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Author Topic: The real Jack Ruby  (Read 13019 times)

Offline Paul May

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The real Jack Ruby
« on: January 25, 2020, 03:05:11 AM »
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By Jeff Meek
January 14, 2020

Former Dallas police officer W.E. “Rusty” Robbins had a ringside seat for aspects of the Nov. 22, 1963 assassination of President Kennedy, which he shared with me during a Dec. 4 interview at his Texas home.

Robbins was born and raised in the Dallas area. In 1953, the U.S. was at war with Korea and Robbins was looking for a way around the draft, so he joined the Air National Guard/Air Police unit. During that time he got to know several Dallas Police Department officers.

“That’s when I decided I wanted to become a police officer,” Robbins said. So on Dec. 26, 1956, be began what became a distinguished 30 years with the department.

Interestingly, before his official training began, he was told the rookie class had already started, how about doing some undercover work? He did, with no badge, no training, no gun, no partner, nothing until he was able to borrow a badge from another officer so he would have something to show when making an arrest.

In rookie school he learned a lot about law, city ordinances, how to take down an offender and self-defense. He worked the north Dallas area with a training partner in the Royal Lane area with cotton fields all around. Eventually he officially became a patrolman in 1957.

“Every day was different than the day before. I think that holds true even today,” said Robbins.

Jumping ahead to November 1963, when he and other officers attended a briefing on President Kennedy’s trip, he was assigned to crowd control for the 1800 block of Main Street which was the street that led into Dealey Plaza where the assassination took place.

As the motorcade approached, Robbins kept his eye on the crowd, but admitted he did glance at the President as his limo passed by. “I saw everything. I was right there on the curb,” said Robbins.

After the motorcade passed, the crowd quickly dispersed and Robbins went back to headquarters. He was changing into his civilian clothes when someone said Kennedy had been shot. He thought it was a joke, but within another minute or 2 he knew it wasn’t.
He put his uniform back on and was told to go to the nearby Sheraton Hotel, to a particular room where the White House Communications team was set up, and assist them as needed. Obtaining a patrol car, Robbins went to the room and a man (to this day he does not know his name) said he needed to get to Love Field to board Air Force One. Minutes later the man came out with communications equipment and off they went with lights and siren. As they entered the airport grounds they could see that the President’s jet was taxiing for takeoff. They were too late. The man told Robbins to drop him at the airport’s front door and he’d catch a commercial flight. Back at headquarters Robbins again changed into his civilian clothes. His Nov. 22 duties were over.

Robbins backtracked a bit to say while at headquarters he also learned that Officer J.D. Tippit had been shot. He knew Tippit and said he was a really good guy.

Two days later, on Nov. 24, nightclub owner Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald in the Dallas P.D. basement. Robbins was at home getting ready to report in. He stopped to watch the transfer of Oswald and saw the shooting. “I told my wife, that’s Jack Ruby,” Robbins said. He knew Ruby from working the area of downtown Dallas where Ruby’s Carousel Club was located. “I had talked to Jack many, many times as well as other bar operators,” he told me. Asked if he ever saw other D.P.D. persons in the club, Robbins said, “never.”

On one occasion Robbins was in the club’s kitchen fixing a pizza and was offered non-alcoholic champagne by Ruby. “So we had a little drink back in the kitchen.”

Back to the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald: he reported in and was told to get a car and go to Parkland Hospital’s morgue. His assignment was to guard the door that led to the room where Oswald’s body was to be autopsied. “I was told not to let anybody through that door. I don’t care if it’s a doctor or the FBI, don’t let them through.”

In online photographs you can see Robbins and another P.D. officer with their shotguns, guarding the area. In one photo you can see a gurney. Under that white sheet lay Oswald’s body. A few photographers asked Robbins if he would let them in the autopsy room for a quick photo. Of course the answer was no.

About 2 hours later he was told to get a car and be ready to be part of an escort of Oswald’s body over to Fort Worth. He did so and explained that about halfway, Fort Worth P.D. took over the escort and D.P.D. came back to Dallas.

Later, Robbins told me he was asked if he wanted to see Oswald’s body, which he did briefly. “The sheet (covering Oswald) was pulled all the way down to his waist,” Robbins remembers. Thus ended a wild weekend for Robbins who said of the aftermath of the killings that police just went about their business.

At this point I asked him again about Jack Ruby. He then told me of a time when the 2 of them went bowling. “This is a very important point I’d like to make,” he said. After making a stop at Ruby’s apartment, they went to the bowling alley where Robbins worked part time as security for the parking lot. He described a frame in which Ruby bowled a strike. “He was so thrilled, he had finally done something,” Robbins explained. Further. he said Ruby went to the lanes to the right and left telling other bowlers what he’d done. “Nobody cared except Jack.

He was wanting recognition for bowling that strike. Later when he had the opportunity to shoot Oswald it was like bowling that strike. It was a chance to be somebody. I do not believe that there is any other reason why Jack Ruby shot him.” Robbins doesn’t believe the Mafia or anyone else told Ruby to kill Oswald. “This was just his chance to be somebody.“
What about Oswald? Was he a lone assassin? Robbins said he doesn’t know, but prefers to think Oswald did it alone.

Asked if he thought Ruby had mob connections, Robbins said Ruby worked in the area where the mob was present and invited them to his club. “But beyond that I really doubt it. He added, “Jack was a failure. Jack had several different (business) places that served beer and every one of them had gone under. There were 3 places like that downtown and his was the poorest of the 3, had the least number of customers. He was a failure.”

After 30 years with the Dallas police force Robbins worked a few other jobs including with the Department of Transportation as a parking enforcement officer and also with the Texas Lottery Commission.


 
« Last Edit: January 25, 2020, 03:05:56 AM by Paul May »

JFK Assassination Forum

The real Jack Ruby
« on: January 25, 2020, 03:05:11 AM »


Offline Paul May

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Re: The real Jack Ruby
« Reply #1 on: January 27, 2020, 02:41:44 AM »
This is semi interesting. This story is about a Dallas cop who knew Jack Ruby; who socialized with Jack Ruby. A cop who knew what a failure in life Ruby was. And knowing that, gave his belief on why Ruby shot Oswald. Yet due to conspiratorial bias, not one CT has commented. Not one. This demonstrates, it nothing else, how most CT’s don’t want the truth. They are so paranoid as if the truth of the event would shatter their entire belief system. Scary.

Offline Thomas Graves

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Re: The real Jack Ruby
« Reply #2 on: January 27, 2020, 02:53:41 AM »
This is semi interesting. This story is about a Dallas cop who knew Jack Ruby; who socialized with Jack Ruby. A cop who knew what a failure in life Ruby was. And knowing that, gave his belief on why Ruby shot Oswald. Yet due to conspiratorial bias, not one CT has commented. Not one. This demonstrates, it nothing else, how most CT’s don’t want the truth. They are so paranoid as if the truth of the event would shatter their entire belief system. Scary.

Paul

I kinda like the idea that Ruby was connected to Castro agent Santo Trafficante, and was ordered to hit Oswald.

Does that qualify?

--  MWT  ;)

JFK Assassination Forum

Re: The real Jack Ruby
« Reply #2 on: January 27, 2020, 02:53:41 AM »


Offline Paul May

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Re: The real Jack Ruby
« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2020, 03:38:34 AM »
Paul

I kinda like the idea that Ruby was connected to Castro agent Santo Trafficante, and was ordered to hit Oswald.

Does that qualify?

--  MWT  ;)
doesn’t qualify to me. Ruby was a bit player who in all likely hood was not on Trafficante’s radar.

Offline Thomas Graves

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Re: The real Jack Ruby
« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2020, 03:47:57 AM »
doesn’t qualify to me. Ruby was a bit player who in all likely hood was not on Trafficante’s radar.

LOL

I would think that mobbed-up potential hitmen with local police connections don't have to have a particularly high status in the underworld to be called upon to do a job ... "or else".

You do realize, don't  you, that under my scenario, he would have been doing it for Castro, who in turn, could have been doing it for Khrushchev.

--  MWT  ;)
« Last Edit: January 27, 2020, 03:52:12 AM by Thomas Graves »

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Re: The real Jack Ruby
« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2020, 03:47:57 AM »


Offline Jack Trojan

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Re: The real Jack Ruby
« Reply #5 on: January 27, 2020, 05:08:37 AM »
Ruby stalked Oswald as per instructions. He was in compliance with the DPD, who were obvious conspirators in the Big Event.

Why else would Ruby have done it?


Offline Ted Shields

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Re: The real Jack Ruby
« Reply #6 on: January 27, 2020, 11:36:53 AM »
Ruby stalked Oswald as per instructions. He was in compliance with the DPD, who were obvious conspirators in the Big Event.

Why else would Ruby have done it?

Because he was a delusional hothead. Remember, he shot Oswald in the stomach.

"They" take out the assassin with a bullet to the stomach, giving them a 90% chance of survival (up to 98% if you can get quickly to a hospital as is the case here) and guaranteeing Oswald would spill the beans after likely surviving the attempt on his life.

Heres a study of 300 patients with abdominal gunshot wounds.

"The overall survival rate for the series was 88.3%; however, if only the 226 patients without vascular injuries are considered, the survival rate was 97.3%."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1493651/

Ruby got either very lucky or very unlucky depending on how you see it. The chances of him killing Oswald with that shot were tiny. If Jim Leavelle hadn't have pulled Oswald sideways slightly the bullet wouldn't have hit those organs and he could have easily survived. It was a total fluke that he died.

Not a mob hit.

JFK Assassination Forum

Re: The real Jack Ruby
« Reply #6 on: January 27, 2020, 11:36:53 AM »


Offline John Iacoletti

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Re: The real Jack Ruby
« Reply #7 on: January 27, 2020, 03:24:45 PM »
Ruby got either very lucky or very unlucky depending on how you see it. The chances of him killing Oswald with that shot were tiny. If Jim Leavelle hadn't have pulled Oswald sideways slightly the bullet wouldn't have hit those organs and he could have easily survived. It was a total fluke that he died.

Nobody ever said he was a particular competent hit man. Just that he had access.