike & was foreed to go otherwise F.M.A. would fino us $5.00. I think I was out at Mine B on first day they tried to re-open in fall of 1937 & we werc ol] roady to go to work. Tho sheriff wa. out there too. The U.HJw, men did not zo back to work. I spent most of my time out there. No outsiders were brot in to help but just local men. . It wes & quiet * peaceful strike. Johd Schneider tried the best he could to kcep us out there. I think he was risht in what he did & even tho he was sick he stuck it out with us. I was there whon Marshall came out & some wanted t: stay & he said they would have t> leave & wo 411 left quictly. We felt sad about it as woe thot wo lost out. Mine B shut off our water and lights but cecal helped put switches back arcain for us miners. Te mot coal from “inc A to keep us warm, I don't remomber of goinzt out to Mine B whon they re-opencd again in 1938. I voted at N.L.R.B, election the way I wanted to & n> one forced me to vite & it was by secret ballot, All of us had made up our minds to stay with F.M.A. In fall of 1937 I got a letter from Mine B telling mc t3 go back to work & I did ae I heard a union lawyer told P.M.A, to go back to work otherwisc we would lose. I dontt know why Elshoff would not Bign a contract with F.H!.A, About a yoor later I was beat up at iscal U.M.. meetinz in Springficld, Ill. & this was efter I 3 sizned over to U.K. Uellee had us loy track & paid us $1.00 extra an hour & I & others were az-ainst it & I opened my mouth at the meeting that it was not rizht & talked against mo on it. Sane evoning I tried as - 178 -