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Jada Conforto and Jack Ruby


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Does anyone know anything about this story? Jada Conforto was one of Jack Ruby’s strippers. According to Daniel Hopsticker, on the morning of JFK’s assassination, Jada had been in “such a panic to leave Dallas that she ran over a pedestrian with her white Cadillac convertible”. The traffic cop was told to contact Ruby who would “fix things”. Jada told the cop she needed to urgently get to New Orleans.

Jada Conforto was never interviewed by the Warren Commission. However, the HSCA wanted to talk to her. That never happened. She was killed in a motorcycle accident during the investigation. The sister of Lena Wamstad, who was involved in the Barry Seal scandal, was Jada’s aunt. She told Hopsticker that Jada was “murdered because she knew too much.”

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Does anyone know anything about this story? Jada Conforto was one of Jack Ruby’s strippers. According to Daniel Hopsticker, on the morning of JFK’s assassination, Jada had been in “such a panic to leave Dallas that she ran over a pedestrian with her white Cadillac convertible”. The traffic cop was told to contact Ruby who would “fix things”. Jada told the cop she needed to urgently get to New Orleans.

Jada Conforto was never interviewed by the Warren Commission. However, the HSCA wanted to talk to her. That never happened. She was killed in a motorcycle accident during the investigation. The sister of Lena Wamstad, who was involved in the Barry Seal scandal, was Jada’s aunt. She told Hopsticker that Jada was “murdered because she knew too much.”

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Hi John,

I have the following on Jada:

(1) Direct from my book:

(QUOTE)

JADA (Janet Mole Adams Bonney Cuffari Smallwood Conforto Washington). When his star performer, Shari Angel, was obviously going to be absent for some time through sickness (peritonitis), Jack Ruby went to New Orleas where he signed up Jada from the Sho-Bar. She was one of the best-known club strippers on the scene in the early-60s and she commanded higher wages than any othe Carousel Club performer.

She began work at the Carousl Club on 17th Juy 1963 and extensions to her contract would have kept her there until 1st January 1964. She caused Ruby many problems. In particular, she had a habit of going too far with her act and on occasion Ruby would turn the lights out on her. Local journalist Seth Kantor described her as being "supercharged with animalism" in his 1978 book "Who Was Jack Ruby?"

Following arguments and disagreements with Ruby, Jada quit the Carousel Club during the first week of November 1963. She was killed in Albuquerque, New Mexico on 9th May 1980 when the motorcycle she was riding was in collision with a school bus. She was 44 years old. Jada was one of the stars of the 1960s burlesque film "Naughty Dallas" (available on video).

(UNQUOTE)

(2) In March 2001, "The Dealey Plaza Echo" published an interesting and well-researched piece by Kansas researcher Mark K. Colgan entitled "When a mysterious death is no lnger mysterious." This dealt solely with the life and death of Jada and Mark included pictures of her crypt and the cemetery and also a press cutting about her death (including a photograph of her mangled motorbike). He also included a cutting of her press obituary.

Among her many husbands (look at all the surnames in her full name!), perhaps the most interesting would have been Ralph C. Smallwood. Mark Colgan's extensive research revealed that Mr. Smallwood was a jockey.

The story goes that she used to ride around Dallas in an open pink Cadillac. I have heard the story of her being involved in a traffic accident on the morning of the assassination but whether that was in a white Cadillac or the well-known pink one I don't know.

I believe that if she had been murdered, it would have been done a lot earlier than 1980.

I hope this helps.

IAN

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Hi John,

I have the following on Jada:

(1) Direct from my book:

(QUOTE)

JADA (Janet Mole Adams Bonney Cuffari Smallwood Conforto Washington). When his star performer, Shari Angel, was obviously going to be absent for some time through sickness (peritonitis), Jack Ruby went to New Orleas where he signed up Jada from the Sho-Bar. She was one of the best-known club strippers on the scene in the early-60s and she commanded higher wages than any othe Carousel Club performer.

She began work at the Carousl Club on 17th Juy 1963 and extensions to her contract would have kept her there until 1st January 1964. She caused Ruby many problems. In particular, she had a habit of going too far with her act and on occasion Ruby would turn the lights out on her. Local journalist Seth Kantor described her as being "supercharged with animalism" in his 1978 book "Who Was Jack Ruby?"

Following arguments and disagreements with Ruby, Jada quit the Carousel Club during the first week of November 1963. She was killed in Albuquerque, New Mexico on 9th May 1980 when the motorcycle she was riding was in collision with a school bus. She was 44 years old. Jada was one of the stars of the 1960s burlesque film "Naughty Dallas" (available on video).

(UNQUOTE)

(2) In March 2001, "The Dealey Plaza Echo" published an interesting and well-researched piece by Kansas researcher Mark K. Colgan entitled "When a mysterious death is no lnger mysterious." This dealt solely with the life and death of Jada and Mark included pictures of her crypt and the cemetery and also a press cutting about her death (including a photograph of her mangled motorbike). He also included a cutting of her press obituary.

Among her many husbands (look at all the surnames in her full name!), perhaps the most interesting would have been Ralph C. Smallwood. Mark Colgan's extensive research revealed that Mr. Smallwood was a jockey.

The story goes that she used to ride around Dallas in an open pink Cadillac. I have heard the story of her being involved in a traffic accident on the morning of the assassination but whether that was in a white Cadillac or the well-known pink one I don't know.

I believe that if she had been murdered, it would have been done a lot earlier than 1980.

I hope this helps.

IAN

Thank you Ian. I am afraid that Daniel Hopsicker's account is extremely misleading. One of the great flaws in the book is the lack of notes and references. Nor does he include many dates. For example, Jada clearly died after the HSCA investigation.

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Harvey & Lee by John Armstrong has the following on pages 801 and 802:

“Jada” (Jeanette M. Conforto) – 12:00

Shortly after 12:00 noon, as employees of the TSBD were lining up on the street to await the Presidential motorcade, the former star attraction of the Carousel Club, “Jada,” was in a hurry to leave Dallas. While driving her 1963 Cadillac convertible (Louisiana license number 941-985) Jada struck pedestrian Charles Burnes as he was crossing Lemmon Avenue. Burnes, who worked for Texas Estimates in Dallas, was taken to a clinic where he was examined and x-rayed for possible injuries. Jada, who was also taken to the clinic, was nearly hysterical and repeatedly cursed at Burnes. After she calmed down Jada used the telephone to call a man who arrived within a few minutes in another Cadillac.

Jada was interviewed by security people who were employed by Texas Estimates and provided a statement. When Jada told them she was employed at the Carousel Club (she was not working there at the time), they asked her if the could get in touch with her later at the Club. Jada said, “No,” and told the security people the Carousel Club would not be open that evening, and she was in a hurry to get to New Orleans.

The pedestrian, Charles Burnes, thought Jada’s comment about the Carousel Club closing was unusual because Friday nights were normally very busy for nite-clubs. While at the clinic, Burnes listened to news reports as they came in over the radio about the shooting of President Kennedy. Following the assassination, the Chief of Security of Texas Estimates provided the information collected by his security people to the FBI. (36)

NOTE: On November 26 FBI agents W.J. Danielson, Jr. and William F. McDonald attempted to locate “Jada.” From the Louisiana State Department of Motor Vehicles in Baton Roughe they learned the Cadillac was registered to Jeanette Conforto whose address was 627 1/2 St. Peters Street in New Orleans. They checked the St. Peters address as well as the address listed for Conforto in the telephone directory but were unable to locate her. (37)

36. Memo from Frank E. Meloche to Jim Garrison, 3/11/67, re: Charles Burnes. (p 844)

37. National Archives, HSCA 180-10046-10327, FBI case files 44-24016-355; FBI teletype from SAC New Orleans to Director and SAC Dallas re: Jeanette Conforto, 11/26/63. (p 844)

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Hi John,

I have the following on Jada:

(1) Direct from my book:

(QUOTE)

JADA (Janet Mole Adams Bonney Cuffari Smallwood Conforto Washington). When his star performer, Shari Angel, was obviously going to be absent for some time through sickness (peritonitis), Jack Ruby went to New Orleas where he signed up Jada from the Sho-Bar. She was one of the best-known club strippers on the scene in the early-60s and she commanded higher wages than any othe Carousel Club performer.

She began work at the Carousl Club on 17th Juy 1963 and extensions to her contract would have kept her there until 1st January 1964. She caused Ruby many problems. In particular, she had a habit of going too far with her act and on occasion Ruby would turn the lights out on her. Local journalist Seth Kantor described her as being "supercharged with animalism" in his 1978 book "Who Was Jack Ruby?"

Following arguments and disagreements with Ruby, Jada quit the Carousel Club during the first week of November 1963. She was killed in Albuquerque, New Mexico on 9th May 1980 when the motorcycle she was riding was in collision with a school bus. She was 44 years old. Jada was one of the stars of the 1960s burlesque film "Naughty Dallas" (available on video).

(UNQUOTE)

(2) In March 2001, "The Dealey Plaza Echo" published an interesting and well-researched piece by Kansas researcher Mark K. Colgan entitled "When a mysterious death is no lnger mysterious." This dealt solely with the life and death of Jada and Mark included pictures of her crypt and the cemetery and also a press cutting about her death (including a photograph of her mangled motorbike). He also included a cutting of her press obituary.

Among her many husbands (look at all the surnames in her full name!), perhaps the most interesting would have been Ralph C. Smallwood. Mark Colgan's extensive research revealed that Mr. Smallwood was a jockey.

The story goes that she used to ride around Dallas in an open pink Cadillac. I have heard the story of her being involved in a traffic accident on the morning of the assassination but whether that was in a white Cadillac or the well-known pink one I don't know.

I believe that if she had been murdered, it would have been done a lot earlier than 1980.

I hope this helps.

IAN

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Harvey & Lee by John Armstrong has the following on pages 801 and 802:
“Jada” (Jeanette M. Conforto) – 12:00

Shortly after 12:00 noon, as employees of the TSBD were lining up on the street to await the Presidential motorcade, the former star attraction of the Carousel Club, “Jada,” was in a hurry to leave Dallas. While driving her 1963 Cadillac convertible (Louisiana license number 941-985) Jada struck pedestrian Charles Burnes as he was crossing Lemmon Avenue. Burnes, who worked for Texas Estimates in Dallas, was taken to a clinic where he was examined and x-rayed for possible injuries. Jada, who was also taken to the clinic, was nearly hysterical and repeatedly cursed at Burnes. After she calmed down Jada used the telephone to call a man who arrived within a few minutes in another Cadillac.

Jada was interviewed by security people who were employed by Texas Estimates and provided a statement. When Jada told them she was employed at the Carousel Club (she was not working there at the time), they asked her if the could get in touch with her later at the Club. Jada said, “No,” and told the security people the Carousel Club would not be open that evening, and she was in a hurry to get to New Orleans.

The pedestrian, Charles Burnes, thought Jada’s comment about the Carousel Club closing was unusual because Friday nights were normally very busy for nite-clubs. While at the clinic, Burnes listened to news reports as they came in over the radio about the shooting of President Kennedy. Following the assassination, the Chief of Security of Texas Estimates provided the information collected by his security people to the FBI. (36)

NOTE: On November 26 FBI agents W.J. Danielson, Jr. and William F. McDonald attempted to locate “Jada.” From the Louisiana State Department of Motor Vehicles in Baton Roughe they learned the Cadillac was registered to Jeanette Conforto whose address was 627 1/2 St. Peters Street in New Orleans. They checked the St. Peters address as well as the address listed for Conforto in the telephone directory but were unable to locate her. (37)

36. Memo from Frank E. Meloche to Jim Garrison, 3/11/67, re: Charles Burnes. (p 844)

37. National Archives, HSCA 180-10046-10327, FBI case files 44-24016-355; FBI teletype from SAC New Orleans to Director and SAC Dallas re: Jeanette Conforto, 11/26/63. (p 844)

I don't have the pages in front of me, but, the DPD contacted LA authorities to check on the car involved.

It came back registered to Conforto. There were no wants or warrants connected with the car.

No Problem, right?

Shortly thereafter, another report came in stating that the car was stolen.

Curious, I looked for other paperwork associated with this to see what the DPD did in response to this information. I did not find any follow-up reports after that.

Why, within days of the assassination, would LA authorities report that at the time of the assassination that the car had been reported stolen, even though it was Jada driving that car in Dallas?

Chuck

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John,

Does anyone know anything about this story? Jada Conforto was one of Jack Ruby’s strippers. According to Daniel Hopsticker, on the morning of JFK’s assassination, Jada had been in “such a panic to leave Dallas that she ran over a pedestrian with her white Cadillac convertible”. The traffic cop was told to contact Ruby who would “fix things”. Jada told the cop she needed to urgently get to New Orleans.

You can read a memo from Ass't Police Chief Charles Batchelor to eputy Chief M.W. Stevenson about this accident in Box 1, Folder# 8, Item# 36 of the DPD Archives here:

http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/box1.htm

A license plate check are items 35 and 37

Steve Thomas

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  • 7 months later...
Good stuff, Ian.

Do you know if it is true that at the time of the assassination, Jada was seeing a character by the name of Larry Ronco, who in the summer of 1963 was dating Beverly Oliver?

James

James,

Larry Ronco is most certainly in your very thick file of interesting people.

According to Beverly, Ronco gave her the 8mm camera she used to film the assassination.

She met him at the Dallas State Fair where he had a booth, much like the "How Hollywood Makes Movies" booth where Larry Crafard and J. McDonald worked before they hooked on with Ruby.

Ronco is said to have worked for KODAK in upstate Rochester?, New York.

He also was an aquaintance of a group of Cubans who lived together in Dallas.

And I'm sure there's more.

Beverly could put Ronco in Jada's circle if he was there.

With all we know about the guy he should be locatable.

As for Shari Angel, she's a real piece of work and could probably answer a lot of these questions, though her reliabitliy factor would come into play. I met her at the Dallas airport where I had flown in from Philly on the same plane with one of Bob Groden's kids. Bob drove a new van which included me, his son, Shari Angel and a couple other shaddy characters. Shari had a fake mink stole and a little yapper dog who she said was related to the same pups Jack had, and gave away as pets to special friends - like Mickey Cohen's girlfriend. When we got to the hotel, I tried to pretend I wasn't with them when the dog started doing his dutty all over the lobby, and some guy in a suit and tie got off the elevator and stepped directly in it. Ruby's curse is still active.

BK

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Good stuff, Ian.

James

As for Shari Angel, she's a real piece of work and could probably answer a lot of these questions, though her reliabitliy factor would come into play. I met her at the Dallas airport where I had flown in from Philly on the same plane with one of Bob Groden's kids. Bob drove a new van which included me, his son, Shari Angel and a couple other shaddy characters. Shari had a fake mink stole and a little yapper dog who she said was related to the same pups Jack had, and gave away as pets to special friends - like Mickey Cohen's girlfriend. When we got to the hotel, I tried to pretend I wasn't with them when the dog started doing his dutty all over the lobby, and some guy in a suit and tie got off the elevator and stepped directly in it. Ruby's curse is still active.

BK

I didn't know you were from Dallas and knew some of these people. But you had me in stitches with the part about Shari Angel and her dog and you trying not to be with them.

Kathy

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Good stuff, Ian.

Do you know if it is true that at the time of the assassination, Jada was seeing a character by the name of Larry Ronco, who in the summer of 1963 was dating Beverly Oliver?

James

James,

Larry Ronco is most certainly in your very thick file of interesting people.

According to Beverly, Ronco gave her the 8mm camera she used to film the assassination.

She met him at the Dallas State Fair where he had a booth, much like the "How Hollywood Makes Movies" booth where Larry Crafard and J. McDonald worked before they hooked on with Ruby.

Ronco is said to have worked for KODAK in upstate Rochester?, New York.

He also was an aquaintance of a group of Cubans who lived together in Dallas.

And I'm sure there's more.

Beverly could put Ronco in Jada's circle if he was there.

With all we know about the guy he should be locatable.

As for Shari Angel, she's a real piece of work and could probably answer a lot of these questions, though her reliabitliy factor would come into play. I met her at the Dallas airport where I had flown in from Philly on the same plane with one of Bob Groden's kids. Bob drove a new van which included me, his son, Shari Angel and a couple other shaddy characters. Shari had a fake mink stole and a little yapper dog who she said was related to the same pups Jack had, and gave away as pets to special friends - like Mickey Cohen's girlfriend. When we got to the hotel, I tried to pretend I wasn't with them when the dog started doing his dutty all over the lobby, and some guy in a suit and tie got off the elevator and stepped directly in it. Ruby's curse is still active.

BK

Thanks, Bill.

One of Ronco's shady associates during 1963 was a guy named Emmit Anderson. Beverly Oliver would have known this guy as well. I was told that he once dated Jo Ann Starr, who was to become Jo Ann Harrelson, Charles Harrelson's wife at the time he killed Judge Wood.

James

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I guess none of you know, but Shari Angel died last year......for your information.......

June 21/05..

B..

"Ruby stripper Shari Angel passes away"

Former Jack Ruby Carousel dancer Shari Angel, "The Heavenly Body",

passed away on Tuesday, June 21. Shari, whose real name was Bobbie Lou

Meserole, had been diagnosed with cancer of most of her major organs a

few months back. She spent several weeks under Hospice care, and the end

came last week.

Many of us remember Shari, as she lived here in Dallas and attended many

of the Lancer conferences.

From Jerry Dealey..at the time...

The Obit from the Dallas Morning News of Thursday, June 23 follows:

Bobbie Louise Meserole MESEROLE, , BOBBIE LOUISE IN LOVING MEMORY Born

January 19, 1934 and passed away on June 21, 2005. Survived by Husband

Hunter Paul Meserole, Son: Johnny Douglas Shumake, Daughters: Paula

Meserole Garner, Grandson Trevor Garner, Brothers, Sisters, Uncles,

Aunts and 2 Grandchildren. Service Graveside Friday June 24, 2005 @

10:00 A.M. in the Grove Hill Memorial Park. Family will receive friends

Thursday June 23, 2005 From 6 to 8 P.M. at the Funeral Home. Troy Suggs

Funeral Home 214-381-1109

Edited by Bernice Moore
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