Did Batchelor Escort Ruby From the Back Door in an Elevator to the Basement?

[David Josephs]

On 8/5/2024 at 12:11 AM, Kevin Balch said:

From what I recall, the Tippit killing didn’t get much attention in the interrogation. Oswald denied everything about it and I assume the Tippit murder charge was based on the lineup identification.

I just read Batchelor’s Warren Commission testimony and from what I can tell, he was in the basement during the time it is alleged he would have been escorting Ruby. He spent a lot of time arranging the use of an armored car from a private agency and getting the clearances in the garage measured to see if it would fit. When the driver arrived, he did not want to back the car down the ramp because of concern for the engine. So it was left at the top of the ramp. In the meantime, Batchelor was informed that the plan was changed to use the armored car as a decoy.

Tippit killing didn’t get much attention in the interrogation

Hi Kevin,

There's a simple and amazing reason why all the interrogation reports only mention Oswald vehemently denying killing anyone, including Tippit, and why there is no mention of any investigation into the Tippit murder or questions put to Oswald about the details of the murder

The Wallet

Westbrook brings in the wallet from the Tippit scene and gives it to Fritz... who is also aware of the wallet found in Oswald's pocket on the ride from the theater... the wallet with the Elsbeth Library card in it, supposedly.

Neither the Tippit or Arrest wallets are in evidence

Here is the FBI B1 inventory report of the wallet's contents (which wallet?)

 

 

The one wallet in evidence is a plastic red one and there's this one with the related photo...  the three photos described above are of Lee as a marine, Marina and the baby

The problem of 2 wallets and all the contents which has no relation ship to the wallet other than by Fritz.

 

 

 

This remains the only physical evidence of the existence of that wallet.. CROY.

If Oswald or anyone is asked about the Tippit scene, wallet and murder it calls into question the validity of not only the wallet but the bogus FBI provided evidence attributed to it.

Between the FBI report of Clements on the 22nd and Bookout's on the 24th, more HIDELL ID was added while other items disappear.  It's all in the article as well as at the end of my DPUK discussion

Take care

DJ

 

 

[Ron Bulman]

Thanks D J.  Any thoughts on whether Ruby had an escort from the door, stairs or elevator.  Croy? Ok.  Would a reserve officer been enough power if someone out of the loop questioned them?  Dean or Batchelor would have been unquestioned.

Edited August 30 by Ron Bulman

[David Josephs]

On 8/29/2024 at 10:49 PM, Ron Bulman said:

Thanks D J.  Any thoughts on whether Ruby had an escort from the door, stairs or elevator.  Croy? Ok.  Would a reserve officer been enough power if someone out of the loop questioned them?  Dean or Batchelor would have been unquestioned.

CROY would make the most sense if he ever actually went over to that part of the parking garage.

Batchelor was placed at the top of the Ramp directly across from the double doors in front which Oswald was led.

Oswald is shot within a minute of the Pierce car going up the ramp past Vaughn.  Batchelor would not say he had escorted Ruby, of course, and his testimony seems to account for all the time when he'd need to be there to meet Ruby, and/or open the door for him if needed.

I don't think it was Batchelor given how closely aligned CROY and WESTBROOK are throughout.

Mr. GRIFFIN. Did you watch Pierce and Maxey's car go through the line of newsmen?
Chief BATCHELOR. I saw it. I wasn't
Mr. GRIFFIN. Were you paying any attention?
Chief BATCHELOR. Not particularly. I do remember seeing it.
Mr. GRIFFIN. After Pierce and Maxey's car broke through the line of news-men, what do you remember next happening?
Chief BATCHELOR. I remember backing these or pulling up these two detective cars that were to carry Oswald, and one detective pulled up here a little ways, and he had to pull up a little further so this one could get up, and they then backed up. And this one had hardly gotten in place, barely had stopped, when somebody shouted, "Here he comes."
Mr. GRIFFIN. All right, now, are you sure how certain are you that these two detective cars pulled out after Pierce and Maxey ?
Chief BATCHELOR. I don't think Pierce and Maxey could have gotten out with those two detective cars where they were.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Sounds pretty good to me.

[Joe Bauer]

On 8/21/2024 at 7:47 PM, Ron Bulman said:

Yeah Joe, the reports in the Tribune are fascinating to me.  Only place I've ever found them is in the exhibits at the end of Betrayal in Dallas by Mark North, whose conclusions I don't agree with.  But they are actual copies of the reports from the paper and sourced to the LBJ library.

The Tribune was an Italian newspaper.  The Zumora club was an Italian club.  Joe Civello became a member in I think 1946 (same year Ruby came down from Chicago?), he was head of it by 1958 and still in 1963.  They rented a house near Love field for the weekly Thursday evening meeting.  A catered traditional Italian supper, cigars and drinks discussing important issues, then an (illegal) poker game.  This is where it sounds like Patrick Dean said he met Civello.  The book says it is rumored LBJ visited there in the 1940's.

Why would the head of the Dallas mafia, overseer of Northeast Texas operations for Carlos Marcello, after being busted at the national gathering of mafia heads in Appalachian NY, shortly request a dinner with a at the time 26-year-old DPD Sargent of 1-2 years?

BTW, the book does make clear through copies of their correspondence that Henry Wade idolized LBJ.    

Bump

[Joe Bauer]

 

Expand

 

 

Casa Mañana is presenting Oswald: The Actual Interrogation from Nov. 9 – Nov. 17. This compelling performance examines the history and events surrounding the 48 hours that Lee Harvey Oswald was in the custody of the Dallas Police Department after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and coincides with the 50th anniversary of the momentous event.

Over the next few months leading up to the performance, we will be spotlighting individuals with a tie to those 48 hours in history.

Joe Harrison is son to William (Blackie) Harrison, who was a detective for the Dallas Police Department in 1963. Detective Harrison had been on the force for 11 years on the day Oswald was shot, and he was responsible for wrestling Jack Ruby to the ground.

"On the day Kennedy was shot, my dad had been seated at the far right-hand side of the head table at Market Center," Joe says. Market Center's Grand Courtyard was the destination of President Kennedy's motorcade on the day of his assassination. JFK was scheduled to give a speech to 2,600 people at the sold-out luncheon in which Detective Harrison was present.

Two days later, on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 24, Detective Harrison was assigned to keep people away from the cars and prisoner Oswald. Before his duty that morning, Detective Harrison walked across the street and had breakfast at the Deluxe Diner.

After breakfast he took his station in the basement. A crowd of police and press with live TV cameras gathered to witness as Oswald was brought to the basement at 11:21 a.m. on his way to a more secure county jail.

"Ruby slipped up behind my dad, and he had his hand on Ruby's hand when Ruby took the shot," Joe says. After Ruby fatally wounded Oswald with a .38 revolver, Detective Harrison wrestled Ruby to the ground and then took him to booking before returning to the basement to assist the other officers.

Ruby operated strip joints and dance halls in Dallas with minor connections to organized crime. He was later found guilty of murder with malice in association with killing Oswald and was sentenced to death. In 1966, the Texas Court of Appeals reversed the decision, but while awaiting a new trial Ruby died of lung cancer in a Dallas hospital.

Joe remembers watching everything unfold on television when he was 15 years old. "My father never liked to speak about what happened. He was close-lipped about the whole thing," Joe says.

[Ron Bulman]

Is Blackie a candidate for Ruby's escort?  Friend for 12 years.  Time before Oswal assassination un-accounted for.  More in the Ruby Cover-Up. 

[Ron Bulman]

What a hot mess the basement was. Batchelor in charge.  Dean actually in charge of operations, officer placement.  Harrison's location shortly before the shooting unknown, wouldn't talk to his family about it (like Roy Truly).

L. D. Miller went to the Deluxe Diner for breakfast or a coffee break depending on the source with Harrison around I think it said 9:00, finally admitted Blackie got a phone call, calling them back to work about 10:00 (?).  He was very obstinate to Griffin, refusing to be sworn in, raise his hand, take the oath.  Wanted to know what this was all about, the rules.  After having this explained before the started.  Griffin went over them again.  He couldn't remember anything about it all.  With the threat of being called to Washington he raised his hand the next day, with lawyer in tow.

Harrison, after his inconclusive lie detector test by the DPD, arrived with a lawyer at the start.

Dean said he went to the 3rd floor after the shooting, escorted Dallas SSA head Sorrels to the 5th floor to interview Oswald.  After Sorrels was done, he says he asked Ruby how he got in.  Down the ramp.  Sorrels says nope, emphatically, did not happen.  So, is Dean lying?

Did Griffin have reason to be suspicious between the three of them?

Edited September 3 by Ron Bulman

[David Josephs]

6 hours ago, Ron Bulman said:

Did Griffin have reason to be suspicious between the three of them?

https://harveyandlee.net/Oswald_Killed/Oswald_Killed.html

After reading numerous reports of Ruby visiting police headquarters on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning, attorney’s Burt Griffin and Leon Hubert were convinced that Ruby had been stalking Oswald. They knew that Ruby’s presence at City Hall on Sunday morning was not coincidental, and they knew that Ruby somehow entered the basement for the purpose of killing Oswald.  After months of deposing witnesses and examining evidence Griffin and Hubert both believed that when Ruby left Western Union he entered the 1st floor of the Annex building thru a door on the east side of the building, walked down the stairs (fire escape), and then entered the basement parking area. When Griffin deposed Sgt. Dean on March 24, 1964 he seemed sure that Dean was lying about Ruby telling him that he entered the basement via the Main St. ramp. The overwhelming evidence was that Ruby did not enter and walk down the Main St. ramp. Griffin suspected that Ruby entered the basement parking area via the stairway adjacent to the elevators. He asked Dean for the names of the officers that Dean had assigned to guard the parking area. Dean told Griffin, “I assigned Officer R. E. Vaughn to the entrance ramp, which is entering on Main Street, Officer R. C. Nelson to the doorway coming from the police and court building and into the basement, Officer B. G. Patterson to the Commerce Street ramp, which is the exit, and I assigned one reserve officer to the southern portion of the basement, to the stairways that lead into the subbasement or the machine room. Griffin was waiting for Dean to identify the Officer assigned to watch the elevators and the stairway, but Dean was silent.

Mr. Griffin: Who checked the stairway door in the garage that leads up into the municipal building?
Mr. Dean: The stairway door?
Mr. Griffin: Yes.
Mr. Dean: I don't know of any door that leads up into the--the stairway?
Mr. Griffin: There is a stairway…. over where the elevators are
Mr. Dean: Oh, Oh, yes
Mr. Griffin: Who checked that door?
Mr. Dean: Sergeant Putnam checked it once and I checked it once and it was locked.
Mr. Griffin: Did you know at the time you checked it that even though the door was locked from the outside, it could be opened from the inside?
Mr. Dean: [No response.]
Mr. Griffin: Now, where did you station Brock?
Mr. Dean: Put him in a position that he could see this door here and also these three elevators [indicating].

At 10:45 AM Officer Brock was removed and assigned to traffic detail by Sgt Putnam and/or Sgt. Dean. A few minutes later Officer Worley was removed from his post near the incline that lead to the ramp. Both men were assigned to traffic detail. There was now only one “unidentified “ reserve officer in the basement parking area near the door to the stairway (fire escape), but Sgt. Dean did not provide any of this information to Griffin.

Burt Griffin now had several good reason to doubt that Ruby told Dean he came down the ramp, because the overwhelming evidence was that Ruby did not enter and walk down the Main St. ramp. While questioning Dean on March 24, 1964, Griffin abruptly stopped and told the stenographer to take a break. Griffin confronted Dean, said that he didn’t believe him, and asked him to reconsider his testimony. Griffin expressed his doubts about what he felt were untrue answers given by Dean and suggested Dean may need an attorney. Griffin wrote a memo to J. L. Rankin, the WC chief counsel, explaining “I believe it likely Ruby came in by another entrance to a point where Dean could have stopped him and that Dean... is trying to conceal his dereliction of duty”. On May 15, 1964 both Griffin and Leon Hubert sent a memo to J. Lee Rankin with a list of areas that needed further investigation and a list of people they wanted to question.

Sgt. Dean complained about Griffin’s accusation to D.A. Wade, who then called President Lyndon Johnson at his ranch in Texas, and told him about the Dean/Griffin confrontation. Seth Kantor acknowledged that President Johnson began to exert pressure on Earl Warren.    Dallas Morning News reporter Earl Golz interviewed Dean concerning his dispute with Burt Griffin. Dean said, “”Henry Wade (Dallas District Attorney) called President Lyndon Johnson at his ranch and told him about this trouble I was having with Griffin. The next day it was on the front page about Griffin loading his butt on the airplane and going back to Washington.” Texas attorney general Waggoner Carr accompanied Dean to Washington DC when he met and shared his complaints with Earl Warren about Griffin’s behavior. Griffin was not allowed to confront Dean at the Warren-Dean meeting. The WC soon recalled Griffin from Dallas and the investigation of the Dallas Police stopped.

Griffin had this to say: “I always thought all along about the Dallas police that anything that would get them into trouble or embarrass them, THEY WOULD LIE TO US ABOUT. NO question about it.”
 

NOTE: In March, 1964, Jack Ruby was found guilty of the premeditated murder of Oswald, but his conviction was overturned by a Texas Appellate Court. The Court found that Dean’s testimony should not have been admitted during the trial.

[Joe Bauer]

19 minutes ago, David Josephs said:

https://harveyandlee.net/Oswald_Killed/Oswald_Killed.html

After reading numerous reports of Ruby visiting police headquarters on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning, attorney’s Burt Griffin and Leon Hubert were convinced that Ruby had been stalking Oswald. They knew that Ruby’s presence at City Hall on Sunday morning was not coincidental, and they knew that Ruby somehow entered the basement for the purpose of killing Oswald.  After months of deposing witnesses and examining evidence Griffin and Hubert both believed that when Ruby left Western Union he entered the 1st floor of the Annex building thru a door on the east side of the building, walked down the stairs (fire escape), and then entered the basement parking area. When Griffin deposed Sgt. Dean on March 24, 1964 he seemed sure that Dean was lying about Ruby telling him that he entered the basement via the Main St. ramp. The overwhelming evidence was that Ruby did not enter and walk down the Main St. ramp. Griffin suspected that Ruby entered the basement parking area via the stairway adjacent to the elevators. He asked Dean for the names of the officers that Dean had assigned to guard the parking area. Dean told Griffin, “I assigned Officer R. E. Vaughn to the entrance ramp, which is entering on Main Street, Officer R. C. Nelson to the doorway coming from the police and court building and into the basement, Officer B. G. Patterson to the Commerce Street ramp, which is the exit, and I assigned one reserve officer to the southern portion of the basement, to the stairways that lead into the subbasement or the machine room. Griffin was waiting for Dean to identify the Officer assigned to watch the elevators and the stairway, but Dean was silent.

Mr. Griffin: Who checked the stairway door in the garage that leads up into the municipal building?
Mr. Dean: The stairway door?
Mr. Griffin: Yes.
Mr. Dean: I don't know of any door that leads up into the--the stairway?
Mr. Griffin: There is a stairway…. over where the elevators are
Mr. Dean: Oh, Oh, yes
Mr. Griffin: Who checked that door?
Mr. Dean: Sergeant Putnam checked it once and I checked it once and it was locked.
Mr. Griffin: Did you know at the time you checked it that even though the door was locked from the outside, it could be opened from the inside?
Mr. Dean: [No response.]
Mr. Griffin: Now, where did you station Brock?
Mr. Dean: Put him in a position that he could see this door here and also these three elevators [indicating].

At 10:45 AM Officer Brock was removed and assigned to traffic detail by Sgt Putnam and/or Sgt. Dean. A few minutes later Officer Worley was removed from his post near the incline that lead to the ramp. Both men were assigned to traffic detail. There was now only one “unidentified “ reserve officer in the basement parking area near the door to the stairway (fire escape), but Sgt. Dean did not provide any of this information to Griffin.

Burt Griffin now had several good reason to doubt that Ruby told Dean he came down the ramp, because the overwhelming evidence was that Ruby did not enter and walk down the Main St. ramp. While questioning Dean on March 24, 1964, Griffin abruptly stopped and told the stenographer to take a break. Griffin confronted Dean, said that he didn’t believe him, and asked him to reconsider his testimony. Griffin expressed his doubts about what he felt were untrue answers given by Dean and suggested Dean may need an attorney. Griffin wrote a memo to J. L. Rankin, the WC chief counsel, explaining “I believe it likely Ruby came in by another entrance to a point where Dean could have stopped him and that Dean... is trying to conceal his dereliction of duty”. On May 15, 1964 both Griffin and Leon Hubert sent a memo to J. Lee Rankin with a list of areas that needed further investigation and a list of people they wanted to question.

Sgt. Dean complained about Griffin’s accusation to D.A. Wade, who then called President Lyndon Johnson at his ranch in Texas, and told him about the Dean/Griffin confrontation. Seth Kantor acknowledged that President Johnson began to exert pressure on Earl Warren.    Dallas Morning News reporter Earl Golz interviewed Dean concerning his dispute with Burt Griffin. Dean said, “”Henry Wade (Dallas District Attorney) called President Lyndon Johnson at his ranch and told him about this trouble I was having with Griffin. The next day it was on the front page about Griffin loading his butt on the airplane and going back to Washington.” Texas attorney general Waggoner Carr accompanied Dean to Washington DC when he met and shared his complaints with Earl Warren about Griffin’s behavior. Griffin was not allowed to confront Dean at the Warren-Dean meeting. The WC soon recalled Griffin from Dallas and the investigation of the Dallas Police stopped.

Griffin had this to say: “I always thought all along about the Dallas police that anything that would get them into trouble or embarrass them, THEY WOULD LIE TO US ABOUT. NO question about it.”
 

NOTE: In March, 1964, Jack Ruby was found guilty of the premeditated murder of Oswald, but his conviction was overturned by a Texas Appellate Court. The Court found that Dean’s testimony should not have been admitted during the trial.

Thanks for this post. Very enlightening.