◆ SpookStack

i A i. % RE: JOHN L. LEIS, BT AL. ie, Springficld, Illinois, mm a — home by Special age and cer Ree Or TETE wi8 cooperctive but it ts not bolioved thet he would max? & food witness because of hie lack of knowlodgs of im- portent cvents in the Mince Acose. Ss >: no known criminal record. Ee furnished the following signed statement: "Springfield, Ill. September 14, 1945. , Springfield, Ill. statement to Bpeciel Agents ef the Fodoral Burcau of Investigetion. cen madc to cousc me to make this statemont. ty, ske the followin No thrests or promiscs "TJ wee born I first steartod working in the minus abou joining Wink at thet time. JI have never hold an offico in any union. I om presently unemployed having quit out at Minc & Sept. 7, 1943. "Tl started to work at Mine & Scpt.e 1, 1935, changing over to the PUA at that time. I had been out of work for 3 ycaors mand 8 months and wented x job. J didn't care which union I belonged to. J was working at Poabody #53 when PL was formed. I took no active part in eithcr union and hardly ever attended a union meeting. During the above mentioned period that I was out of work I stayed sway from the mines becouse I didn't want to pet into ony trouble. ‘I wes employed ct Mine 4 as u maintenance man at the timc Mr. Elshoff bought it. “se were not working at thet timc however, I just heard about the selec from the newspaper. ‘hen I reed about the sele I figured that I'd have to change over to UMA to hold my job as Mr. Elshoff's Mine B wos UMA. "So far as I knew the Pué cnd Er. Ryon were getting along fins et the time of scle. "I wes ncver approached by any organizers and asked to join Wid. "ZI nevor heard any rumors that Hr. Elshoff wos going to operete kine A through Mine B or thet ho would open Mine A on the condition that Mine A employees join Uhins. “T have no knowledge of any PUA meetings where the sale of Mine A wes discussed, end I never ettended any meeting at the Elks Club where Pua voted to join UMitk. The first time I kmew about Mine A going to open