up my work with those strike breakers altogether. I had been working with them before that time.

The CHAIRMAN. What did they do? Did they stop you? Reverend NoWELL. No; they did not stop me. There was no attempt that I could see to stop me from going in, but they would complain about my going back there. The only reason I was going in was just to get information but I was made so miserable by some one going around after me all the time every where I went that I practically just had to give it up. It was too unpleasant a situation to continue.

On April 12 there was a woman knifed-she died from the woundsby a colored man, and this colored man was living with a woman who was not his wife. The woman supposedly his wife came into the patch-I do not know whether she came on a pass or not-but, at any rate, she came in and murdered this man. At the time there was also gambling going on and quite a good many of them were drunk. Later on a few of them were arrested, but their arrest was seemingly just a technical matter; they were released and I do not believe they paid a fine before their release.

On April 14 a man came into one end of the patch right near the schoolhouse; he came in a taxi and got out. He had a suit case with him. It was about 9 o'clock in the evening, and was dark. I followed him to house No. 3 and I started to talk to the taxi driver, who was waiting for him, evidently. Later on he told me that he was waiting for his money, that the man went up there to get his money to pay him. I asked him if he knew this man and he said no. I asked him if he knew what he had. He said he didn't know and he wanted to know why I wanted to know. I said, "I know this man that you brought in here and this man has been bootlegging here before." He said, "He has a suit case of it now." I said, "How do you know?" He said, "He gave me some of it." I went up to house No. 3 and he was there with the suit case opened with the stuff in it. The suit case was full of bootleg. I went down to the coal and iron police headquarters and told the corporal about it. Corporal Shay was there at the time. I told them that this man was up there and I wanted him arrested. He said he had no authority to arrest the man. I said, "I am making a complaint, and you have that much authority, especially as an officer of the peace." He said, "I have no written matter saying that I can arrest this man." I said, "The man has it and there is no reason why you should not bring him in." He said, "I will go and get him." He sent a coal and iron policeman there and brought the man down. He said, "Did you bring any bootleg in?" The man said, "No." He said, "Did you have any with you?" The man said, "No." He turned to me and said, "I can not do anything; the man said he does not have any." That was the end of it.

The man had the stuff and if I had had any means of protecting myself I could have gone in and gotten the stuff, but the coal and iron policemen absolutely refused to take any hand in arresting these

men.

On May 16, or just before that time, I had made complaint about another house, house No. 77. It was not very far from where I was living. I complained that they were bootlegging there. Nothing was done about it. So I made complaint to the constable in the town

and the constable was told by the coal and iron policeman there to keep off company property, that if anything was to be done on the company property in the way of arresting bootleggers they would do it. But since they did not I preferred charges and had the constable go in. They raided two houses that night, No. 77 and No. 103 again, and brought out altogether about 500 quarts of bootleg.

The CHAIRMAN. That was a fairly good supply?

Reverend NoWELL. Yes, and it seems that the business was a fairly good one. One of the coal and iron policemen that left not long after that came into my house out of the coal and iron police headquarters on the evening that he was going to leave and said that had given up his job. He said that he was tired of fooling around there and trying to carry on his work as a police officer and having the corporal and the other coal and iron policemen tearing down what he was doing. He said that time and time again he would get one of these bootleggers and bring him into the office and the corporal would take the stuff he brought in; he would confiscate it by using it himself, and he said that some of these men were paying the corporal a little divvy.

The name of that coal and iron policeman was David Hughes. He seemed to be a very fine man, and I wondered why he stayed with the rest of the group, as the coal and iron police were not, as a rule, a high type of men.

Mr. EATON. Reverend, have you seen in the newspapers a copy of this "Clean up letter" or "Don't talk" letter that Mr. Brundidge produced, or have you heard about it in the testimony here?

Reverend NoWELL. I have heard about it in the testimony here. I did see it in the newspapers.

Mr. EATON. Did you ever see any of those notices? Did you actually see the notices themselves?

Reverend NoWELL. No, sir; I did not.

Mr. EATON. Did you ever hear any talk about a notice, in substance, the same from any officials of the Pittsburgh Coal Co.? Reverend NoWELL. Yes, I have.

Mr. EATON. Tell the committee about it.

Reverend NoWELL. One of the men-I will not name the official; it would not be fair to him, becasue I have had dealings with the man told me on Friday before the Senate investigating committee came into the district that they had received a letter to clean up their camp and to make things appear generally as good as possible, and especially to keep their coal and iron police in the background. The CHAIRMAN. Who told you this?

Reverend NoWELL. One of the officials of one of the mines with whom I was acquainted, one of the local officials of the mines. The CHAIRMAN. What was his name?

Reverend NoWELL. I would not like to mention the man's name. It would hardly be fair to the man.

The CHAIRMAN. Very well.

Reverend NoWELL. If it pleases you not to mention it?

The CHAIRMAN. All right.

Reverend NoWELL. He also mentioned that on the Saturday afternoon before the committee came into that district they were called into the Pittsburgh office and had a consultation there about cleaning up the place and getting it in shape for the Senators to investigate.

The CHAIRMAN. This same man told you that?

Reverend NoWELL. This same man told me that.

Mr. EATON. I think that about covers the situation, does it not, Reverend? I have no doubt that you know of other instances of brutality.

Reverend NOWELL. There are many instances of other matters that there is probably no reason to burden the committee with. Mr. EATON. I think that is all I have.

Senator FEss. To what church do you belong?

Reverend NOWELL. I am the pastor of the Houston Methodist Episcopal Church.

Senator FESS. You are assigned there regularly by the church authorities?

Reverend NOWELL. Yes, sir.

Senator FEss. How long have you been there?

Reverend NOWELL. I have been there since October of this past year. The year before I was assigned regularly to the Faucett Methodist Episcopal Church, at which time these incidents occurred. Senator FEss. Is that an old church?

Reverend NOWELL. The Faucett Church is this year 117 years old an old, old church, and very conservative in the greater part of its membership and chiefly rural, except there is one side of it that is altogether miners and the other side of the membership is a typical rural group.

Senator FESS. What I wanted to bring out is that you did not go there of your own choice especially, but you were assigned there? Reverend NOWELL. I was appointed there by the Pittsburgh Conference.

Senator FESS. I infer from the testimony that this lewdness in regard to bootlegging has been winked at, if not protected, by the police. Is that your judgment?

Reverend NoWELL. It is, yes.

Mr. ROSE. Mr. Chairman, I announced here on Thursday after that letter in question was introduced and after I had communicated with the Pittsburgh office, that that letter was a fraudulent paper. Now I want to repeat that. No officer of the Pittsburgh Coal Co. that had authority to issue such a paper did issue it. The superintendent at that mine did not receive it, and we have been unable to find anybody anywhere in the company that ever heard of it.

The CHAIRMAN. Whose name was attached to the letter? Mr. ROSE. The name attached to the paper, according to the copy, was the Pittsburgh Coal Co. Now, I have not yet been given the privilege of seeing that paper. I asked for permission to see it. It is a forgery. Up to date that paper has not been shown to counsel for the coal company. I asked at that time that Mr. Brundidge, who present ted that paper here, be requested to give the name of the man from whom he purchased it, and Senators Gooding and Wheeler announced that that matter would be put before the entire committee.

Our position is this: We do not think that a paper of that kind should be introduced here that we say is a forged document and the witnesses be permitted to shield themselves behind the parties that give them information.

I want now to renew the request that I made on last Thursday, that the Pittsburgh Coal Co. be given an inspection of that paper; that Mr. Brundidge be required to give the name of the man from

whom he purchased it, and that this gentleman be not allowed to shield himself behind the parties that gave information, but that he must give the name of the man that gave him the information. I think that is only fair.

Senator FESS. Your statement is that this is a forgery?

Mr. Rose. Absolutely, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. We will take that up with the committee when we have an executive session.

Senator FESS. Mr. Chairman, I think when this matter comes up in that form where there is a charge that this is a forgery, then we ought to require the names of the people who are corroborating it. I think all will agree that that is fair.

Mr. EATON. We have no objection at all.

Senator FESS. I thought a while ago that it was only right that the Reverend Nowell be not required to give the name, but I did not know that there was any charge that this was a forgery.

The CHAIRMAN. When Mr. Brundedge was on the stand he stated that he had promised that he would not divulge this man's name. I remember that part of the testimony.

Senator FESS. I do not think that protection ought to be granted. The CHAIRMAN. But at that time there was no charge that it was a forgery. We will take the matter up in executive session.

Mr. EATON. This matter which they claim is a forgery says "The company has mailed a spirited letter to each individual employee," and I have in my hand, and I will leave for the record, what purports to be that spirited letter published broadcast in the press, signed by J. D. A. Morrow on paper bearing the heading of the Pittsburgh Coal Co., with a facsmiile of the signature of J. D. A. Morrow, as to which no denial has been made.

The CHAIRMAN. What kind of a letter do you call that?

Mr. EATON. The letter which they claim is a forgery says this; it is a letter to the superintendent and says, "Clean up and don't talk," etc., and in connection with it says this: "The company will protect you. The company has mailed a spirited letter to each individual employee."

The CHAIRMAN. Read the letter.
Mr. EATON. It says this:

To our men:

PITTSBURGH COAL CO., Pittsburgh, Pa., February 20, 1928.

The United States Senate is going to investigate the coal business of western Pennsylvania. You are being told all kinds of stories about what this may lead to. Do not worry about these sensational reports. The Government is just as friendly to you as it is to anyone else.

This company is glad to have the Senate committee make this investigation and see for themselves how we operate our mines and how our miners and their families live. We want them to visit our towns and see for themselves the extensive improvements we are making.

We will not change our policy. Our mines will continue to run on the present basis, and no other way. We will continue to improve our mines and increase our production. We are working out our plans to maintain steady running time at all our mines with increased output. You can help us maintain work every day by taking care to load your coal clean.

We would like to talk with each one of you personally and answer your questions about these stories and reports that are being circulated. Since we can not see you all, we are writing this letter to tell you that our policy will not change. We appreciate your loyalty to us and assure you of our loyalty to you.

Very truly yours,

J. D. A. MORROW.

The CHAIRMAN. Of course, that had no reference to the cleaning-up business?

Mr. EATON. No, Mr. Chairman; except if this is a forgery it is rather peculiar that they did not deny the other one.

Mr. ROSE. We admit that letter and we are not ashamed of it. Mr. EATON. Before offering the next witness, Mr. Chairman, I desire to offer in evidence some 14 or 15 certified records from the coroner's office of Allegheny County, relating to many murders committed in and about the camps of the coal companies, mainly the Pittsburgh Coal Co. and the Pittsburgh Terminal Coal Co. in Allegheny County, Pa. Without going into details, I wish to say that the dates are as follows: One on January 3, 1927; one on February 25, 1927

The CHAIRMAN. Who committed the murders?

Mr. EATON. Various persons whose names are described and the circumstances set forth in the inquests. These are certified copies of the proceedings before the coroner.

The CHAIRMAN. Were these either coal and iron policemen or strike breakers or persons connected with either or any of them?

Mr. EATON. In practically every instance, with the exception of one case where there was a murder on the road, these are cases of murders which are the result of fighting among the strike breakers, probably due to quarrelling while under the influence of liquor, and involving shooting and knifing, etc. I could take the time to give the details, but I just wanted to offer the records in evidence and then the committee will have that information.

The CHAIRMAN. They will be admitted and we will take them into consideration.

(The certified papers above referred to are as follows:)

CORONER'S REPORTS OF INQUESTS

PRESS REPORT

Jury sworn at Blythesdale on Monday, January 3, 1927, at 11.30 a. m. by F. X. Spitzer, jr. Inquisition to be held Friday, February 4, 1927, at 10.30 a. m. at Blythesdale, Pa.

CORONER'S OFFICE, Pittsburgh, Pa., January 3, 1927.

Body viewed on the 3d day of January, 1927, by F. X. Spitzer, jr., deputy coroner; Elizabeth Township, Blythesdale Station, Pittsburgh, McKeesport & Youghiogheny Railroad Co.

Full name of deceased, Carrie May Wilson; age, 17 years 10 months 14 days; nationality, American; social relation, married; residence, House No. 32, Blythesdale, Elizabeth Township, Pa.; occupation, housewife.

Date of accident, Monday, January 3, 1927; time, 2 a. m.; location of accident, between Houses Nos. 32 and 31, Blythesdale, Elizabeth Township, Pa.; date of death, Monday, January 3, 1927; time, 2 a. m.; place of death, between Houses Nos. 32 and 31, Blythesdale, Elizabeth Township, Pa.; body found at home. Post-mortem examination held by C. A. Rankin, M. D., January 3, 1927. Cause of death, shock and hemorrhage following gunshot wound of chest; murder. Color, colored.

Notice of witnesses, February 1, 1927.

F. X. Spitzer, jr., deputy coroner.

Notice of inquest, February 1, 1927. F. X. Spitzer, jr., deputy coroner. Death certificate issued January 3, 1927. F. X. Spitzer, jr., deputy coroner. Undertaker, C. H. Culler, West Newton.

Remarks: Friday, February 4, 1927, at 10.30 a. m., Blythesdale post office.