◆ SpookStack

| | : i 4 oop ed nae it oad CO U Re; JOMN L. LEWIS, ET AL. Gatti, was interviewed at his residence, Springfjeld, Illinois, on September 14, g y opecial Agents and _ He advised that he had never been arrested. 4e stated aiso tnat = Still has a job at Kine « although he has not worked for the past five or Six months as he said that he had to leave because ns ne himself did not feel very well. wever he stated ools aré still out there and he car return whenever he wants to. appeared to be more intelligent than the ordinary miner and it is felt that he would make a fair witness if his testimony were necessary. The following signed statement vas obtained from Sept. 14, 1943 Pive the following statement to who ar? knorm to me to be Ppecial ircats or promises have been madc m in I came to the U.S. in I becamc & citizen in a melield, I first went to mir. a! to work the sprirg before it went back as U.Mi., I think this was in the spring of 1941, I ama diggcr and worked there wp wmtil.5 or 6 morths age. I first joined 9 mine union around about in Pprinagfield, 21, I joined the Progressives while vorking at the Jufferson sine but I worked at Mine ‘'A' as 43 Progressive for Bill Ryan. The mine closed in the spring and then Lishoff took it over and we joined the U.M.#, in a body in order to go back to work, I felt this was the only way to get Elshoff to oon the mine, cveryone know this. Jd read in the paper that Elshoff was to take the tine over, then of course the men ali knew it too and they fclt the only salvation for them was to join the U.M.W. & couple ef men cane to sce mc at my home and asked me how I felt and 4 told them I was going to do what the othcr men did, When I worke@ at Mine 'A' for Bill Rvan they never had ary trouble, for a fact they never have any trouble therc now cither, I never heard anything about the pussibility cf Elshoff uperating the Sine A through Mine B. there was a rumor at the timc thit the U.l,1%. had given Elshoff a pile of moncy to operatc Mine ta’ and get it over to UMW. TI heard too that unless the men went right ovir to UMW, the mine would be shut dom. I never attended any sectings where the question of returning the Mine 'A' nen to the Ula, was discussed. I joined the U.slee. out at Mine 'a!, I never voted’ on returning to U.ILW. "Tl was born - 457 - on EP A TI EE AO GO! ST cag Wag ge NR — ES AAT s