Post by Rob Caprio on Aug 4, 2021 16:31:17 GMT -5
All portions are ©️ Robert Caprio 2006-2024
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The Warren Commission (WC) spun a tale regarding how Lee Harvey Oswald (LHO) managed to get the alleged murder weapon into the Texas School Book Depository (TSBD) Building. Let's look at the package they claimed he used to do so. They claimed LHO made a package out of materials he found in the TSBD, but FAILED to show that he ever did.
Here is the initial introduction of the bag into evidence via testimony by Paul Stombaugh of the FBI.
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Mr. EISENBERG. If there are no further questions on the shirt, I will move on to another item. Mr. Stombaugh, I now hand you a homemade paper bag, Commission Exhibit 142, which parenthetically has also received another Exhibit No. 626, and ask you whether you are familiar with this item?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes; I am.
Mr. EISENBERG. Does that have your mark on it?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. At the time I examined this, it was to be treated for latent fingerprints subsequent to my examination, and in a case like this I will not put a mark on the item itself because my mark might cover a latent fingerprint which is later brought up, and therefore obscure it.
In this particular instance, I made a drawing of this bag on my notes with the various sizes and description of it to refresh my memory at a later date.
This violates how evidence is handled. We are supposed to use a "drawing" he made of the bag as proof CE 142 is the SAME bag he examined? The actual piece of evidence is supposed to be initialed, and he obviously could tell where there were prints and where there weren't so his EXCUSE for failing to do this is quite lame. I guess we have to just take the WC's word for it, huh?
Mr. EISENBERG. And it is--looking at those notes and as you remember now-- this is the bag?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. This is the bag.
I guess IF you say so! What else do we have to go on? NOTHING.
We also have a different color in the mix!
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, this bag has an area of very light-brown color, and the greater portion of the area is a quite dark-brownish color. What was the color when you originally received it?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. When I originally received this it was a light-brown color.
Where did the dark-brownish color come from IF it is the SAME bag he initially tested?
Ditto the tape?
Mr. EISENBERG. The tape is also two colors, one a lightish brown and the other a darkish brown. What color was the tape when you received it?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. The tape also was light brown.
Again, how is the evidence *changing* while in custody? How did Stombaugh think the bag was made?
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you form any opinions as you examined it, concerning the construction of the bag?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. When I looked at the bag and examined it, it struck me as being a homemade bag such as I could make. Occasionally I will have a need for something like this at home. Therefore, I will take some brown paper and a strip of tape home with me. Then when I get home I will fold the tape fold the paper rather--in the shape I need--and to seal it up I will tear strips of the sealing tape from the little piece I have.
Here we find that this tape has been torn at several places, such as one would do in an instance like that. Due to these torn edges, I was under the impression, from looking at the bag, that it was a homemade bag which someone had made at home and they did not have a tape dispenser which machine-cuts tape. Therefore, they had to tear it, which they did--or cut it, of course with a knife. And this is the case where pieces of tape were torn.
The problem with this explanation will be seen soon enough, but based on the type of tape used at the TSBD this would be IMPOSSIBLE for LHO to do. And yet, the WC kept insisting he did.
Mr. EISENBERG. What I am referring to is this: on the basis of that would you draw an inference that the person had taken---whoever made this bag---had taken two lengths of tape from a dispensing machine and had subsequently torn it up into smaller strips, or do you think he had one length of tape from a dispensing machine which he subsequently tore up into smaller strips?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. From the ends that I could see, now I don't know whether there were any ends underneath which I did not have a chance to look at, I don't have anything in my notes, but from what I can see it would appear he took a strip of tape, machine-cut from a dispenser, and used that entire strip, thus using up both ends of the tape because we have two machine--cut ends.
Again, as we will see this was IMPOSSIBLE for LHO, or "whoever made the bag", to do this with the tape at the TSBD.
Stombaugh would testify to the package having "no creases, folds or bulges" in it. OF course, when asked if this was normal, he claimed NOT to be an expert in paper, so we received NO answer. Common sense would dictate if you put a heavy object in a paper bag it will leave creases, folds and bulges.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you notice any bulges or creases or folds apart from the fold used in making of the bag?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. No; I didn't. I noticed that one end of the bag had been torn.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, would you say that the absence of bulges would be inconsistent with the carrying of a heavy object or an irregularly shaped object in the bag?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Well, I don't believe I am qualified to answer that question, because I actually am not an expert in paper.
Mr. EISENBERG. All right. We will leave that to the questioned document examiner and we will take it up with him.
Can anyone tell me who this person was? I'd be interested in reading the answer if they did ask someone else.
Now, how about the inside of the bag and what was found there.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you proceed to examine the inside of the paper bag to see if there were any foreign objects?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes; I did.
Mr. EISENBERG. What were your conclusions?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. I removed the debris from the inside of the bag by opening the bag as best I could, and tapping it and knocking the debris on to a small piece of white paper, and I found a very small number of fibers. Upon examining these fibers, I found a single brown, delustered, viscose fiber and several light-green cotton fibers from the inside of the bag. I also found a minute particle of wood and a single particle of a waxy substance.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you attach any significance to the particle of wood, Mr. Stombaugh?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. No; it was too minute for identification purposes. It could have come from any surface, including the bag itself. Sometimes all of the wood used in the manufacture of paper doesn't go into a pulp, and this might be a very tiny such fragment.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you examine the wood fragment?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. I looked at it microscopically.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you attempt to compare it with the wood or the Exhibit 139, which is a rifle?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes; the wood particle from the bag was too minute for comparison purposes. There wasn't much you could do with it, it was very small.
Another time they found NO match. How about the wax found inside the bag? Did that match the wax found on the shirt (CE-150)?
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you attach any significance to the body wax--or to the wax, I should say?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. The wax particle I noticed, and I recalled having seen wax on the shirt, Exhibit No. 673, so therefore I put that aside for a spectrographic examination and comparison of the wax particle from the inside of the bag with the wax from the shirt.
Mr. EISENBERG. And what were the results?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. They were entirely different.
Oh well, you can't win them all, huh? In the case of the WC they NEVER seem to win any! It seemed they were onto something, but as usual it fizzled out.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now you also said there were several fibers, Mr. Stombaugh?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes, sir; I did. There was a single brown delustered viscose fiber and several light-green cotton fibers.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did this single brown viscose fiber match the fibers from the blanket, Exhibit 140?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes; it did.
Wow! This sounds promising for the WC and the LNers on here who want to lay all the blame on LHO.
Mr. EISENBERG. In what characteristics were they matched?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. The fibers in the blanket had a large number of brown viscose fibers, delustered and one fiber I found in the bag was also a viscose fiber of the same type and color as seen under a low-powered microscope. The delustering spots seen on the fiber were the same size, and both fibers were approximately the same diameter.
Mr. EISENBERG. How common is viscose, Mr. Stombaugh, as a fiber?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Viscose is fairly common. It is used in many types of garments; it depends on the quality of the garment.
Mr. EISENBERG. And this was delustered viscose, did you say?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes.
Mr. EISENBERG. How common is delustered viscose?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. It is most common, I would say. It is more common than lustrous.
Oh shucks, and it sounded so promising too! The WC did NOT let up trying to get a match though.
Mr. EISENBERG. But the fiber you found in the paper bag, 142, matched the fibers you found in the Exhibit 140?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes, sir; but the viscose fibers in the blanket varied in size also.
Mr. EISENBERG. To what extent?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. There were 10 to 15 different diameters of viscose in this blanket. It appeared to me as if the blanket was made of scrap viscose, scrap fibers.
Mr. EISENBERG. So that the diameters would be random?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. They were random; yes, sir.
Again, the WC had high hopes when this was said.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, what about the green cotton fiber that you found in the paper bag, Mr. Stombaugh, how did that compare with the green cotton fiber--was it a green cotton fiber that your testimony mentioned?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes; there were several light green cotton fibers.
Mr. EISENBERG. How did they compare with the green cotton fibers which are contained in the composition of the blanket?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. These matched in all observable microscopic characteristics.
Mr. EISENBERG. And those were what?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. The color and the amount of twist of the cotton fibers were the same as the color and twist found in these. Mainly the color is what we go by on cotton.
Perhaps the WC had something here. How common are cotton fibers though?
Mr. EISENBERG. How common is cotton as a fiber, Mr. Stombaugh?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Cotton is the most common fiber used.
Ugh, another setback. What was Stombaugh comparing anyway? Was it a FULL fiber? NO.
Mr. EISENBERG. Could you tell what kind of cotton you were dealing with in the blanket?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. No; because here we are not dealing with a full-length cotton fiber. We are dealing with a fragment of a single fiber.
Why didn't Stombaugh even note HOW many fibers he found in the bag? Doesn't this seem odd?
Mr. EISENBERG. Do you recall how many green cotton fibers you found in the paper bag?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. I have here in my notes "several"
Mr. EISENBERG. Yes?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. I have here in my notes "several light green cotton fibers," which would be approximately two or three.
This may be a silly question, but why NOT simply write "two" or "three" instead of several then? This strikes me as quite odd. The biggest part of any scientific and/or criminal investigation is accuracy and detail oriented notes. This seems to me like it could have been made up later on. What do you think?
Also, nothing else would be found inside the bag. NO scratches from the rifle and definitely NO oil from it either.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you find anything else within the bag, Mr. Stombaugh?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. No, sir; that is all I found inside the bag.
Now, for the million dollar question and a very long-winded answer.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, what do you think the degree of probability is, if you can form an opinion, that the fibers from the bag, fibers in the bag, ultimately came from the blanket?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. When you get into mathematical probabilities, it is something I stay away from, since in general there are too many unknown factors. All I would say here is that it is possible that these fibers could have come. from this blanket, because this blanket is composed of brown and green woolen fibers, brown and green delustered viscose fibers, and brown and green cotton fibers.
Now these 3 different types of fibers have 6 different general colors, and if we would multiply that, say by a minimum of 5 different shades of each so you would have 30 different shades you are looking for, and 3 different types of fibers. Here we have only found 1 brown viscose fiber, and 2 or 3 light green cotton fibers. We found no brown cotton fibers, no green viscose fibers, and no woolen fibers.
So if I had found all of these then I would have been able to say these fibers probably had come from this blanket. But since I found so few, then I would say the possibility exists, these fibers could have come from this blanket.
This is hardly a ringing endorsement. In fact, based on what was IN EVIDENCE he is saying the best he can give is a "could have" which is NOT that impactful. The defense could go back to the point about cotton fibers being the most common and showing they "could have" come from many other sources too.
The WC, and its current day defenders, live in the world of "could have", but this is NOT the same as DID. In no instance in this case could the WC show one of their claims actually happened. Instead, they relied HEAVILY on the "could have", "might have" and "just because we can't show it did happen that way doesn't mean it didn't happen that way" mentality. NONE of these carry much weight in a court of law.
Now, let's look at the testimony of the man who oversaw the area where materials to make packages/bags were kept in the TSBD. Did he ever say he saw LHO?
Mr. BELIN - What do you do for the Texas School Book Depository?
Mr. WEST - Well, I am a mail wrapper.
Mr. BELIN - You are a mail wrapper?
Mr. WEST - I wrap mail all the time.
Mr. BELIN - Were you doing that on November 22nd of 1963 too? Were you a mail wrapper at that time back in last November?
Mr. WEST - Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN - Did you go to work on November 22, 1963? That was a Friday, the day the President was assassinated.
Mr. WEST - Yes; I went to work that day.
Mr. BELIN - What time did you get to work?
Mr. WEST - Well, we always get to work - we are supposed to be there at 8 in the morning.
Mr. BELIN - You got there at 8 that morning?
Mr. WEST - Yes, I always, most of the time I got there a little early.
Mr. BELIN - Do you remember what time you got to work that particular morning?
Mr. WEST - It was about 10 minutes to 8. I always be 5 or 10 minutes early.
So we see he arrived at about ten minutes to eight in the morning. The ONLY thing he did was make coffee in the same general area as his workspace.
Mr. BELIN - Where did you make the coffee?
Mr. WEST - Well, it is down on the first floor in the same department where I wrap mail at.
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Mr. BELIN - When did you quit for lunch that day?
Mr. WEST - Well, we always quit at 12 o'clock in the day.
Mr. BELIN - Is that when you quit on November 22nd?
Mr. WEST - Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN - Then what did you do?
Mr. WEST - Well, I went in and washed my hands and face and then got ready to put my coffee on. I always made coffee at 12. Make it in the morning, and then I make it about 12, between 12 and 12:30.
Mr. BELIN - Then what did you do? Did you put your coffee on?
Mr. WEST - Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN - In the west part of the floor where you generally work?
Mr. WEST - Yes.
So, as we can see, he rarely left his workspace at all. He left for a minute or so to wash his face and hands, and then was right back to make coffee. He even eats his lunch at the wrapping area.
Mr. BELIN - Where did you get your lunch?
Mr. WEST - Well, I always kept my lunch right there close by my machine, by my wrapping machine that I use all the time, that I always kept my lunch. I have a little place underneath and I keep it there all the time.
Now the WC asks if he is the ONLY one that wraps the mail and he says no. Then they ask about LHO.
Mr. BELIN - Did Lee Harvey Oswald ever help you wrap mail?
Mr. WEST - No, sir; he never did.
Mr. BELIN - Do you know whether or not he ever borrowed or used any wrapping paper for himself?
Mr. WEST - No, sir; I don't.
Mr. BELIN - You don't know?
Mr. WEST - No; I don't.
Mr. BELIN - Did you ever see him around these wrapper rolls or wrapper roll machines, or not?
Mr. WEST - No, sir; I never noticed him being around.
Mr. BELIN - Are they paper machines with the rolls of wrapping paper? You have some gum there too, for taping it? When you wrap it, would you tape it with some tape?
Mr. WEST - No, sir; I never seen him.
Three times he said he never saw LHO and he also avoided the chance to "guess" like many other witnesses did. What did the WC do? They obsessed on the type of tape used by him. I won't list all of that.
Mr. BELIN - Did you have any kind of tape, sticky tape that you would put on the paper to keep it together, or was that somewhere else?
Mr. WEST - Oh, yes, sir; I used some of that wide tape.
Mr. BELIN - Is that sticky tape?
Mr. WEST - Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN - To seal the package with?
Mr. WEST - Yes, sir; that's right. And then I tie it, put it on the machine and tie it.
Mr. BELIN - Is yours the only place that they have the sticky tape?
Mr. WEST - Well, that is the only place that is supposed to be, you know.
Mr. BELIN - Could other employees come and pick up some of the tape for themselves?
Mr. WEST - Yes, sir; they could come get it if they wanted to use it, but all the time it was there where it is supposed to be.
Mr. BELIN - Did other employees from time to time come and borrow some of that tape at all, or use it? Would other employees ever use any of the tape for themselves?
Mr. WEST - Not as far as I know of now.
Now for the key part. Remember when Stombaugh and the WC acted like LHO could have taken the tape from the TSBD and use it later? Well that is IMPOSSIBLE because it is tape that is made sticky by WETTING IT!
Mr. BELIN - If I wanted to use any of that tape, you know the tape you use to seal it, is there a way to make the tape wet so I don't have to lick it myself with my tongue to make it wet and sticky? Or how do you get it to be sticky and stick together?
Mr. WEST - Well, we have those machines with the little round ball that we fill them up with water, and so we set them up. In to--other words, I got a rack that we set them in, and so we put out tape in a machine, and whenever we pull the tape through, why then the water gets, you know, it gets water on it as we pull it through.
Mr. BELIN - If I wanted to pull the tape, pull off a piece without getting water on it, would I just lift it up without going over the wet roller and get the tape without getting it wet?
Mr. WEST - You would have to take it out. You would have to take it out of the machine. See, it's put on there and then run through a little clamp that holds it down, and you pull it, well, then the water, it gets water on it.
So how long would this take? Would LHO even know how do this? The chances of this are highly remote IMO. Couldn't Stombaugh tell this was the type of tape used? Why didn't he mention it?
Since the tape was "WET" when it came out it would be IMPOSSIBLE for LHO to take it home as claimed and use it at a later time as suggested. IF you have ever used wet tape you know how it is worthless once it dries.
We also have to remember the FBI admitted to damaging the bag while testing it. All this leads to a very dubious conclusion regarding the WC's claim. Also, NO photo or other evidence was ever presented showing us a package/bag of the type described here was ever found in the alleged SN as claimed.
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The Warren Commission (WC) spun a tale regarding how Lee Harvey Oswald (LHO) managed to get the alleged murder weapon into the Texas School Book Depository (TSBD) Building. Let's look at the package they claimed he used to do so. They claimed LHO made a package out of materials he found in the TSBD, but FAILED to show that he ever did.
Here is the initial introduction of the bag into evidence via testimony by Paul Stombaugh of the FBI.
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Mr. EISENBERG. If there are no further questions on the shirt, I will move on to another item. Mr. Stombaugh, I now hand you a homemade paper bag, Commission Exhibit 142, which parenthetically has also received another Exhibit No. 626, and ask you whether you are familiar with this item?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes; I am.
Mr. EISENBERG. Does that have your mark on it?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. At the time I examined this, it was to be treated for latent fingerprints subsequent to my examination, and in a case like this I will not put a mark on the item itself because my mark might cover a latent fingerprint which is later brought up, and therefore obscure it.
In this particular instance, I made a drawing of this bag on my notes with the various sizes and description of it to refresh my memory at a later date.
This violates how evidence is handled. We are supposed to use a "drawing" he made of the bag as proof CE 142 is the SAME bag he examined? The actual piece of evidence is supposed to be initialed, and he obviously could tell where there were prints and where there weren't so his EXCUSE for failing to do this is quite lame. I guess we have to just take the WC's word for it, huh?
Mr. EISENBERG. And it is--looking at those notes and as you remember now-- this is the bag?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. This is the bag.
I guess IF you say so! What else do we have to go on? NOTHING.
We also have a different color in the mix!
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, this bag has an area of very light-brown color, and the greater portion of the area is a quite dark-brownish color. What was the color when you originally received it?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. When I originally received this it was a light-brown color.
Where did the dark-brownish color come from IF it is the SAME bag he initially tested?
Ditto the tape?
Mr. EISENBERG. The tape is also two colors, one a lightish brown and the other a darkish brown. What color was the tape when you received it?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. The tape also was light brown.
Again, how is the evidence *changing* while in custody? How did Stombaugh think the bag was made?
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you form any opinions as you examined it, concerning the construction of the bag?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. When I looked at the bag and examined it, it struck me as being a homemade bag such as I could make. Occasionally I will have a need for something like this at home. Therefore, I will take some brown paper and a strip of tape home with me. Then when I get home I will fold the tape fold the paper rather--in the shape I need--and to seal it up I will tear strips of the sealing tape from the little piece I have.
Here we find that this tape has been torn at several places, such as one would do in an instance like that. Due to these torn edges, I was under the impression, from looking at the bag, that it was a homemade bag which someone had made at home and they did not have a tape dispenser which machine-cuts tape. Therefore, they had to tear it, which they did--or cut it, of course with a knife. And this is the case where pieces of tape were torn.
The problem with this explanation will be seen soon enough, but based on the type of tape used at the TSBD this would be IMPOSSIBLE for LHO to do. And yet, the WC kept insisting he did.
Mr. EISENBERG. What I am referring to is this: on the basis of that would you draw an inference that the person had taken---whoever made this bag---had taken two lengths of tape from a dispensing machine and had subsequently torn it up into smaller strips, or do you think he had one length of tape from a dispensing machine which he subsequently tore up into smaller strips?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. From the ends that I could see, now I don't know whether there were any ends underneath which I did not have a chance to look at, I don't have anything in my notes, but from what I can see it would appear he took a strip of tape, machine-cut from a dispenser, and used that entire strip, thus using up both ends of the tape because we have two machine--cut ends.
Again, as we will see this was IMPOSSIBLE for LHO, or "whoever made the bag", to do this with the tape at the TSBD.
Stombaugh would testify to the package having "no creases, folds or bulges" in it. OF course, when asked if this was normal, he claimed NOT to be an expert in paper, so we received NO answer. Common sense would dictate if you put a heavy object in a paper bag it will leave creases, folds and bulges.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you notice any bulges or creases or folds apart from the fold used in making of the bag?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. No; I didn't. I noticed that one end of the bag had been torn.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, would you say that the absence of bulges would be inconsistent with the carrying of a heavy object or an irregularly shaped object in the bag?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Well, I don't believe I am qualified to answer that question, because I actually am not an expert in paper.
Mr. EISENBERG. All right. We will leave that to the questioned document examiner and we will take it up with him.
Can anyone tell me who this person was? I'd be interested in reading the answer if they did ask someone else.
Now, how about the inside of the bag and what was found there.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you proceed to examine the inside of the paper bag to see if there were any foreign objects?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes; I did.
Mr. EISENBERG. What were your conclusions?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. I removed the debris from the inside of the bag by opening the bag as best I could, and tapping it and knocking the debris on to a small piece of white paper, and I found a very small number of fibers. Upon examining these fibers, I found a single brown, delustered, viscose fiber and several light-green cotton fibers from the inside of the bag. I also found a minute particle of wood and a single particle of a waxy substance.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you attach any significance to the particle of wood, Mr. Stombaugh?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. No; it was too minute for identification purposes. It could have come from any surface, including the bag itself. Sometimes all of the wood used in the manufacture of paper doesn't go into a pulp, and this might be a very tiny such fragment.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you examine the wood fragment?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. I looked at it microscopically.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you attempt to compare it with the wood or the Exhibit 139, which is a rifle?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes; the wood particle from the bag was too minute for comparison purposes. There wasn't much you could do with it, it was very small.
Another time they found NO match. How about the wax found inside the bag? Did that match the wax found on the shirt (CE-150)?
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you attach any significance to the body wax--or to the wax, I should say?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. The wax particle I noticed, and I recalled having seen wax on the shirt, Exhibit No. 673, so therefore I put that aside for a spectrographic examination and comparison of the wax particle from the inside of the bag with the wax from the shirt.
Mr. EISENBERG. And what were the results?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. They were entirely different.
Oh well, you can't win them all, huh? In the case of the WC they NEVER seem to win any! It seemed they were onto something, but as usual it fizzled out.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now you also said there were several fibers, Mr. Stombaugh?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes, sir; I did. There was a single brown delustered viscose fiber and several light-green cotton fibers.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did this single brown viscose fiber match the fibers from the blanket, Exhibit 140?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes; it did.
Wow! This sounds promising for the WC and the LNers on here who want to lay all the blame on LHO.
Mr. EISENBERG. In what characteristics were they matched?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. The fibers in the blanket had a large number of brown viscose fibers, delustered and one fiber I found in the bag was also a viscose fiber of the same type and color as seen under a low-powered microscope. The delustering spots seen on the fiber were the same size, and both fibers were approximately the same diameter.
Mr. EISENBERG. How common is viscose, Mr. Stombaugh, as a fiber?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Viscose is fairly common. It is used in many types of garments; it depends on the quality of the garment.
Mr. EISENBERG. And this was delustered viscose, did you say?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes.
Mr. EISENBERG. How common is delustered viscose?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. It is most common, I would say. It is more common than lustrous.
Oh shucks, and it sounded so promising too! The WC did NOT let up trying to get a match though.
Mr. EISENBERG. But the fiber you found in the paper bag, 142, matched the fibers you found in the Exhibit 140?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes, sir; but the viscose fibers in the blanket varied in size also.
Mr. EISENBERG. To what extent?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. There were 10 to 15 different diameters of viscose in this blanket. It appeared to me as if the blanket was made of scrap viscose, scrap fibers.
Mr. EISENBERG. So that the diameters would be random?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. They were random; yes, sir.
Again, the WC had high hopes when this was said.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, what about the green cotton fiber that you found in the paper bag, Mr. Stombaugh, how did that compare with the green cotton fiber--was it a green cotton fiber that your testimony mentioned?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes; there were several light green cotton fibers.
Mr. EISENBERG. How did they compare with the green cotton fibers which are contained in the composition of the blanket?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. These matched in all observable microscopic characteristics.
Mr. EISENBERG. And those were what?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. The color and the amount of twist of the cotton fibers were the same as the color and twist found in these. Mainly the color is what we go by on cotton.
Perhaps the WC had something here. How common are cotton fibers though?
Mr. EISENBERG. How common is cotton as a fiber, Mr. Stombaugh?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Cotton is the most common fiber used.
Ugh, another setback. What was Stombaugh comparing anyway? Was it a FULL fiber? NO.
Mr. EISENBERG. Could you tell what kind of cotton you were dealing with in the blanket?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. No; because here we are not dealing with a full-length cotton fiber. We are dealing with a fragment of a single fiber.
Why didn't Stombaugh even note HOW many fibers he found in the bag? Doesn't this seem odd?
Mr. EISENBERG. Do you recall how many green cotton fibers you found in the paper bag?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. I have here in my notes "several"
Mr. EISENBERG. Yes?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. I have here in my notes "several light green cotton fibers," which would be approximately two or three.
This may be a silly question, but why NOT simply write "two" or "three" instead of several then? This strikes me as quite odd. The biggest part of any scientific and/or criminal investigation is accuracy and detail oriented notes. This seems to me like it could have been made up later on. What do you think?
Also, nothing else would be found inside the bag. NO scratches from the rifle and definitely NO oil from it either.
Mr. EISENBERG. Did you find anything else within the bag, Mr. Stombaugh?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. No, sir; that is all I found inside the bag.
Now, for the million dollar question and a very long-winded answer.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, what do you think the degree of probability is, if you can form an opinion, that the fibers from the bag, fibers in the bag, ultimately came from the blanket?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. When you get into mathematical probabilities, it is something I stay away from, since in general there are too many unknown factors. All I would say here is that it is possible that these fibers could have come. from this blanket, because this blanket is composed of brown and green woolen fibers, brown and green delustered viscose fibers, and brown and green cotton fibers.
Now these 3 different types of fibers have 6 different general colors, and if we would multiply that, say by a minimum of 5 different shades of each so you would have 30 different shades you are looking for, and 3 different types of fibers. Here we have only found 1 brown viscose fiber, and 2 or 3 light green cotton fibers. We found no brown cotton fibers, no green viscose fibers, and no woolen fibers.
So if I had found all of these then I would have been able to say these fibers probably had come from this blanket. But since I found so few, then I would say the possibility exists, these fibers could have come from this blanket.
This is hardly a ringing endorsement. In fact, based on what was IN EVIDENCE he is saying the best he can give is a "could have" which is NOT that impactful. The defense could go back to the point about cotton fibers being the most common and showing they "could have" come from many other sources too.
The WC, and its current day defenders, live in the world of "could have", but this is NOT the same as DID. In no instance in this case could the WC show one of their claims actually happened. Instead, they relied HEAVILY on the "could have", "might have" and "just because we can't show it did happen that way doesn't mean it didn't happen that way" mentality. NONE of these carry much weight in a court of law.
Now, let's look at the testimony of the man who oversaw the area where materials to make packages/bags were kept in the TSBD. Did he ever say he saw LHO?
Mr. BELIN - What do you do for the Texas School Book Depository?
Mr. WEST - Well, I am a mail wrapper.
Mr. BELIN - You are a mail wrapper?
Mr. WEST - I wrap mail all the time.
Mr. BELIN - Were you doing that on November 22nd of 1963 too? Were you a mail wrapper at that time back in last November?
Mr. WEST - Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN - Did you go to work on November 22, 1963? That was a Friday, the day the President was assassinated.
Mr. WEST - Yes; I went to work that day.
Mr. BELIN - What time did you get to work?
Mr. WEST - Well, we always get to work - we are supposed to be there at 8 in the morning.
Mr. BELIN - You got there at 8 that morning?
Mr. WEST - Yes, I always, most of the time I got there a little early.
Mr. BELIN - Do you remember what time you got to work that particular morning?
Mr. WEST - It was about 10 minutes to 8. I always be 5 or 10 minutes early.
So we see he arrived at about ten minutes to eight in the morning. The ONLY thing he did was make coffee in the same general area as his workspace.
Mr. BELIN - Where did you make the coffee?
Mr. WEST - Well, it is down on the first floor in the same department where I wrap mail at.
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Mr. BELIN - When did you quit for lunch that day?
Mr. WEST - Well, we always quit at 12 o'clock in the day.
Mr. BELIN - Is that when you quit on November 22nd?
Mr. WEST - Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN - Then what did you do?
Mr. WEST - Well, I went in and washed my hands and face and then got ready to put my coffee on. I always made coffee at 12. Make it in the morning, and then I make it about 12, between 12 and 12:30.
Mr. BELIN - Then what did you do? Did you put your coffee on?
Mr. WEST - Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN - In the west part of the floor where you generally work?
Mr. WEST - Yes.
So, as we can see, he rarely left his workspace at all. He left for a minute or so to wash his face and hands, and then was right back to make coffee. He even eats his lunch at the wrapping area.
Mr. BELIN - Where did you get your lunch?
Mr. WEST - Well, I always kept my lunch right there close by my machine, by my wrapping machine that I use all the time, that I always kept my lunch. I have a little place underneath and I keep it there all the time.
Now the WC asks if he is the ONLY one that wraps the mail and he says no. Then they ask about LHO.
Mr. BELIN - Did Lee Harvey Oswald ever help you wrap mail?
Mr. WEST - No, sir; he never did.
Mr. BELIN - Do you know whether or not he ever borrowed or used any wrapping paper for himself?
Mr. WEST - No, sir; I don't.
Mr. BELIN - You don't know?
Mr. WEST - No; I don't.
Mr. BELIN - Did you ever see him around these wrapper rolls or wrapper roll machines, or not?
Mr. WEST - No, sir; I never noticed him being around.
Mr. BELIN - Are they paper machines with the rolls of wrapping paper? You have some gum there too, for taping it? When you wrap it, would you tape it with some tape?
Mr. WEST - No, sir; I never seen him.
Three times he said he never saw LHO and he also avoided the chance to "guess" like many other witnesses did. What did the WC do? They obsessed on the type of tape used by him. I won't list all of that.
Mr. BELIN - Did you have any kind of tape, sticky tape that you would put on the paper to keep it together, or was that somewhere else?
Mr. WEST - Oh, yes, sir; I used some of that wide tape.
Mr. BELIN - Is that sticky tape?
Mr. WEST - Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN - To seal the package with?
Mr. WEST - Yes, sir; that's right. And then I tie it, put it on the machine and tie it.
Mr. BELIN - Is yours the only place that they have the sticky tape?
Mr. WEST - Well, that is the only place that is supposed to be, you know.
Mr. BELIN - Could other employees come and pick up some of the tape for themselves?
Mr. WEST - Yes, sir; they could come get it if they wanted to use it, but all the time it was there where it is supposed to be.
Mr. BELIN - Did other employees from time to time come and borrow some of that tape at all, or use it? Would other employees ever use any of the tape for themselves?
Mr. WEST - Not as far as I know of now.
Now for the key part. Remember when Stombaugh and the WC acted like LHO could have taken the tape from the TSBD and use it later? Well that is IMPOSSIBLE because it is tape that is made sticky by WETTING IT!
Mr. BELIN - If I wanted to use any of that tape, you know the tape you use to seal it, is there a way to make the tape wet so I don't have to lick it myself with my tongue to make it wet and sticky? Or how do you get it to be sticky and stick together?
Mr. WEST - Well, we have those machines with the little round ball that we fill them up with water, and so we set them up. In to--other words, I got a rack that we set them in, and so we put out tape in a machine, and whenever we pull the tape through, why then the water gets, you know, it gets water on it as we pull it through.
Mr. BELIN - If I wanted to pull the tape, pull off a piece without getting water on it, would I just lift it up without going over the wet roller and get the tape without getting it wet?
Mr. WEST - You would have to take it out. You would have to take it out of the machine. See, it's put on there and then run through a little clamp that holds it down, and you pull it, well, then the water, it gets water on it.
So how long would this take? Would LHO even know how do this? The chances of this are highly remote IMO. Couldn't Stombaugh tell this was the type of tape used? Why didn't he mention it?
Since the tape was "WET" when it came out it would be IMPOSSIBLE for LHO to take it home as claimed and use it at a later time as suggested. IF you have ever used wet tape you know how it is worthless once it dries.
We also have to remember the FBI admitted to damaging the bag while testing it. All this leads to a very dubious conclusion regarding the WC's claim. Also, NO photo or other evidence was ever presented showing us a package/bag of the type described here was ever found in the alleged SN as claimed.