JFK Assassination Plus General Discussion & Debate > JFK Assassination Plus General Discussion And Debate

The assassin's lunch

<< < (4/5) > >>

Colin Crow:
On Saturday November 23 the same day Williams was talking to the FBI Junior Jarman provided the following statement to the DPD.

AFFIDAVIT IN ANY FACT
THE STATE OF TEXAS
COUNTY OF DALLAS
before ME, Patsy Collins, a Notary Public in and for said County, State of Texas, on this day personally appeared James Earl Jarman, Jr., c/m 33, 3942 Atlanta Street, Dallas, Texas HA8-1837 who, after being by me duly sworn, on oath deposes and says:
I work for the Texas School Book Depository, 411 Elm Street, as a Checker on the first floor for Mr. Roy S. Truly. On Friday, November 22, 1963, I got to work at 8:05 a.m. The first time I saw Lee Oswald on Friday, November 22, 1963 was about 8:15 a.m. He was filling orders on the first floor. A little after 9:00 a.m. Lee Oswald asked me what all the people were doing standing on the street. I told him that the President was supposed to come this way sometime this morning. He asked me, "Which way do you think he is coming?". I told him that the President would probably come down Main Street and turn on Houston and then go down Elm Street. He said, "Yes, I see". I only talked with him for about three or four minutes. The last time I saw Lee Oswald on Friday, November 22, 1963 was between 11:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon when he was taking the elevator upstairs to go get some boxes. At about 11:45 a.m. all of the employees who were working on the 6th floor came downstairs and we were all out on the street at about 12:00 o'clock noon. These employees were: Bill Shelley, Charles Givens, Billy Lovelady, Bonnie Ray (last name not known) and a Spanish boy (his name I cannot remember). To my knowledge Lee Oswald was not with us while we were watching the parade.
/s/ James Earl Jarman, Jr.
SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN before ME THIS 23rd DAY OF November A.D. 1963
/s/ Patsy Collins
Notary Public, Dallas County, Texas

As Jarman was an order checker and not part of the floor laying crew his normal work location was the first floor. He provided a time for the floor layers departure of approximately 11.45 and an observation that Oswald ascended sometime after 11.30am. This is consistent with Oswald being observed near the east elevator on the 5th floor during the "elevator race" descent.

There are no details about anything after the shots, the sole focus of this statement is on the prime suspect Oswald and Oswald alone. Jarman offered no details about how many shots or his proximity to them. Specifically there is no mention of the three workers even on the 5th floor at 12.30pm. The implication from his statement was that Bonnie Ray was with them on the street. Worth noting he does not know Williams last name. It could mean that Williams may not have been able to contact Jarman and vice versa to discuss the events after the shooting and before the statements were taken that day.

Colin Crow:
November 24th

Colin Crow:
On Monday the 25th Day returned to the 6th floor to process boxes and take photos. Finally the owner of the chicken lunch is identified. Bonnie Ray admits the lunch was his. Day is only vaguely aware of the bag's final resting place (with bones and unfinished piece inside) after it had been moved to that position on the 22nd, processed by Studebaker by the two-wheeler and taken to HQ by Johnson about 3pm.


Mr. McCLOY. On the crime scene, that is, on the sixth floor, did you notice any chicken bones or chicken remnants of a chicken sandwich or lunch or the whereabouts, if you did see them?
Mr. DAY. Yes, sir; there was a sack of some chicken bones and a bottle brought into the identification bureau. I think I still have that sack and bottle down there. The chicken bones, I finally threw them away that laid around there. In my talking to the men who were working on that floor, November 25, they stated, one of them stated, he had eaten lunch over there.
Mr. McCLOY. Someone other than Oswald?
Mr. DAY. Yes, sir; so I discarded it, or disconnected it with being with Oswald. Incidentally, Oswald's fingerprints were not on the bottle. I checked that.
Mr. McCLOY. They were not on the bottle?
Mr. DAY. No, sir.

Colin Crow:
On Tuesday the 26th November Harold Norman is interviewed for the first time.



As with Jarman's initial statements there was no mention of Williams joining he and Jarman just before the shooting, just that the three were watching the motorcade "about noon" from the fifth floor. Interestingly, he stated that after the first shot he stuck his head out the window and looked upward and pulled back inside after particles fell on him. There were two subsequent shots. They ran to the west end  but he returned to the original position at some later time. He did not recall seeing Oswald at any time that day.

Colin Crow:
December 2 Secret Service Interview
In early December Williams was interviewed by the Secret Service and the following appeared as part the Secret Service Report 491 (WCD87).



In this interview less than two weeks after the assassination Williams again recalls the "elevator race" as they broke for lunch and Oswald calling for the lift. On the 6th floor he sat at windows "in the centre of the building". A Dr Pepper bottle and chicken bones  (no mention of a lunch bag) were left together on the floor. He didn't see or hear anyone and only ate his lunch for a few minutes. The lunch was "finished", not partially eaten, and he left immediately for the 5th floor before 12.15pm. (Note 12.15 is mentioned specifically!). He gets the position he was in on the 5th floor wrong. Heard only 2 shots coming from 6th floor but did not hear shells and bolt action. They went to west side windows and discussed what they should do.
A policeman was seen near the stairway but Williams did not know if he was going up or down (note no mention of arrival by the elevator now). After 5 minutes they took the stairs down.

This interview  essentially provided a similar story to the one he told the FBI the day after the assassination except for some minor variance and added details. He described the lunch consisting of a chicken bone sandwich and a Dr Pepper. Significantly he is sure he left before 12.15pm. No doubt there has been much talk between the TSBD workers of the events of November 22 in the days since it occurred. Apparently he has now abandoned the early idea of moving the lunch break forward by 20 minutes. By this time the others members of the floor laying crew have been interviewed and they generally agreed that the elevator race occurred at about 11.50am.  Remember that Carl Day tells us he spoke with the worker who ate the chicken lunch on November 25th, after Williams initial FBI interview. Day may have (inadvertently) provided a description of the rough position of the chicken and bottle as found by Studebaker after 2pm on November 22 during that discussion. He may not be aware that the bones were found in the sack.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page