Evening star., 1938-07-28
BY JOHN C. HENRY.

A Republic Steel Corp. guard witt
four names and lengthy police
record admitted before the Senate
Civil Liberties Committee today that
he had obtained job as a proba
tlonary organizer for the Steel Work
ers Organizing Committee through a
falsely notarized letter.
He had falsely signed names of Re-
public employees to S. w. o. C. ap-
rlication cards and had falsely ac-
cused another organizer of turning
over union names to the company.
At the time he was thus engaged,
in 1886, Walter Jurgens. alias Ma
loney, alias Kenney, alias Ludwig
was a company patrolman in Cleve-
land. he testified
Jurgens testified first that he had
undertaken the espionage work on his
own initiative.
I was told there were some good
Jobs in the Police Department" he
said. That was what I was after"
Tells Of Accusations.
He then testified that he had falsely
accused Elmer Lohman, former S. w.
o. c. volunteer organizer of turning
names of union members over to the
company. Lohman denied at yester-
days hearing that he was guilty Of
this action.
Il thought it was good way to get
myself in with other c. l. O. Or
Ranizers." Jureens explained, after
telling how Lohman was under suspi-
cion among other organizers.
At this point. Senator La Toilette
read notarized letter from Jurgens
to Van Bittner. S. w o. C. leader,
in which the officer told of being dis
charged by Republic for his union
activities.
Were any of these statements true?"
Senator La Toilette asked
Not a one" he replied.
B. j. Damich. S. w. O. C. director
In Cleveland, then took the stand to
tell of engaging Jurgens as proba-
tionary organizer on the strength of
the notarized letter.
His subsequent exposure was related
by Alex Belint. S. w. o. c. member.
who told of being suspicious at the
list OF names of Republic employees
which Jurgens was displaying. with
those belonging to the union carefully
checked.
Among the names which Jurgens
signed to S. w. o. C. cards were those
OF Joe Gilmore, a fellow Republic
patrolman, and Mike Wocjik, who
denied in an affidavit that he ever
had agreed to join the S. w. o. c. or
ever had met Jurgens.
As evidence of Jurgens' double
dealing came to his attention. Damich
said he asked the man either to ex-
plain or sever any connection with
the s. w. o. c. Jurgens then left
his offlce and never returned, Damich
added.
Jurgens' police record, involving all
Of his four names, included charges
OF burglary and petty larceny. The
witness identified the record obtained
from the Cleveland police depart
ment and an attached picture Of
himself.
The Jurgens affair was brought into
the hearing as the committee sought
to unravel a tangled web of alleged
spying, double-crossing and intimida-
ton among employees of Republic with
the two dominant forces being the
determination Of the Steel Workers
Organizing Committee to enlist men,
bers of the union and of the corpora
tlon to stop them
The picture was drawn yesterday
afternoon as acknowledged strike
breakers and company spies sat shoul-
der to shoulder with S. w. o. C. or
eanizers and members, Republic exec
utives and company police. Trading
accusations freely, the witnesses sup
plemented their testimony with half
audible asides to others on the stand.
On one occasion a husky Capitol
policeman moved close to the stand as
a strikebreaker threw liar" at a union
organizer Frequently Chairman La
toilette was forced to bring the wit
neSses sharply to order.
Although Republic Vice President