Post by Rob Caprio on Nov 24, 2019 21:33:50 GMT -5
All portions are ©️ Robert Caprio 2006-2024
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The Warren Commission (WC) said Lee Harvey Oswald (LHO) assassinated President John F. Kennedy (JFK) all by himself on November 22, 1963. They further claimed he used one rifle to do this—a 40” Italian Mannlicher-Carcano (M-C) that he allegedly ordered from Klein’s Sporting Goods (KSG) in Chicago, Illinois, in March of 1963.
If this is the truth, and the evidence given to us by the WC shows it is NOT, why were so many other rifles seen shortly before the assassination and then following the assassination? Since the title “Guns of Dealey Plaza” was used already I will call this post—“The Guns of Dallas” since some of these sightings were OUTSIDE of Dealey Plaza (DP) anyway.
I will do them in a chronological order starting with the first sighting and then moving towards November 22, 1963.
[Note: I will not get into the Mauser issue, Japanese rifle or the Lee Enfield since I have covered these in other posts.]
*******************************************************
Our story begins on Wednesday, November 20, 1963, with three incidents that included rifle sightings. In two of them there is some information that is quite intriguing, but the FBI and WC failed to investigate this at all to see where it lead. The other one is very sparse of information and we have really nothing to work with.
In Decker Exhibit 5323 we see a rifle sighting by Jesse Williamson that occurred in the early morning hours of Wednesday, November 20, 1963. Here are the relevant details from his affidavit which was given to the Sheriff’s Office in Dallas.
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www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/pages/WH_Vol19_0258a.gif
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/pages/WH_Vol19_0258b.gif
…at approximately 12:15 AM (Wednesday morning), a lady friend and myself…had made an acquaintance, of a man who invited us to his Motel for some after hours drinking (after 12 at night). I don’t have his name but I have the LICENSE NUMBER of the car he was driving….We proceeded to his motel, a large kitchenette motel, as you go across HOUSTON STREET viaduct it is the first motel on the right, it’s a big white motel…we had a few drinks in his room.
We had been there about 30 minutes, as well as I remember. About this time this fellow began to make indecent remarks to the woman, to the effect he wanted her to get into bed with him….At this point I objected to his language and overtures and we became involved in an argument of words…Then he tells me to get the ….out of there and if there’s not going to be a party get the…out of the place…as I turned to walk toward the door…he pulled a RIFLE out of the closet, and put a round into the chamber, pointed it at me, and said: “Leave”…
This man, to the best of my recollection, was approximately 5 foot 8 inches tall, weighing approximately 175 pounds; with dark hair; normal complexion; approximately 30 years old.
The woman friend says that he had real wavy black hair and was in her opinion about five foot ten, and would weigh about 165, and about 30 years old.
The best I can describe the rifle, it appeared to be well kept, a deer rifle or something, I don’t know too much about guns; I know it was not a .22; I know it was a larger caliber gun; perhaps in my judgment a .303 caliber…that would be my guess what it would be.
We both agreed it was a light green car, a new model somewhat on the smaller side, about like the appearance of the Chevy II. She says it was extremely light green. The License number on the car was --- CD 1583 Texas. (Decker Exhibit 5323, pp. 497-498) (Emphasis added)
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/html/WH_Vol19_0258a.htm
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To me what is very interesting is that he would think the rifle was a .303 caliber---just like the Lee Enfield that Wesley Frazier owned and that was mentioned by a few media sources early on. Is this just another coincidence? You’ll notice that they gave the Sheriff’s Office not only a description of the motel the man was staying in which they could have easily found, but also a description of his car and the LICENSE NUMBER! What did the authorities do with this information? Nothing it would seem. Why NOT? My thought is because it did not involve LHO so they just ignored it.
The next incident that occurred on the same day involved two rifles being brought into the Texas School Book Depository (TSBD) for the first time ever. Warren Caster, assistant manager for Southwestern Publishing Co., said he purchased two rifles at lunch on November 20, 1963, and then brought them back to work with him.
One rifle was a sporterized Mauser of a .30.06 caliber and this caliber would be mentioned in the evidence of the WC. The other was supposedly a Christmas gift for Caster’s son and was a .22 Remington rifle. I am not sure why Caster would purchase a Christmas gift so far in advance since it was NOT even Thanksgiving yet on November 22, 1963, but he claimed to do so.
Both of these would be brought into the TSBD and viewed by William Shelley and Roy Truly. LHO saw them as well from a distance. Both Shelley and Truly would say they had never seen rifles in the building before, so why would Caster bring them in just two days before JFK’s visit? Why was this never investigated by the FBI or WC? Especially when there is evidence showing a Mauser was found (true different caliber) in the TSBD?
As for the incident with little information that occurred on November 20, 1963, I quoted this in an earlier post in this series.
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Besides the shooting of JFK we have another incident that ties into the timeline of Caster’s purchase. The Dallas Police Department (DPD) received a report from one of their patrols in Dealey Plaza (DP) on November 20, 1963, that several men were behind the fence on the knoll with rifles in their hands. Based on the observation of the police officers it seemed like they were engaged in a form of mock target practice. The men were observed raising their rifles over the fence and aiming them at the street below. The men quickly left before the officers could get there to question them. The incident would be reported to the FBI on November 26, 1963, but nothing was done about it. The only reason we know about this is because the information was obtained in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 1978.
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Obviously we don’t know what kind of rifles they were using for their “mock target practice” so we will have to leave this one to our imagination. What this incident does show is there were SEVERAL MEN behind the picket fence on the Grassy Knoll (GK) taking aim at the road below. Evidence shows JFK was hit from the front so this CANNOT be chalked up to another coincidence IMO.
The day before the assassination, Thursday, November 21, 1963, there were other sightings of men with rifles. Ernest Owens said he was driving home from work and he saw a man carrying a “foreign made rifle.”
Quote on
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/pages/WH_Vol19_0255a.gif
…I passed a man walking in a westerly (sic) direction on Wood Street as well as I can remember about Good-Lattimer Expressway. I was headed in a Easterly direction in my car and this was sometime between 4:55 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. This man I saw was a White male, was about 5 foot 4 to about 5 foot 6 inches tall and heavy build, not fat but large shoulders. THIS MAN WAS CARRYING A FOREIGN MADE RIFLE, long steel blue barrel and a long yellow stock. This man was wearing a dark colored suit and was bareheaded. He was carrying the gun on his right side in his right hand….This man came out of a parking lot with the gun in his hand. I can not be sure if the weapon had a scope or not on it. I would say this man’s age was between 35 and 45 years and he did not have glasses on. (Decker Exhibit 5323, p. 491) (Emphasis added)
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/html/WH_Vol19_0255a.htm
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Who was this man and what kind of rifle did he have in his hand? Now, some (i.e. WC defenders) will say this is the south and a lot of people had guns, so what is the big deal? Well, if the Sheriff’s Office agreed with you they would NOT have taken this man’s statement then, right? When a president is killed in your city you should be investigating EVERY lead, no matter how slim it might be, to eliminate it and arrive at the truth. This did NOT happen here as NO one investigated this as far as I know. Was this one of the assassins or just some person carrying a rifle around for no reason? The short stature of the man makes me think of the man who visited Downtown Lincoln-Mercury and claimed to be LHO and took a wild driving demonstration on November 9, 1963. He too was not very tall. Was it the same man?
Our next sighting of a rifle was on the day of the assassination before noon by Philip Hathaway. Here is what he said in his affidavit to the Sheriff’s Office.
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www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/pages/WH_Vol19_0248a.gif
Just before Noon today, my friend John Stevens Rutter Lawrence, who works with me, and I and two other friends left the Texaco Building where we work going to the parade. We were walking down Commerce up to Main and Main to Akard and while [sic] we were walking up Akard towards Main Street we passed a man who was carrying a rifle in a gun case. I saw this man walking towards me, walking towards Commerce, and too particular attention to him because of his [sic] size. I am 6'5" and weigh 200 pounds. This man was very tall, approx 6'6" or 6'7" over 250 pounds, very thick and big through the chest, in his 30's, dirty blonde hair worn in a crew cut. Was wearing a grey colored business suit with white dress shirt, fair complexion. I remarked to my friend that there was a guy carrying a gun in all this crowd and made the remark that he was probably a secret service man. I could very easily identify this man if I ever saw him again. The gun case was holding a rifle because I could tell there was a gun in it as it was a combination leather and cloth gun case and without a gun, it would have been limp, but it was heavy and he was carrying it by the handle and the barrell [sic] of the gun was up at a 45 degree angle. It was beige or tan leather and olive drab material.
We can place the time we saw this man walking with the gun as I recall someone in the crowd asking for the time and they said it was 11:50A.M.
/s/ Philip Ben Hathaway (Decker Exhibit 5323, p. 477)
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/html/WH_Vol19_0248a.htm
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John Lawrence would corroborate this in his own affidavit to the Sherrif’s Office.
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www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/pages/WH_Vol19_0250b.gif
Today at about 11:45AM me and Phil Hathaway and two other fellows left the Texaco Building, where we all work together, to go see the parade and President Kennedy. In just a few minutes after we got out on the street and walking down Akard, Phil called my attention a big man and said he was carrying a rifle. I looked and saw the man but due to a big rush of noontime people, I did not see the rifle. I took particular attention to him because of his size. I was walking with my friend Phil Hathaway who is 6'5" and this man was fairly close to his size, maybe a little taller, he was thick chested and big through the shoulders, maybe 250 pounds or more, but not fat, he gave me the impression of perhaps a professional football player. He had dirty blonde hair and was a short crew cut. He was approximately in his 30's. He was wearing a business suit and I believe it was light in color, perhaps tan, a white business shirt. I could identify this man if I ever saw him again.
/s/ John Stevens Rutter Lawrence (Ibid, p. 482)
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/html/WH_Vol19_0250b.htm
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Who was this man and why was he carrying a gun case at that time? Hathaway said he could recognize him again if he saw him, but of course he would never get the chance since the authorities too never investigated this incident. Remember that a very large man like this tried to visit Jack Ruby shortly after he shot LHO. Was this the same man?
We have another sighting of a man with a gun case shortly before the assassination from Julia Ann Mercer. Here is the relevant portions of her affidavit.
Quote on
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/pages/WH_Vol19_0251a.gif
A man was sitting under the wheel of the car and slouched over the wheel. This man had on a green jacket, was a white male and about his 40's and was heavy set. I did not see him too clearly. Another man was at the back of the truck and reached over the tailgate and took out from the truck what appeared to be a gun case. This case was about 8" wide at its widest spot and tapered down to a width of about 4" or 5". It was brown in color. It had a handle and was about 3 1/2 to 4 feet long. The man who took this out of the truck then proceeded to walk away from the truck and he reached down to free it. He then proceeded to walk across the grass and up the grassy hill which forms part of the overpass. This is the last I saw of this man.
The man who took what appeared to be the gun case out of the truck was a white male, who appeared to be in his late 20's or early 30's and he was wearing a grey jacket, brown pants and plaid shirt as best as I can remember. I remember he had on some kind of a hat that looked like a wool stocking hat with a tassell in the middle of it. I believe that I can identify this man if I see him again. (Ibid., p. 483)
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/html/WH_Vol19_0251a.htm
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Despite the case being “3 ½ to 4 feet long” I have had WC defenders tell me this was a “tool box.” Some tool box, huh? Or maybe he had “curtain rods” in the case, huh? This sighting too was never investigated and one has to wonder if they were searching for the truth as claimed when all these incidences were being ignored.
Our last incident happened just minutes before the motorcade arrived in DP. Arnold Rowland saw a man with a high powered rifle in the window of the TSBD.
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It must have been 5 or 10 minutes later when we were just looking up at the surrounding buildings when I looked up at the Texas School Book Depository building and noticed that the second floor from the top had two adjoining windows which were wide open, and upon looking I saw what I thought was a man standing back about 15 feet from the windows and was holding in his arms what appeared to be hi powered rifle because it looked as though it had a scope on it. He appeared to be holding this at a parade rest sort of position. (Ibid., p. 494)
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/html/WH_Vol19_0256b.htm
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Based on this WC defenders could say he saw LHO, but in his WC testimony he makes it clear this sighting was on the WEST end of the TSBD.
Representative FORD - I am not clear on this now. The window that you saw the man that you describe was on what end of the building?
Mr. ROWLAND - The west, southwest corner.
Representative FORD - After 12:22 or thereabouts you indicated you periodically looked back at the window in the southwest corner where you had seen the man with the rifle What happened as the motorcade came along?
Mr. ROWLAND - As the motorcade came along, there was quite a bit of excitement. I didn't look back from then. I was very interested in trying to see the President myself. I had seen him twice before but I was interested in seeing him again.
Representative FORD - A minute ago you indicated that you could see the man in the window with the rifle because of the light conditions, I think you referred to the sun shining in that direction toward the building. Was the sun bright, do you recall that at all?
Mr. ROWLAND - Yes; the sun was out, somewhat bright…The sun was shining in from what I could tell he was standing where I seen him through the window on my right. This would be the east window of the pair. It appeared as though the sun were shining in through either a window on the other side of the building, on the west side of the building, or possibly the western pair, one of the pair. This sun was--that hit him about from the shoulders down as far as I could see, that is why I was able to tell the rifle was of the type or such that it was.
Commission Exhibit (CE) 356:
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh16/pages/WH_Vol16_0488b.jpg
In CE 356 you will see he circled and put an arrow in the WESTERN pair of windows on the sixth floor where he saw the man with the high-powered rifle. This is the OPPOSITE end from where the WC said LHO was. Like all the other incidences in this post this too was not investigated at all by the authorities. In fact, they did the opposite and had Rowland INVESTIGATED! It was all his fault for seeing a man with a rifle in the wrong end of the building I guess.
We again see the conclusion the WC reached CANNOT be true since they left so many other leads unexplored. How do you reach the correct conclusion when you don’t look into so many other viable possibilities? You don’t of course, thus, they are sunk again.
vl-media.fr/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/warren-commission.jpg
The Warren Commission (WC) said Lee Harvey Oswald (LHO) assassinated President John F. Kennedy (JFK) all by himself on November 22, 1963. They further claimed he used one rifle to do this—a 40” Italian Mannlicher-Carcano (M-C) that he allegedly ordered from Klein’s Sporting Goods (KSG) in Chicago, Illinois, in March of 1963.
If this is the truth, and the evidence given to us by the WC shows it is NOT, why were so many other rifles seen shortly before the assassination and then following the assassination? Since the title “Guns of Dealey Plaza” was used already I will call this post—“The Guns of Dallas” since some of these sightings were OUTSIDE of Dealey Plaza (DP) anyway.
I will do them in a chronological order starting with the first sighting and then moving towards November 22, 1963.
[Note: I will not get into the Mauser issue, Japanese rifle or the Lee Enfield since I have covered these in other posts.]
*******************************************************
Our story begins on Wednesday, November 20, 1963, with three incidents that included rifle sightings. In two of them there is some information that is quite intriguing, but the FBI and WC failed to investigate this at all to see where it lead. The other one is very sparse of information and we have really nothing to work with.
In Decker Exhibit 5323 we see a rifle sighting by Jesse Williamson that occurred in the early morning hours of Wednesday, November 20, 1963. Here are the relevant details from his affidavit which was given to the Sheriff’s Office in Dallas.
Quote on
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/pages/WH_Vol19_0258a.gif
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/pages/WH_Vol19_0258b.gif
…at approximately 12:15 AM (Wednesday morning), a lady friend and myself…had made an acquaintance, of a man who invited us to his Motel for some after hours drinking (after 12 at night). I don’t have his name but I have the LICENSE NUMBER of the car he was driving….We proceeded to his motel, a large kitchenette motel, as you go across HOUSTON STREET viaduct it is the first motel on the right, it’s a big white motel…we had a few drinks in his room.
We had been there about 30 minutes, as well as I remember. About this time this fellow began to make indecent remarks to the woman, to the effect he wanted her to get into bed with him….At this point I objected to his language and overtures and we became involved in an argument of words…Then he tells me to get the ….out of there and if there’s not going to be a party get the…out of the place…as I turned to walk toward the door…he pulled a RIFLE out of the closet, and put a round into the chamber, pointed it at me, and said: “Leave”…
This man, to the best of my recollection, was approximately 5 foot 8 inches tall, weighing approximately 175 pounds; with dark hair; normal complexion; approximately 30 years old.
The woman friend says that he had real wavy black hair and was in her opinion about five foot ten, and would weigh about 165, and about 30 years old.
The best I can describe the rifle, it appeared to be well kept, a deer rifle or something, I don’t know too much about guns; I know it was not a .22; I know it was a larger caliber gun; perhaps in my judgment a .303 caliber…that would be my guess what it would be.
We both agreed it was a light green car, a new model somewhat on the smaller side, about like the appearance of the Chevy II. She says it was extremely light green. The License number on the car was --- CD 1583 Texas. (Decker Exhibit 5323, pp. 497-498) (Emphasis added)
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/html/WH_Vol19_0258a.htm
Quote off
To me what is very interesting is that he would think the rifle was a .303 caliber---just like the Lee Enfield that Wesley Frazier owned and that was mentioned by a few media sources early on. Is this just another coincidence? You’ll notice that they gave the Sheriff’s Office not only a description of the motel the man was staying in which they could have easily found, but also a description of his car and the LICENSE NUMBER! What did the authorities do with this information? Nothing it would seem. Why NOT? My thought is because it did not involve LHO so they just ignored it.
The next incident that occurred on the same day involved two rifles being brought into the Texas School Book Depository (TSBD) for the first time ever. Warren Caster, assistant manager for Southwestern Publishing Co., said he purchased two rifles at lunch on November 20, 1963, and then brought them back to work with him.
One rifle was a sporterized Mauser of a .30.06 caliber and this caliber would be mentioned in the evidence of the WC. The other was supposedly a Christmas gift for Caster’s son and was a .22 Remington rifle. I am not sure why Caster would purchase a Christmas gift so far in advance since it was NOT even Thanksgiving yet on November 22, 1963, but he claimed to do so.
Both of these would be brought into the TSBD and viewed by William Shelley and Roy Truly. LHO saw them as well from a distance. Both Shelley and Truly would say they had never seen rifles in the building before, so why would Caster bring them in just two days before JFK’s visit? Why was this never investigated by the FBI or WC? Especially when there is evidence showing a Mauser was found (true different caliber) in the TSBD?
As for the incident with little information that occurred on November 20, 1963, I quoted this in an earlier post in this series.
Quote on
Besides the shooting of JFK we have another incident that ties into the timeline of Caster’s purchase. The Dallas Police Department (DPD) received a report from one of their patrols in Dealey Plaza (DP) on November 20, 1963, that several men were behind the fence on the knoll with rifles in their hands. Based on the observation of the police officers it seemed like they were engaged in a form of mock target practice. The men were observed raising their rifles over the fence and aiming them at the street below. The men quickly left before the officers could get there to question them. The incident would be reported to the FBI on November 26, 1963, but nothing was done about it. The only reason we know about this is because the information was obtained in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 1978.
Quote off
Obviously we don’t know what kind of rifles they were using for their “mock target practice” so we will have to leave this one to our imagination. What this incident does show is there were SEVERAL MEN behind the picket fence on the Grassy Knoll (GK) taking aim at the road below. Evidence shows JFK was hit from the front so this CANNOT be chalked up to another coincidence IMO.
The day before the assassination, Thursday, November 21, 1963, there were other sightings of men with rifles. Ernest Owens said he was driving home from work and he saw a man carrying a “foreign made rifle.”
Quote on
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/pages/WH_Vol19_0255a.gif
…I passed a man walking in a westerly (sic) direction on Wood Street as well as I can remember about Good-Lattimer Expressway. I was headed in a Easterly direction in my car and this was sometime between 4:55 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. This man I saw was a White male, was about 5 foot 4 to about 5 foot 6 inches tall and heavy build, not fat but large shoulders. THIS MAN WAS CARRYING A FOREIGN MADE RIFLE, long steel blue barrel and a long yellow stock. This man was wearing a dark colored suit and was bareheaded. He was carrying the gun on his right side in his right hand….This man came out of a parking lot with the gun in his hand. I can not be sure if the weapon had a scope or not on it. I would say this man’s age was between 35 and 45 years and he did not have glasses on. (Decker Exhibit 5323, p. 491) (Emphasis added)
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/html/WH_Vol19_0255a.htm
Quote off
Who was this man and what kind of rifle did he have in his hand? Now, some (i.e. WC defenders) will say this is the south and a lot of people had guns, so what is the big deal? Well, if the Sheriff’s Office agreed with you they would NOT have taken this man’s statement then, right? When a president is killed in your city you should be investigating EVERY lead, no matter how slim it might be, to eliminate it and arrive at the truth. This did NOT happen here as NO one investigated this as far as I know. Was this one of the assassins or just some person carrying a rifle around for no reason? The short stature of the man makes me think of the man who visited Downtown Lincoln-Mercury and claimed to be LHO and took a wild driving demonstration on November 9, 1963. He too was not very tall. Was it the same man?
Our next sighting of a rifle was on the day of the assassination before noon by Philip Hathaway. Here is what he said in his affidavit to the Sheriff’s Office.
Quote on
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/pages/WH_Vol19_0248a.gif
Just before Noon today, my friend John Stevens Rutter Lawrence, who works with me, and I and two other friends left the Texaco Building where we work going to the parade. We were walking down Commerce up to Main and Main to Akard and while [sic] we were walking up Akard towards Main Street we passed a man who was carrying a rifle in a gun case. I saw this man walking towards me, walking towards Commerce, and too particular attention to him because of his [sic] size. I am 6'5" and weigh 200 pounds. This man was very tall, approx 6'6" or 6'7" over 250 pounds, very thick and big through the chest, in his 30's, dirty blonde hair worn in a crew cut. Was wearing a grey colored business suit with white dress shirt, fair complexion. I remarked to my friend that there was a guy carrying a gun in all this crowd and made the remark that he was probably a secret service man. I could very easily identify this man if I ever saw him again. The gun case was holding a rifle because I could tell there was a gun in it as it was a combination leather and cloth gun case and without a gun, it would have been limp, but it was heavy and he was carrying it by the handle and the barrell [sic] of the gun was up at a 45 degree angle. It was beige or tan leather and olive drab material.
We can place the time we saw this man walking with the gun as I recall someone in the crowd asking for the time and they said it was 11:50A.M.
/s/ Philip Ben Hathaway (Decker Exhibit 5323, p. 477)
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/html/WH_Vol19_0248a.htm
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John Lawrence would corroborate this in his own affidavit to the Sherrif’s Office.
Quote on
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/pages/WH_Vol19_0250b.gif
Today at about 11:45AM me and Phil Hathaway and two other fellows left the Texaco Building, where we all work together, to go see the parade and President Kennedy. In just a few minutes after we got out on the street and walking down Akard, Phil called my attention a big man and said he was carrying a rifle. I looked and saw the man but due to a big rush of noontime people, I did not see the rifle. I took particular attention to him because of his size. I was walking with my friend Phil Hathaway who is 6'5" and this man was fairly close to his size, maybe a little taller, he was thick chested and big through the shoulders, maybe 250 pounds or more, but not fat, he gave me the impression of perhaps a professional football player. He had dirty blonde hair and was a short crew cut. He was approximately in his 30's. He was wearing a business suit and I believe it was light in color, perhaps tan, a white business shirt. I could identify this man if I ever saw him again.
/s/ John Stevens Rutter Lawrence (Ibid, p. 482)
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/html/WH_Vol19_0250b.htm
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Who was this man and why was he carrying a gun case at that time? Hathaway said he could recognize him again if he saw him, but of course he would never get the chance since the authorities too never investigated this incident. Remember that a very large man like this tried to visit Jack Ruby shortly after he shot LHO. Was this the same man?
We have another sighting of a man with a gun case shortly before the assassination from Julia Ann Mercer. Here is the relevant portions of her affidavit.
Quote on
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/pages/WH_Vol19_0251a.gif
A man was sitting under the wheel of the car and slouched over the wheel. This man had on a green jacket, was a white male and about his 40's and was heavy set. I did not see him too clearly. Another man was at the back of the truck and reached over the tailgate and took out from the truck what appeared to be a gun case. This case was about 8" wide at its widest spot and tapered down to a width of about 4" or 5". It was brown in color. It had a handle and was about 3 1/2 to 4 feet long. The man who took this out of the truck then proceeded to walk away from the truck and he reached down to free it. He then proceeded to walk across the grass and up the grassy hill which forms part of the overpass. This is the last I saw of this man.
The man who took what appeared to be the gun case out of the truck was a white male, who appeared to be in his late 20's or early 30's and he was wearing a grey jacket, brown pants and plaid shirt as best as I can remember. I remember he had on some kind of a hat that looked like a wool stocking hat with a tassell in the middle of it. I believe that I can identify this man if I see him again. (Ibid., p. 483)
www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh19/html/WH_Vol19_0251a.htm
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Despite the case being “3 ½ to 4 feet long” I have had WC defenders tell me this was a “tool box.” Some tool box, huh? Or maybe he had “curtain rods” in the case, huh? This sighting too was never investigated and one has to wonder if they were searching for the truth as claimed when all these incidences were being ignored.
Our last incident happened just minutes before the motorcade arrived in DP. Arnold Rowland saw a man with a high powered rifle in the window of the TSBD.
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It must have been 5 or 10 minutes later when we were just looking up at the surrounding buildings when I looked up at the Texas School Book Depository building and noticed that the second floor from the top had two adjoining windows which were wide open, and upon looking I saw what I thought was a man standing back about 15 feet from the windows and was holding in his arms what appeared to be hi powered rifle because it looked as though it had a scope on it. He appeared to be holding this at a parade rest sort of position. (Ibid., p. 494)
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Based on this WC defenders could say he saw LHO, but in his WC testimony he makes it clear this sighting was on the WEST end of the TSBD.
Representative FORD - I am not clear on this now. The window that you saw the man that you describe was on what end of the building?
Mr. ROWLAND - The west, southwest corner.
Representative FORD - After 12:22 or thereabouts you indicated you periodically looked back at the window in the southwest corner where you had seen the man with the rifle What happened as the motorcade came along?
Mr. ROWLAND - As the motorcade came along, there was quite a bit of excitement. I didn't look back from then. I was very interested in trying to see the President myself. I had seen him twice before but I was interested in seeing him again.
Representative FORD - A minute ago you indicated that you could see the man in the window with the rifle because of the light conditions, I think you referred to the sun shining in that direction toward the building. Was the sun bright, do you recall that at all?
Mr. ROWLAND - Yes; the sun was out, somewhat bright…The sun was shining in from what I could tell he was standing where I seen him through the window on my right. This would be the east window of the pair. It appeared as though the sun were shining in through either a window on the other side of the building, on the west side of the building, or possibly the western pair, one of the pair. This sun was--that hit him about from the shoulders down as far as I could see, that is why I was able to tell the rifle was of the type or such that it was.
Commission Exhibit (CE) 356:
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In CE 356 you will see he circled and put an arrow in the WESTERN pair of windows on the sixth floor where he saw the man with the high-powered rifle. This is the OPPOSITE end from where the WC said LHO was. Like all the other incidences in this post this too was not investigated at all by the authorities. In fact, they did the opposite and had Rowland INVESTIGATED! It was all his fault for seeing a man with a rifle in the wrong end of the building I guess.
We again see the conclusion the WC reached CANNOT be true since they left so many other leads unexplored. How do you reach the correct conclusion when you don’t look into so many other viable possibilities? You don’t of course, thus, they are sunk again.