Mr. KENNEDY. Did you know a man by the name of W. A. Smith? Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir; I knew him as "Hard of Hearing" Smith. Mr. KENNEDY. "Hard of Hearing" Smith?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

Mr. KENNEDY. Do you know where he was from?

Mrs. FREELS. He was from local 327, Nashville, Tenn.

Mr. KENNEDY. Did you understand that he was a business agent of local 327 in Nashville?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

Mr. KENNEDY. Now, did you hear any conversation or was it ever mentioned to you in the office of the teamsters in Knoxville regarding the shooting that occurred in June of 1955?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir, I heard W. J. Reynolds, the business agent, and Hubert L. Payne, the secretary-treasurer of local 621, discussing the shooting that occurred with the B. &. S. Motor Lines.

Mr. KENNEDY. What did Mr. Reynolds say regarding the problem or the trouble he had had in connection with that company?

Mrs. FREELS. He said that he was, he was telling me about the bullet ricochetting through the windshield and he said that it was a good thing that it hit the steering wheel, because it would have hit the driver and killed him. And I know that Hard of Hearing Smith was in town that day because he called into the office, and I took the call from the Farragut Hotel.

Mr. KENNEDY. From the Farragut Hotel?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

Mr. KENNEDY. And he called your office; is that right?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

Mr. KENNEDY. He had a conversation with whom?

Mrs. FREELS. He talked to Mr. Reynolds.

Mr. KENNEDY. Did you learn subsequently that they had been together that evening, the evening of June 12?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir. Mr. Reynolds was telling about being with Smithy at that time and he asked me to send some flowers to the hos pital, which I did. He also stated that the flowers should be sent to W. A. Smith, Maryville Hospital, and that the only thing on the card should be "From a Friend" so that no one knew that local 621 would be connected with that shooting.

The CHAIRMAN. With what?

Mrs. FREELS. With the shooting.

The CHAIRMAN. So that no one would know that local 327 was connected with that shooting?

Mrs. FREELS. No, sir, local 621.

The CHAIRMAN. 621. So that no one would know that local 621 was connected with the shooting?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir, and I would like to state during this time, we had a gun to leave the safe.

The CHAIRMAN. Had what?

Mrs. FREELS. Had a gun to leave the safe. It was kept in the safe. I don't know if this would be the right gun or not, but they kept a Magnum.

The CHAIRMAN. Kept what?

Mrs. FREELS. A Magnum. That is what they told me that it was. I don't know one gun from the other. But this Magnum left the safe during that time and it was not returned.

The CHAIRMAN. You mean there was a gun that they had kept in the safe?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Reynolds had kept it there?

Mrs. FREELS. I don't know who it belonged to, but sometimes it would leave by both agents. Maybe one agent would come in and get it, take it out for a while and then maybe another agent would come in and get it.

The CHAIRMAN. During the time it was out, would there be reports of these shootings on the highway?

Mrs. FREELS. Well, now, I didn't know too much about the shootings. All I knew was just the discussion.

The CHAIRMAN. On this occasion that Mr. Smith was there and on the occasion that you were instructed to send him flowers a day or two afterward, on that occasion when he was in town and when he and Mr. Reynolds were together and when you heard these conversations, the gun was out of the safe?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. It was gone; it was never returned after that?
Mrs. FREELS. No; it never came back.

The CHAIRMAN. Did Mr. John T. Reynolds, the crime investigator for the State of Tennessee, ever contact you and try to get the information you had about this matter?

Mrs. FREELS. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Did anyone else ever contact you, any other officer, law-enforcement officers, and try to find out what you knew about it? Mrs. FREELS. No, sir. Mr. Reynolds made the statement that they talked to the officers and got them to go along with it, I am sorry to say. The CHAIRMAN. Oh, Mr. Reynolds of the labor union, the local, you heard him say that he had talked to the officers?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. And had gotten them to go along with it?
Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. What did you understand he meant by that?

Mrs. FREELS. Well, he told this one incident that happened. He said they placed a guard on Hard of Hearing Smitty's door while he was in the Maryville Hospital, and before that he took him to the hospital, and he talked with some law enforcement and asked him to keep it quiet. Then this guard was placed on the door and the day that they got Hard of Hearing Smitty out of the hospital, they asked this guard to turn his back until they could get him out.

The CHAIRMAN. That was a law-enforcement guard?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. They were protecting him?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you know who served as that guard?

Mrs. FREELS. No, sir; I don't.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you know what branch of the law-enforcement

agencies he represented?

Mrs. FREELS. No, sir. That was the only thing I heard.

The CHAIRMAN. That they had placed a guard there to keep anyone

from bothering him?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

89330-58-pt. 18- -6

The CHAIRMAN. That is to keep anyone from interrogating him, I guess.

Mrs. FREELS. That is right.

The CHAIRMAN. When they went to get him, they had the guard turn away as if he did not see him?

Mrs. FREELS. That is right.

The CHAIRMAN. That is the information you got?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Whom did you get that from?

Mrs. FREELS. That was told by Mr. Reynolds. He was discussing that with Mr. Payne pro and con.

The CHAIRMAN. They were discussing it pro and con?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. They had that fixed with law-enforcement officers so nothing would be done about it?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

Mr. KENNEDY. Did he tell you, Mr. Reynolds or Mr. Payne, or Mr. Reynolds specifically, anything about the actual shooting, as to where he had been that night or anything about the B. & S. Trucking Co?

Mrs. FREELS. He did tell me that it was a B. & S. Freight Lines. It seems to me like there is a junction, that they came to a certain junction, but they did not come on into Knoxville and they had to

meet the truck there.

Mr. KENNEDY. Did he describe the event or say anything about having trouble with the B. & S. Freight Lines?

Mrs. FREELS. No, sir.

Mr. KENNEDY. He did not say he had trouble with B. & S.?

Mrs. FREELS. No, sir. Then later the conversation was, well, after Hard of Hearing Smitty came back to the office, which was several weeks later, they were discussing the shooting and Smitty said, “Reynolds, I believe you shot me." So they laughed about it.

Mr. KENNEDY. Did Reynolds come into the office on Monday morning, June 13? Do you remember that?

Mrs. FREELS. I don't remember the date.

Mr. KENNEDY. You don't remember if he came in the next day after Smitty was sent to the hospital?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir; he was in the office the next morning early after Smitty had been entered into the hospital.

Mr. KENNEDY. Did he make any comment at that time?

Mrs. FREELS. That is when he asked me to send the flowers.

Mr. KENNEDY. Who paid for the flowers?

Mrs. FREELS. Teamsters' Local 621.

The CHAIRMAN. Did you carry out instructions and send the flowers just in the name of a friend, without sending it in the name of

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. I present to you a photostatic copy of a bill which appears to be a bill for flowers, and ask you if this is a bill for the flowers you sent Hard of Hearing Smitty.

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir; this is the bill, but my message was not put on it.

The CHAIRMAN. They did not put the message. Well, the bill is something you received. That is the bill you received for the flowers you sent and the message you put on it.

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Received in the name of the local and it was paid by the local.

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. That may be made exhibit No. 6.

(Document referred to was marked "Exhibit No. 6," for reference and will be found in the appendix on p. 7501.)

The CHAIRMAN. All right, you may proceed.

Mr. KENNEDY. I just want to move on to another event you have information on. I want to ask you if anybody in the union who opposed Mr. Reynolds or any of the other individuals was ever taken care of or beaten up. Did that ever occur?

Mrs. FREELS. Regarding members of the local?

Mr. KENNEDY. Yes. Do you know of that ever occurring?
Mrs. FREELS. Yes; I know Eugene Evans was beaten up.

Mr. KENNEDY. Who is Eugene Evans?

Mrs. FREELS. He was an employee of Robinson Freight Lines, a member of local 621.

Mr. KENNEDY. What was the trouble with Eugene Evans, according to Mr. Reynolds?

Mrs. FREELS. He had been out of work for quite some time. I believe he had a case before the board and he didn't hear from the case, he could not get any work out of local 621, and he needed help, I suppose, for his family. So he kept coming to the local asking questions and he would get up in the meetings and ask questions. It seemed that Mr. Payne and Mr. Reynolds sort of got tired of that. So they termed him as an "agitator."

The CHAIRMAN. Termed him what?

Mrs. FREELS. Termed him as an "agitator."

The CHAIRMAN. All he was agitating was to get some work to support his family?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Proceed.

Mrs. FREELS. Mr. Reynolds made the statement that he would have him taken care of. So he called Nashville. I don't know who he talked to but he called Nashville and a day or so later I had a stranger come into the office.

Mr. KENNEDY. He did call Nashville and a stranger appeared at the office at that time?

Mrs. FREELS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Counsel, making the presentation to get the record in proper shape, prefers to interrogate you about that aspect of it a little later, so if you will please stand aside, we will recall you at a later time.

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Eugene Evans.

The CHAIRMAN. Will you come around, please? Will you please be sworn? Do you solemnly swear that the evidence you shall give before this Senate select committee shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

Mr. EVANS. I do.

TESTIMONY OF EUGENE EVANS

The CHAIRMAN. State your name and your place of residence and your business or occupation.

Mr. EVANS. Eugene Evans, 300 A Street, Knoxville, Tenn.

present time I am a school-bus driver at Mineral City, which is in Lowden County.

The CHAIRMAN. You waive the right to counsel; do you?

Mr. EVANS. I think so; I don't think that I need counsel.
The CHAIRMAN. You do not think you need an attorney?
Mr. EVANS. No.

The CHAIRMAN. What was your former job or position before you started driving the school bus?

Mr. EVANS. Well, immediately before that I was unemployed, except extra. Before that time I had been employed by a company by the name of Robertson Freight Lines, Knoxville, Tenn.

Mr. KENNEDY. You were a member of the teamsters' union; were you?

Mr. EVANS. I was.

Mr. KENNEDY. Were you having any difficulty with Mr. Reynolds of that union?

Mr. EVANS. Yes, sir; I had some, quite a bit; yes, sir.

Mr. KENNEDY. Would you tell us how that originated, and what occurred?

Mr. EVANS. Well, to start the whole thing, what turned him against me, I think, and I am sure was that at the time that I had my first trouble with this Robinson, where I was fired over a strike, he run for agent of this local, and president of the local. I didn't have anything against him personally at the time, but I just was for another officer that was running against him, which he defeated. From that time on, it was pretty rough on me.

Mr. KENNEDY. Then did you have some complaint regarding his handling your charges of unfair labor practices against this company, the Robinson Freight Lines?

Mr. EVANS. As I said, that was the start of it. That is when he was elected. My main part that I had against him, as Mrs. Freels said, I was out of work and I was trying to get a settlement on my case, which I couldn't get. During this time Reynolds and the company, and some agent from Kingsport and Nashville set up a meeting with this company that had employed me. They made an agreement that all unfair labor practices against the company would be dropped by them. I found out about this when they had the meeting. I was supposed to be down there, and they left me out of it.

The CHAIRMAN. They did not let you know about the meeting? Mr. EVANS. Not until after it had been held, and I found this out myself.

The CHAIRMAN. You had no notice to be present, to present your case or discuss the matter with them?

Mr. EVANS. No.

The CHAIRMAN. All right.

Mr. EVANS. During this time there was proof, I got hold of a statement or something written down on paper, where they had agreed to withdraw the cases, which they did and I found out about this, and Reynolds denied all of this. Of course, I knew he was in on it him