Post by Rob Caprio on May 30, 2022 20:01:48 GMT -5
All portions are ©️ Robert Caprio 2006-2024
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Garrison_Jim.jpg
In late 1966, New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison began an investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (JFK). His focus was on the summer of 1963 when accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald (LHO) came to New Orleans for a stay in the "Big Easy." Garrison looked at LHO's activities and the people that he came into contact with while in New Orleans. One such person was the manager of the apartment complex that the Oswalds stayed at while they were in New Orleans.
The managers were Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Garner and the complex was located on Magazine Street in New Orleans. The Garners lived at 4911 Magazine Street, and there were four other units -- one at 4907, one at 4905 and two at 4905 1/2 Magazine Street.
On February 26, 1969, Mrs. Garner was called as a witness at the trial of Clay Shaw. Based on the transcript I would say she was a witness for the defense. She confirmed that they lived at 4911 Magazine Street in the summer of 1963 and that LHO came to rent an apartment. Here is the relevant portion and notice the interesting comment by Mr. Dymond (Shaw defense attorney).
Q: Now, did you at any time, Mrs. Garner, have occasion to meet a man by the name of Lee Harvey Oswald?
A: Yes, when he came to rent an apartment.
Q: I believe it is "State 1," a photograph of Oswald.
MR. DYMOND: I would like that other one with the beard on it.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Mrs. Garner, I show you a photograph which has been introduced into evidence and marked for identification "State 1," and I ask if you recognize this as a photograph of Lee Harvey Oswald?
A: I do.
Q: I now show you another photograph which has been marked for identification "State 19," it also being an item of evidence, and ask you whether you ever saw Lee Harvey Oswald with a beard such as indicated on this photograph?
A: No, I haven't. (Clay Shaw Trial Transcript, pp. 4-5)
www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1306#relPageId=5
When did LHO have a beard? I have searched high and low to find this photograph, but to no avail. I have never seen him with a beard so who was this then? Furthermore, Mrs. Garner said she had not seen LHO with a beard so why was it brought up then? The next statement is also perplexing as well.
Q: Now, Mrs. Garner, when was the first time that you saw Lee Harvey Oswald?
A: Well, it was the early part of May, 1963.
Q: And would you tell us how you happened to see him, what were the circumstances of that matter?
A: Well, he came by to rent the apartment and that was the first time I ever saw him.
Q: Now, was he with anyone or by himself?
A: Yes, he was with about a middle-aged lady, reddish hair.
Q: A middle-aged lady?
A: Yes, it seems like she knew the family because she spoke to him like she knew him very well. (Ibid.)
This is very intriguing. Who was going around with LHO looking for apartments? It certainly wasn't Marina based on the description and because Mrs. Garner said it was not her. (Ibid., p. 6) It wasn't his aunt, Lillian Murret, as she never did say she went apartment hunting with her nephew. She did mention in her 1964 Warren Commission (WC) testimony about a possible person who might have come with LHO.
Mrs. MURRET - ...he came back and he said, "I have found an apartment," and I think it was $65 a month, he said the rent was...He said, "Do you know how I got that apartment?" And I said, "No, I don't," and he said, "Well, I'll tell you. I rode around a while, and I decided to stop at Myrtle's house."
Mr. JENNER - That's Myrtle Evans?
Mrs. MURRET - Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER - All right, go ahead.
Mrs. MURRET - Well, he said he stopped at Myrtle's house and went up to the door, and she came to the door but she didn't recognize him, she didn't recognize Lee.
Mr. JENNER - He was telling you this; is that right?
Mrs. MURRET - Yes; he told me how he did that, and he said he asked Myrtle did she have an apartment, that he was looking for an apartment for his wife and baby who were coming from Texas, and so Myrtle said, "Well, I'm sorry, but I only have an apartment on the second floor, and I don't think that would be good, you know, for your wife." Lee said to her, "Do you know who I am?" and she said, "No." And he said, "I am Lee Oswald." She said, "Well, don't tell me! Lee, I would never have recognized you."
...So Myrtle says, "Well, come on, Lee," and I think she gave Lee some lunch, and then she decided to help him find an apartment...So they got in her car and went riding up Magazine Street, and there was a sign on a house, apartment for rent, and so they went and knocked and inquired about the apartment, and the lady said how much it was, and it was very clean with a new stove and a new refrigerator, and it was newly wall papered and it had a floor furnace and a large living room and a bedroom and bath connecting the bedroom, and another small room and kitchen and a front porch, and a closed-in yard, and so Myrtle said to Lee, "Lee, this is great. You had better take this place." Well, Lee said, "Well, I don't know. The ceilings are high and Marina doesn't like high ceilings," but she said, "Well, I think you had better get this place, because it's all you can afford," so he said he would take it.
This would seem to solve this mystery as to helped him find the apartment on Magazine Street, but it creates a new mystery. Why didn't Myrtle Evans recognize LHO at all? This would happen with a number of people who thought LHO looked very different upon returning from Russia. Back to his appearance. She would say this about it.
Q: Did you ever see him with a beard on?
A: No, I never did.
Q: Now, with regard to his general appearance, was he a dirty-looking person or was he a neat-looking person?
A: No, he was very neat.
Q: Did you ever see him when he looked dirty and unkempt?
A: Never did. (Ibid., p. 8)
www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1306#relPageId=9
So we see again that the LHO we all know was always neat and never wore a beard, so who was the guy that looked like LHO with the beard? If his identity was figured out I have never seen who it was. She would then be shown a photograph of David Ferrie (State Exhibit 3) and asked if she had ever seen him. Here is what she said.
Q: I would like to have Ferrie's picture, please. Mrs. Garner, I show you a photograph which has been marked for identification "State 3," being a photograph of the late David Ferrie, and I ask you whether you have ever seen that man in your life, to your knowledge.
A: Yes, I did.
Q: You did?
A: Yes.
Q: Where did you see him?
A: In my house.
Q: In your house?
A: Yes.
Q: When was that?
A: It was either the same day that happened that President Kennedy got killed or the following day, he come in and he rang the bell and opened the door and there was some --
MR. ALCOCK: I object to anything said, Your Honor.
THE COURT: It is objectionable, of course.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: You may not say what anybody said to you, but I wish that you would tell us the circumstances under which you saw this man.
A: Well, I could say about him coming home?
Q: Yes, you can say about that.
A: I don't know if it was the same night or the following night, as soon as it happened, there was so many coming in and out, I opened the door because I thought he was a Secret Service man or something, I don't know, so as I walked in he says to me --
MR. ALCOCK: Objection, Your Honor.
MR. DYMOND: You can't say what he said.
THE WITNESS: I can't say what he said?
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Was he with anyone or by himself?
A: He was alone.
Q: And how long did he stay there?
A: A few minutes, and when I found out he was not somebody important, I just asked him to get out.
Q: You asked him to get out?
A: Yes.
Q: Is that the only --
A: Well, what I am trying to say, when I found out he was not an FBI man, I just asked him to leave.
Q: I see. Now, do you recall whether this was the evening of the assassination or the evening after the assassination?
A: I don't really know, but I do think it was the same night or the following night.
Q: The same night or the following night?
A: It was the evening, late after dark. (Ibid., pp. 9-12)
www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1306#relPageId=10
First of all, notice how a court of law works. Notice the objections and how the witness was stopped from telling us what Ferrie said because that isn't allowed under the court rules, but of course the WC violated this rule and many others continually. Why would Ferrie have been to Mrs. Garner's house? Was it to find out what she knew to see if she could be a problem? Based on her comment about him possibly being an FBI agent it would seem he did question her about things before she kicked him out.
She would say that the apartment was a mess when the Oswalds left in late September 1963. Very dirty and things broken, but again this is not seen with any other place that he stayed. Why was he so different here?
The big things in her testimony are the appearance of LHO (dirty and with a beard) and the appearance of David Ferrie at her house following the assassination? He was most likely there to question her to see if she saw or heard anything that could be dangerous to the conspiracy. We have to end with this important question.
Who was the man with the beard? Was it Kerry Thornley?
photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3367/2263/1600/Kerry_Thornley.0.jpg
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Garrison_Jim.jpg
In late 1966, New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison began an investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (JFK). His focus was on the summer of 1963 when accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald (LHO) came to New Orleans for a stay in the "Big Easy." Garrison looked at LHO's activities and the people that he came into contact with while in New Orleans. One such person was the manager of the apartment complex that the Oswalds stayed at while they were in New Orleans.
The managers were Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Garner and the complex was located on Magazine Street in New Orleans. The Garners lived at 4911 Magazine Street, and there were four other units -- one at 4907, one at 4905 and two at 4905 1/2 Magazine Street.
On February 26, 1969, Mrs. Garner was called as a witness at the trial of Clay Shaw. Based on the transcript I would say she was a witness for the defense. She confirmed that they lived at 4911 Magazine Street in the summer of 1963 and that LHO came to rent an apartment. Here is the relevant portion and notice the interesting comment by Mr. Dymond (Shaw defense attorney).
Q: Now, did you at any time, Mrs. Garner, have occasion to meet a man by the name of Lee Harvey Oswald?
A: Yes, when he came to rent an apartment.
Q: I believe it is "State 1," a photograph of Oswald.
MR. DYMOND: I would like that other one with the beard on it.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Mrs. Garner, I show you a photograph which has been introduced into evidence and marked for identification "State 1," and I ask if you recognize this as a photograph of Lee Harvey Oswald?
A: I do.
Q: I now show you another photograph which has been marked for identification "State 19," it also being an item of evidence, and ask you whether you ever saw Lee Harvey Oswald with a beard such as indicated on this photograph?
A: No, I haven't. (Clay Shaw Trial Transcript, pp. 4-5)
www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1306#relPageId=5
When did LHO have a beard? I have searched high and low to find this photograph, but to no avail. I have never seen him with a beard so who was this then? Furthermore, Mrs. Garner said she had not seen LHO with a beard so why was it brought up then? The next statement is also perplexing as well.
Q: Now, Mrs. Garner, when was the first time that you saw Lee Harvey Oswald?
A: Well, it was the early part of May, 1963.
Q: And would you tell us how you happened to see him, what were the circumstances of that matter?
A: Well, he came by to rent the apartment and that was the first time I ever saw him.
Q: Now, was he with anyone or by himself?
A: Yes, he was with about a middle-aged lady, reddish hair.
Q: A middle-aged lady?
A: Yes, it seems like she knew the family because she spoke to him like she knew him very well. (Ibid.)
This is very intriguing. Who was going around with LHO looking for apartments? It certainly wasn't Marina based on the description and because Mrs. Garner said it was not her. (Ibid., p. 6) It wasn't his aunt, Lillian Murret, as she never did say she went apartment hunting with her nephew. She did mention in her 1964 Warren Commission (WC) testimony about a possible person who might have come with LHO.
Mrs. MURRET - ...he came back and he said, "I have found an apartment," and I think it was $65 a month, he said the rent was...He said, "Do you know how I got that apartment?" And I said, "No, I don't," and he said, "Well, I'll tell you. I rode around a while, and I decided to stop at Myrtle's house."
Mr. JENNER - That's Myrtle Evans?
Mrs. MURRET - Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER - All right, go ahead.
Mrs. MURRET - Well, he said he stopped at Myrtle's house and went up to the door, and she came to the door but she didn't recognize him, she didn't recognize Lee.
Mr. JENNER - He was telling you this; is that right?
Mrs. MURRET - Yes; he told me how he did that, and he said he asked Myrtle did she have an apartment, that he was looking for an apartment for his wife and baby who were coming from Texas, and so Myrtle said, "Well, I'm sorry, but I only have an apartment on the second floor, and I don't think that would be good, you know, for your wife." Lee said to her, "Do you know who I am?" and she said, "No." And he said, "I am Lee Oswald." She said, "Well, don't tell me! Lee, I would never have recognized you."
...So Myrtle says, "Well, come on, Lee," and I think she gave Lee some lunch, and then she decided to help him find an apartment...So they got in her car and went riding up Magazine Street, and there was a sign on a house, apartment for rent, and so they went and knocked and inquired about the apartment, and the lady said how much it was, and it was very clean with a new stove and a new refrigerator, and it was newly wall papered and it had a floor furnace and a large living room and a bedroom and bath connecting the bedroom, and another small room and kitchen and a front porch, and a closed-in yard, and so Myrtle said to Lee, "Lee, this is great. You had better take this place." Well, Lee said, "Well, I don't know. The ceilings are high and Marina doesn't like high ceilings," but she said, "Well, I think you had better get this place, because it's all you can afford," so he said he would take it.
This would seem to solve this mystery as to helped him find the apartment on Magazine Street, but it creates a new mystery. Why didn't Myrtle Evans recognize LHO at all? This would happen with a number of people who thought LHO looked very different upon returning from Russia. Back to his appearance. She would say this about it.
Q: Did you ever see him with a beard on?
A: No, I never did.
Q: Now, with regard to his general appearance, was he a dirty-looking person or was he a neat-looking person?
A: No, he was very neat.
Q: Did you ever see him when he looked dirty and unkempt?
A: Never did. (Ibid., p. 8)
www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1306#relPageId=9
So we see again that the LHO we all know was always neat and never wore a beard, so who was the guy that looked like LHO with the beard? If his identity was figured out I have never seen who it was. She would then be shown a photograph of David Ferrie (State Exhibit 3) and asked if she had ever seen him. Here is what she said.
Q: I would like to have Ferrie's picture, please. Mrs. Garner, I show you a photograph which has been marked for identification "State 3," being a photograph of the late David Ferrie, and I ask you whether you have ever seen that man in your life, to your knowledge.
A: Yes, I did.
Q: You did?
A: Yes.
Q: Where did you see him?
A: In my house.
Q: In your house?
A: Yes.
Q: When was that?
A: It was either the same day that happened that President Kennedy got killed or the following day, he come in and he rang the bell and opened the door and there was some --
MR. ALCOCK: I object to anything said, Your Honor.
THE COURT: It is objectionable, of course.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: You may not say what anybody said to you, but I wish that you would tell us the circumstances under which you saw this man.
A: Well, I could say about him coming home?
Q: Yes, you can say about that.
A: I don't know if it was the same night or the following night, as soon as it happened, there was so many coming in and out, I opened the door because I thought he was a Secret Service man or something, I don't know, so as I walked in he says to me --
MR. ALCOCK: Objection, Your Honor.
MR. DYMOND: You can't say what he said.
THE WITNESS: I can't say what he said?
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Was he with anyone or by himself?
A: He was alone.
Q: And how long did he stay there?
A: A few minutes, and when I found out he was not somebody important, I just asked him to get out.
Q: You asked him to get out?
A: Yes.
Q: Is that the only --
A: Well, what I am trying to say, when I found out he was not an FBI man, I just asked him to leave.
Q: I see. Now, do you recall whether this was the evening of the assassination or the evening after the assassination?
A: I don't really know, but I do think it was the same night or the following night.
Q: The same night or the following night?
A: It was the evening, late after dark. (Ibid., pp. 9-12)
www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1306#relPageId=10
First of all, notice how a court of law works. Notice the objections and how the witness was stopped from telling us what Ferrie said because that isn't allowed under the court rules, but of course the WC violated this rule and many others continually. Why would Ferrie have been to Mrs. Garner's house? Was it to find out what she knew to see if she could be a problem? Based on her comment about him possibly being an FBI agent it would seem he did question her about things before she kicked him out.
She would say that the apartment was a mess when the Oswalds left in late September 1963. Very dirty and things broken, but again this is not seen with any other place that he stayed. Why was he so different here?
The big things in her testimony are the appearance of LHO (dirty and with a beard) and the appearance of David Ferrie at her house following the assassination? He was most likely there to question her to see if she saw or heard anything that could be dangerous to the conspiracy. We have to end with this important question.
Who was the man with the beard? Was it Kerry Thornley?
photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3367/2263/1600/Kerry_Thornley.0.jpg