Sorry CT's, the Mountain of Evidence is Overwhelming!

[John Iacoletti]

There’s no reason whatsoever to consider Tatum a “stronger” witness — or indeed to even believe he was there that day. Nobody else at the scene made any mention of him.

But if Burt and Smith saw a man walking west right before the shooting then who else could it be other than the man witnesses saw leave the Tippit scene down Patton?

[John Iacoletti]

Of course.
And the exact time Oswald left the rooming house (if we assume he is the shooter).
If Oswald was on the shooter why would he be walking east up 10th?
In order for him to be at this location around the time of the shooting he must have hurried from the rooming house to 10th and Patton. Why would he be in a hurry?
The bus transfer ticket provides potential solutions for these questions.

But then that raises the question, if Oswald was so determined to use a bus transfer, why would he pay for a cab at all and then take the time to have a cab drop him off in a place that would require him to have to hurry so much in order to use it? Speculation can take you anywhere.

[Martin Weidmann]

I was under the impression that the bus transfer was only valid for 15 minutes from the moment of it being issued. If that is correct, the transfer would have expired by the time Oswald got to the roominghouse.

[Charles Collins]

David Belin, in his book: “November 22, 1963: You Are The Jury” writes that his theory is pure conjecture. Then goes on to explain, after explaining some of his research, how it could possibly be correct. On page 427, regarding the bus transfer, he writes:

  I was also correct in my hypothesis that a city transit company bus could be boarded at the intersection of Marsalis and Jefferson Streets near the scene of the Tippit murder, which went along Lancaster Road past the Lisbon flag stop. Finally, I was correct that the transfer would be valid for that bus. The rules of the bus line provided that the transfer was ordinarily valid for 15 minutes. However, the Lancaster Road bus route at that time had buses scheduled only every hour. If the bus for which the transfer was being used was scheduled an hour later, the transfer would be good for that bus, regardless of the time that had transpired after leaving the bus from which the transfer was obtained. In other words, the Marsalis bus line driver gave Oswald a transfer cut at 1:00 pm. However, the next bus at Lancaster Road would not have arrived at the transfer point until after 1:30. Accordingly, the transfer that Oswald had in his pocket was good for the Lancaster bus route.

[Martin Weidmann]

David Belin, in his book: “November 22, 1963: You Are The Jury” writes that his theory is pure conjecture. Then goes on to explain, after explaining some of his research, how it could possibly be correct. On page 427, regarding the bus transfer, he writes:

  I was also correct in my hypothesis that a city transit company bus could be boarded at the intersection of Marsalis and Jefferson Streets near the scene of the Tippit murder, which went along Lancaster Road past the Lisbon flag stop. Finally, I was correct that the transfer would be valid for that bus. The rules of the bus line provided that the transfer was ordinarily valid for 15 minutes. However, the Lancaster Road bus route at that time had buses scheduled only every hour. If the bus for which the transfer was being used was scheduled an hour later, the transfer would be good for that bus, regardless of the time that had transpired after leaving the bus from which the transfer was obtained. In other words, the Marsalis bus line driver gave Oswald a transfer cut at 1:00 pm. However, the next bus at Lancaster Road would not have arrived at the transfer point until after 1:30. Accordingly, the transfer that Oswald had in his pocket was good for the Lancaster bus route.

Even if true, is there any evidence that Oswald knew this?

[Charles Collins]

Belin’s theory is pure conjecture. He states that using those exact words. He says that LHO regularly used the buses in Dallas and believed that LHO would know the rules.

[Dan O'meara]

I was under the impression that the bus transfer was only valid for 15 minutes from the moment of it being issued. If that is correct, the transfer would have expired by the time Oswald got to the roominghouse.

The bus transfer was valid for 15 minutes after the time specified on the transfer.
The time on the bus transfer ticket was 1:00pm and was valid until 1:15pm
McWatters explains it in his WC testimony:

Mr. Ball: Well now, do you punch the transfer when the passenger asks for it?

Mr. Mcwatters: No. No, sir; in other words, when you leave this, you are inbound when you are going into town or when you are going, in other words, out of town, in other words.
I was coming in, in other words, when I got in Lakewood Addition I set my transfers for downtown.

Mr. Ball: For downtown and you set them for what time?

Mr. Mcwatters: I set them for 1 o'clock.