Lucille Connell's testimony about April 10th, 1963

[Gayle Nix Jackson]

I am trying to keep my mind off other things right now and thought I would present this to the Forum.  In my research, I found that Lucille Connell, a good friend of Sylvia Odio and Father Machann, testified to the WC that Sylvia Odio went to the Lakewood Theater with her younger sister Annie and her cousin, Marcella Insua.  During the movie, Sylvia said she had to go to the Ladies Room, but never came back.  Alarmed, Annie and Marcella searched for her frantically.  They then called Lucille Connell who called Father Machann to see if he knew where she was.  She was found wandering around the Turtle Creek area.  Now, the thing is, who picked her up?  How did she get there?  And why isn't there a record of this? This was April 10th, 1963.  The same date LHO allegedly took a shot at Walker.  The police picked Odio up and took her to Connell's home.  I asked the DPD, FOIA'ed, everything I could do to find evidence of this.  Does anyone else have any info?   I checked the KENNEDY RIPPLES thread to see if I could find any more info but to no avail.  I wrote a chapter I left out of my last book about all this because I couldn't find supporting evidence, just hearsay with no police report.

 

[Gayle Nix Jackson]

ooh, I forgot to add this.  When I interviewed Faith Leicht before she passed away, she mentioned this story to me as well.  In the torchy romance novel, KENNEDY RIPPLES, Faith Leicht is the person Marianne Sullivan refers to as "HOPE".

[Paul Brancato]

Can’t help you Gayle, but it sure is an interesting story. If you had to speculate, what do you think happened to Silvia on April 10, 1963? 

[Adam Johnson]

Hi Gayle, just wanted to ask, in your research did you ever come across any truth to Sylvia Odio being in Puerto Rico in mid 1963?

Regards,

AJ.

[Gayle Nix Jackson]

Yes Mr. Johnson,

I'll try to find the memo or my interview transcripts and send it to you!

 

Gayle

[Gayle Nix Jackson]

On 7/16/2021 at 1:41 PM, Paul Brancato said:

Can’t help you Gayle, but it sure is an interesting story. If you had to speculate, what do you think happened to Silvia on April 10, 1963? 

Hi Mr. Brancato,

I think there was MUCH more to the DRE/JURE Silvia and her sister Sarita were dabbling in. Sarita did much more dabbling.  Was Silvia there because she was aware of the Walker shooting?  Had her sister Sarita told her?  I just don't know why she would be there.  It was so far away from where she was that evening and definitely too far away from her home in Oak Cliff.  

[Greg Doudna]

On 7/16/2021 at 9:46 AM, Gayle Nix Jackson said:

I am trying to keep my mind off other things right now and thought I would present this to the Forum.  In my research, I found that Lucille Connell, a good friend of Sylvia Odio and Father Machann, testified to the WC that Sylvia Odio went to the Lakewood Theater with her younger sister Annie and her cousin, Marcella Insua.  During the movie, Sylvia said she had to go to the Ladies Room, but never came back.  Alarmed, Annie and Marcella searched for her frantically.  They then called Lucille Connell who called Father Machann to see if he knew where she was.  She was found wandering around the Turtle Creek area.  Now, the thing is, who picked her up?  How did she get there?  And why isn't there a record of this? This was April 10th, 1963.  The same date LHO allegedly took a shot at Walker.  The police picked Odio up and took her to Connell's home.  I asked the DPD, FOIA'ed, everything I could do to find evidence of this.  Does anyone else have any info?   I checked the KENNEDY RIPPLES thread to see if I could find any more info but to no avail.  I wrote a chapter I left out of my last book about all this because I couldn't find supporting evidence, just hearsay with no police report.

 

 

Hi Gayle--I loved your book, Pieces of the Puzzle (2017). in your description of this incident on p. 299 (quoted below) you indicate two sources for the story, one being testimony of Lucille Connell, and the other being what Faith Leicht told you. Since part of the story was a phone call to Father Machann attempting to locate Silvia on the night of the Walker shooting, you asked Father Machann if he could verify that, but Father Machann answered he knew nothing about it.

My question is, when you say 'I'm reading Lucille Connell's testimony about Silvia . . . She mentions a time with Silvia at the movies . . ." -- do you remember what testimony that was and where you read that? (It cannot have been classified if you read it?) I know Lucille Connell was interviewed by the FBI almost immediately, but I cannot find any Warren Commission testimony at all for Lucille Connell, and I cannot verify the Lakewood Theater story in any of the FBI interview reports or later HSCA reporting on Lucille Connell. Could it be possible that your reference in your interview with Father Machann (below) to reading testimony of Lucille Connell, was perhaps some confusion with the anecdote Faith Leicht told you? If it is distinctly memorable to you that you read words of Lucille Connell telling this story and that there were these two, not just one, sources for you telling the Lakewood Theater story, are you able to remember if the "April 10" and "Turtle Creek" elements of the story were in which one, or both, of those sources to you? Do you have notes or recording of Faith Leicht telling you the story that would be able to verify Faith Leicht's inclusion of those details? Can you say approximately how many years after 1963 when Faith Leicht told you that story?

The weak points of the story to me are the inability to verify the specifics of testimony of Lucille Connell; Father Machann's rather emphatic denial that his role in the story ever happened; and your being unable to find other verification.

As a conjecture concerning how the story came about--no idea if this is right but just trying to make sense of it--would it be possible that: (a) Lucille Connell, known otherwise to have been reported by FBI to have made early claims that, according to the later Gaeton Fonzi/HSCA, Lucille Connell subsequently failed to confirm, things which were fairly clearly not true to begin with years before Lucille Connell said she did not remember telling FBI what FBI reported she had said; (b) in that context the present story may possibly be another doubtful Lucille Connell-originated story? and (c) Faith Leicht learned the story from Lucille Connell and Faith Leicht had no independent knowledge of the story other than from Lucille Connell? 

Separate question, as long as you are here: do you know if anyone, in all of history, has ever interviewed Robert Schmidt (Larrie's brother), the one who worked for General Walker? He may still be alive. Is there any chance you could obtain an interview with Robert even at this late date? Anyway thanks for the great interviews and digging you did in Pieces of the Puzzle, so interesting to read.

 

GAYLE: I have a big question to ask you and I’m going to try not to put you on the spot. I’m reading Lucille Connell’s testimony about Silvia. That’s why I asked about her earlier. She mentions a time with Silvia at the movies. Silvia, Marcella and Annie went to the movies near your office in Lakewood. Faith Leicht told me this story. She said that while the three were at the movies, Silvia said she would be right back. They figured she was going to the restroom. She didn’t show up after the movie was over. Do you know what I’m talking about yet? 

MACHANN: No, No. 

GAYLE: Well, Faith said that they later found Silvia wandering around Turtle Creek near General Walker’s home. This was April 10th of 1963. Faith said that Annie called you to see if you knew where Silvia was and then called Lucille Connell. They then called the police. The police picked her up on Turtle Creek and took her to Lucille Connell’s home. Do you know anything about that? April 10th was the date someone took a shot at General Walker while he was in his home office on Turtle Creek. 

MACHANN: I don’t think that happened. I think that must be made up. I don’t remember anyone ever calling me about Silvia

GAYLE: Well I brought you a present. (I give him the Silvia book) Look what I brought you!

 

[Gayle Nix Jackson]

Hi Greg!

Thank you so much for your questions and for reading our book.  Most of my research is in a storage building, but I'm just now reading this so I'm going to go through several files I have here and see if I can give you the information you're asking me.  Faith Leicht told me the story first, about 6 years ago.  Unfortunately, she passed away.  I then found the Connell testimony and you know, what...it may be HSCA testimony (I know I should know that off the top of my head) Anyway, Dave Perry works with a suburban Police department and when I found this information, I immediately begged him to snoop around because the DPD told me they had no records going that far back.  He came up empty as well.  In a REALLY long answer here, i haven't answered a thing, but give me a bit of time and I'll find those files for you!  As for Father Machann saying he thought the story was made up, why would Lucille and Faith say the same thing?  They weren't even friends!  Faith and Marianne Rahmes (aka Sullivan) were friends and Father Machann remembers Faith well.  He also didn't remember Trudi and Colonel Castorr which I find odd.  Your conjecture could be right, but why would Lucille say that?  She too had a crush on Father Machann and eventually took him on a trip to Connecticut I think.  She, though friends with Silvia, was jealous of her too.

Be back with more info!

 

Gayle

[Gayle Nix Jackson]

My notes must be in storage Greg, 

I'll get them as soon as I can.  I do remember though, how this line of research progressed.  Marie Fonzi, one of the most wonderful people in the world and the late Gaeton Fonzi's wife answered several of my questions regarding Silvia and Lucille through his notes.  Then I found a transcript of a tape that the late Harold Weisberg made of his interviews with Trudi and Colonel Castorr.  I'm going to try and upload part of that here.  Then I found the La Fontaine's book OSWALD TALKED (no critique here) but it mentioned all the people I just spoke about:  Silvia, Lucille, Marcella Insua, Father Machann, Sarita, etc.  I did more research and found that Lucille had shared her story in testimony.  It must be the HSCA and I haven't time to look right now.  Anyway, the La Fontaine book led me to a little known romance book (supposedly fiction) where the author changed from her married name.  Marianne Rahmes=Marianne Sullivan and the book is Kennedy Ripples.  I tried to contact the author who has passed away, but I did converse with her son for over a year.  He told me to get in touch with Faith Leicht, and I asked her about the movie story.  She remembered it clearly, but unfortunately, she too has since passed away.  Anyway, Gary Shaw told me that Wallace Milam had been studying this for years so I got in touch with him.  We share info back and forth and I finally went to meet Father Machann in person.  Since you've read the book, you know how that interview went.  So many people say that was the worst chapter of the book but I love it because I wrote out our interviews in longhand after transcribing them and sent copies to Machann.  He and I are still in touch though I'm quite worried about him.  He's in Thailand and he says he's being held there by his son who won't let him return to the US.  He has been emailing me cryptic letters saying, "Please help me get out, I'll tell you all you want to know" and it worries me.  Is he truly in jeopardy?  Is he just saying this because of his age?  WTH is going on?  

 

Okay the file is too big.  Go here:  http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg Subject Index Files/C Disk/Castorr L Robert Colonel/Item 02.pdf

 

More to come I promise!

 

Gayle

[Greg Doudna]

On 8/11/2021 at 1:27 PM, Gayle Nix Jackson said:

My notes must be in storage Greg, 

I'll get them as soon as I can.  I do remember though, how this line of research progressed.  Marie Fonzi, one of the most wonderful people in the world and the late Gaeton Fonzi's wife answered several of my questions regarding Silvia and Lucille through his notes.  Then I found a transcript of a tape that the late Harold Weisberg made of his interviews with Trudi and Colonel Castorr.  I'm going to try and upload part of that here.  Then I found the La Fontaine's book OSWALD TALKED (no critique here) but it mentioned all the people I just spoke about:  Silvia, Lucille, Marcella Insua, Father Machann, Sarita, etc.  I did more research and found that Lucille had shared her story in testimony.  It must be the HSCA and I haven't time to look right now.  Anyway, the La Fontaine book led me to a little known romance book (supposedly fiction) where the author changed from her married name.  Marianne Rahmes=Marianne Sullivan and the book is Kennedy Ripples.  I tried to contact the author who has passed away, but I did converse with her son for over a year.  He told me to get in touch with Faith Leicht, and I asked her about the movie story.  She remembered it clearly, but unfortunately, she too has since passed away.  Anyway, Gary Shaw told me that Wallace Milam had been studying this for years so I got in touch with him.  We share info back and forth and I finally went to meet Father Machann in person.  Since you've read the book, you know how that interview went.  So many people say that was the worst chapter of the book but I love it because I wrote out our interviews in longhand after transcribing them and sent copies to Machann.  He and I are still in touch though I'm quite worried about him.  He's in Thailand and he says he's being held there by his son who won't let him return to the US.  He has been emailing me cryptic letters saying, "Please help me get out, I'll tell you all you want to know" and it worries me.  Is he truly in jeopardy?  Is he just saying this because of his age?  WTH is going on?  

 

Okay the file is too big.  Go here:  http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg Subject Index Files/C Disk/Castorr L Robert Colonel/Item 02.pdf

 

More to come I promise!

 

Gayle

Hi Gayle--I have been rereading your book, and I also have now read Marianne Sullivan (Rahmes), Kennedy Ripples (1994). What struck me about Kennedy Ripples is that it is a true story ("this book is historically based and all events and interactions are described as accurately as possible"), telling of events of the 1960s. Then your interviews as if in a time-warp, find Father Machann all these years later giving a postscript or retrospective. And you are about the only person who has followed up on some of these people in later years. Just fascinating, especially if one thinks there could be something to the John Martino claims told by Larry Hancock. Some points that strike me, of possible interest:

• Kennedy Ripples's first words, an "Author's Note", refers to the stories of strange deaths and says, "Many more people were threatened, harassed, injured and frightened into seclusion, where they dared not come forth with any information concerning the assassination. I was one of those people [emphasis Marianne's]. As a result, for 30 years I too said nothing. Out of the love for my children in want of peace in my own life, I stepped back into the shadows of silence in order to go on. But now, in the winter of my years, my children grown ... I can only hope and pray that the effect of my written word, my true life experiences, will shed some light not only on the events surrounding the assassination but also on the silent torments of celibacy among Catholic priests."
• Underneath the Harlequin romance purple prose telling of her love for Fr. Machann, I see that as her vehicle to tell her story but her love was true. She wanted a future with him, a life and marriage with him. She says she had a miscarriage of a baby that was his. Reading the La Fontaine's telling of Kennedy Ripples it comes across as cheap or a joke, or as if she was a stalker. Reading Marianne's story firsthand that is not how it comes across to me. The stalking? After Fr. Machann's unexplained disappearance (although the mystery remains as to why) Marianne and her close confidantes--Faith (Hope) Leicht and Marcella Insua--thought Fr. Machann's disappearance and exit from Dallas may have been JFK-assassination caused and this belief was encouraged in Marianne--Marianne was victimized--by unscrupulous investigators. But Marianne had every legitimate reason to suspect or fear foul play, and was intent on moving heaven and earth to find him and ensure he was OK. That is not stalking. That is what someone does who cares about someone for real, like family members who spend years pursuing the truth of loved ones' disappearances, or like the son of Frank Olsen in the film Wormwood. In the absence of knowing, imaginations run wild and fear the worst. 
• What is sobering is her accounts of being tailed and stalked herself for unknown reasons in the years immediately following the assassination. What was going on? The reader of Kennedy Ripples, just as Marianne herself, does not know who or why, but suspects that it is related to the JFK assassination, perhaps the unknown, unseen, mysteriously powerful "they" suspected to have done the JFK assassination. I put some thought into trying to figure out the targeting of Marianne and what was going on with that. She tells of herself first hiring a private investigator to try to find Fr. Machann, named "Jonesy". Then there is another man who enters her life, who stalks her and romances her, spying on her, moving into a house with a direct view by telescope of her house, stalker of Marianne, named "Donald Simmons" (ch. 21). Finally there is the loathsome and unscrupulous Lt. Butler of the Dallas Police Department, to whom she is referred and of whom she gives a believable account of a sexual assault by him using his power. All of these investigators suck information out of Marianne, trying to get information from her related to the JFK assassination, and telling scary and unbelievable stories to Marianne re Fr. Machann--stringing her along. What is going on? I think your book pp. 268-272, where you present some of Wallace Milam's work on Holland McCombs archived-papers information on an unpublished Life magazine JFK-assassination investigation of 1964-1967 explains much here. The Life investigation involved the same personalities discussed by Marianne in Kennedy Ripples including Marianne herself, and much the same content of rumors or leads investigated of which Marianne tells. Life put major money into this investigation, analogous to Life putting major money into the Zapruder film for no apparent financial benefit. As you summarize: "Interviews were made; private investigators were hired, research was done" (p. 269). What "Jonesy" tells Marianne about Fr. Machann, Silvia Odio, etc. is similar to the Life investigation McCombs material. The next one, "Donald Simmons", however is not the Life investigation but sounds to me as best guess hired by Marianne's well-to-do ex-husband Mark. The unscrupulous investigator who purposely tries to romance the lady in addition to surveilling her sounds private-sector not government agency. Marianne's "Donald Simmons" corresponds to "Casey Denton" noted at your p. 271 from the McCombs material (Life findings): "An unscrupulous investigator named Casey Denton was hired by someone unknown to the Life investigation team to grill Marianne Sullivan Rahmes. He is described as a divorce evidence scavenger, keyhole peeping, unscrupulous detective (. . .) McCombs' team was interested in finding who was paying him, who he represented and his real purpose in asking about the JFK assassination ..." In Simmons/Denton's case, frightening Marianne with outrageous stories of sinister conspiracy-theory stories and how he was assigned or "sent" by unnamed forces to "protect her" (surveil and romance her), translated reads as a story of an unscrupulous divorce-evidence private investigator on assignment for pay. He does all in his power to convince Marianne that Fr. Machann is gone to her, vanished, she should forget him: "You would be better off forgetting him and going back to your husband" (p. 233)--and the ex, Mark, in the aftermath of what Marianne alludes to as a messy divorce perhaps with legal issues still pending, had the means to hire such a p.i. The story Simmons/Denton tells Marianne at pp. 232-233 reads as just total bullsh-t, analogous to accounts I have heard of how auto repossessers who are very good at their job will sympathize and convince the owners of cars being repossessed that they are on their side, as they take their car. This p.i. was telling Marianne, who seems to have half-believed him, that he was assigned to surveil and protect her by unknown mysterious parties too dangerous for him to identify to her but was on her side and she should cooperate with his surveillance and learning every last detail of her life. As for Lt. Butler, who knows who Butler was working for in his getting information out of Marianne. 
• Marianne goes into some of her own JFK-assassination conspiracy theorizing, and on one point may have been a victim of a ploy to discredit her (my conjecture). She tells of, in Chicago, finding a random copy of Esquire with an article about the JFK assassination. There she sees a photo of the mystery figure outside the Soviet embassy in Mexico City who was not Oswald. She says she recognized that photo as being a photo in the Warren Commission exhibits (which she had studied) of Amador Odio! (Silvia Odio's father, prisoner of Castro in Cuba.) And she publishes copies of the pages as evidence that the figure of the mystery photo was Amador Odio, both in her narrative at pp. 328-29 and again in her appendices at pp. 423-425! And there it is in her photographed pages, evidence: the Soviet embassy person labeled "Odio Exhibit No. 1" following the letter of Amador Odio also labeled "Odio Exhibit No. 1". When I saw this I did a double-take. Since this was purported to be a photocopy of a page from a Warren Commission volume I looked up the page on the Mary Ferrell site (here: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1137#relPageId=711). The actual caption published in the Warren exhibit under the Soviet embassy person is "Odum Exhibit No. 1", named after the FBI agent (Odum) who showed and testified to that photo. It follows "Odio Exhibit No. 1" (the Amador Odio letter to Silvia) because the exhibits are in alphabetical order. However in Marianne's book with the same font and typeface as if it is a direct photocopy the caption under the Soviet Embassy photo has substituted "Odio Exhibit No. 1" for "Odum Exhibit No. 1". Someone went to some work to cut and paste this wrongly, so skilfully that it looks like the photocopied page of the original volume. I reject that Marianne did that. But Marianne, unwitting to the error, published it, where it awaited being discovered to discredit her, and in her book Marianne believes it and may have gone to her grave believing it. I interpret that as either someone's practical joke or sabotage of Marianne's published book, one or the other. Although this is a wild guess only, it is the kind of thing Lt. Butler I believe has done in other cases and would be capable of having done here. (I think of Lt. Butler's ludicrous but presented-as-serious claim to have learned from an unnamed source that Oswald was the illegitimate child of Jack Ruby!) Playing games with people's minds as sport related to the JFK assassination.
• Marianne's story is real, true--that is, her truth, with a curious combination of a deep religious belief consisting of blended Catholicism, new age, and classics of love poetry, and the forbidden affair with the priest violating his vows. Marianne's closest friends, devout Catholic women themselves, support her in her matter of the heart. But it is heartbreak for Marianne because in the end it is unequal, she loves him more than he can return. Along the way by total accident she was caught up in the JFK assassination and some of the personalities involved in Dallas 1963.

Your last lines concerning Machann in Thailand suggesting he is is unhappy where he is now and would tell you more ... do you have further update on that?  

Edited January 27, 2022 by Greg Doudna

[Gayle Nix Jackson]

OMG Greg, I'm so very sorry I'm just now seeing this.  I have SOOOO much more in regards to this, but still no DPD record.  As for Father Machann, I was so worried about his safety and then when he sent a cryptic email saying, (and I quote) "get me out of here and I'll tell you whatever you want to know about the JFK Assassination" it scared me.  That he felt that he's in that much trouble to say that to me means something.  I tried my best to find people within the so-called JFK Community to help me find an Ambassador or something, but to no avail.  IDK what's going on with Father Machann other than he's getting up in age; his son is military special ops and has obviously taken over his well-being; and I've spoken with Father Machann's sister and she too has no clue as to what's really going on.  I fear that if we don't ask him more, he'll soon no longer be with us.  As for Lt. Butler, I have MANY suspicions about him, but that's it...suspicions.  Lucille Connell has since passed away and our efforts at trying to find the answers to this part of the mystery are quickly fading.  Silvia was still alive as of 2020... I don't know now.  I still cannot get in touch with her.  Yes, Kennedy Ripples is but a torrid love story, but set against the truth of people who were around/knew of/familiar with the JFK assassination.   Marianne's son is still someone to contact, though he hasn't shared much more than what I wrote.  I cannot tell you how happy I am that there are other people out there who think the things I find interesting in the JFK case, they do as well.  Thank you Greg.  PS.  In the next 60 days there will be BIG news about the Nix film, the Muchmore Film and the JFK Autopsy photos.  Also, with the information that will soon be out, there will be more about missing evidence and the Zapruder film as well I believe (IDK how much will come out)  Thank you again for this topic's replies and for your studies!

[Greg Doudna]

Thanks for the update Gayle. I hope Fr. Machann is OK wherever he is. Too bad no one is able to undertake to get his story if he's willing to talk. 

I was just looking again at your book Pieces of the Puzzle. Such important information such as relative to the Walker shooting and more that no one else got, your tracking down witnesses. I notice Robbie Schmidt has just died at age 80 on Jan 14, 2022, https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/kansas/name/robert-schmidt-obituary?id=32325470. According to the Bradford Angers story Robbie Schmidt was with and assisted Oswald the night of the Walker house shooting, yet never once was this witness, potentially so important, interviewed or questioned by anyone either in formal investigation or book author. You came the closest, with tracking down his brother Larrie who still lives and in your book telling a number of interviews of Larrie. But Robbie--whatever he might have been able to tell of Walker and/or Oswald or the shooting, gone forever now. I am sure that Walker shooting was an inside job, faked, and Walker self-inflicted those 2-3 surface skin wounds on the outside of his right forearm by simply pressing his arm down on broken glass or metal shards on a flat surface, so easy to do. The Brad Angers story is a version of an inside job. Oswald may have been part of it but no one was trying to kill Walker that evening, there was no attempted murder. Walker's extremely light injuries confined solely to the outside of his right forearm exactly where harmless surface skin cut bleedings would be if self-inflicted in the manner named ... the early suspicion of reporting Dallas police officers that he faked it was right. If only the Bradford Angers story had been investigated. I wish Congress had passed a law of unconditional blanket amnesty for anyone with information on the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK. 

I agree with this:

"[Dick Russell in The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1992] had interviewed a popular Dallas social climber named Brad Angers who said Lee Harvey Oswald with two others shot at Walker. I wondered then why a new commission wasn't begun ... I contacted Mr. Angers in 2016 and spoke to him on two separate occasions and his wife on the last call." (p. 149).

Is it possible Angers is still alive and you could talk to him again? Did he say anything to you regarding the tape of Robbie Schmidt telling of the Walker shooting he said he had? The mention of news in the next 60 days regarding your father's film and Zapruder is interesting.

[Tony Rose]

On 4/13/2022 at 1:52 PM, Gayle Nix Jackson said:

  I tried my best to find people within the so-called JFK Community to help me find an Ambassador or something, but to no avail.

It's relatively easy to contact an embassy.  Go to https://th.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulate/bangkok/  Click on "US Citizen Services" and go from there.  If this is too obvious and I've completely missed the point, I apologize.