LHO in Doorway

[Gerry Hemming]

...H. K. Davis had loaned his old Rambler to Dick Whatley and Bobby Willis for their trip to California, and then on to Mexico and British Honduras [belize].... Three weeks later, long after crossing the Mexico "frontier/migra" station, they encountered a shanty "mordida" 4 man checkpoint. Various weapons [including my old Schmeisser MP-40, now "Tefloned green"] were wired up under the chassis of the ramber. Refusing to pay the $20 bribe, a detailed search of the station-wagon commenced. The next spid move by these clowns was to make a run for it -- but a few bullets into the radiator quickly stopped the fleeing Gringos.

This must be a different Nash Rambler than the one mentioned by Gerry Hemming; this one has no bullet holes in the grill or signs of any shootout.

T.C.

---------------------------------

My mistake !! The radiator had a leakage problem and they carried jugs of water to refill the radiator about every four hours or so. The comical aspects of the shooting by the "Meskins" involved the fact that: While the shooting started the moment they were some 50 yards down the highway [southbound] -- not one of the shots found any mark.

They quickly realized that they were faced with two big "problemas", the "Beaners" had unloaded the back end of the Rambler first, and this had included all of their "782 Gear" [rucksacks, canteens, web-gear, mosquito netting, pistol belts,etc.]. Worse, the water jugs were left laying on the roadside in front of the shanty. Their ammunition was hidden behind door and floor panels, which required time-consuming screwdriver efforts. And their weapons were remained out of reach, "coat-hanger" wired to the bottom frame of the car.

Bobby Willis jumped in the back, and went to work on recovering the 30 round magazines for the Schmeisser "Burp-Gun", which were secreted together with Whatley's .45 calibre "CIA" issue Colt pistol. The plan was to get enough distance ahead of the pursuers that they might stop and unhook the "Burp-Gun" and the Colt.

Within minutes of "roaring" away [if you can do that with a Rambler ??] -- Bobby shouted: "...You ain't gonna believe this...they are chasing us with what looks like a 1930s 'Ragtop Touring-Sedan'...just like the one Pancho Villa drove..."!! Whatley replied saying: "....Where the f..k did they have that hidden..?" "...Musta been behind the shack..!" "...Well....they'll never catch us in that piece of xxxx..!"

Within a few miles, the windshield was being fogged-up with escaping radiator steam. They swerved off the highway, and on to what they thought was a dirt road. But it quickly turned into deeper and deeper sand; and which brought them to a screeching halt. Next, they discoverd that the bottom of the Rambler was scraping the sand, and it was now impossible to reach the guns. So they made a run for it.

Later, in describing how they dodged and zigg-zagged around mesquite bushes, and all the while howling with laughter -- because, when glancing back, they saw that the Mexicans; holding their pistols high over their heads while firing wildly over the tops of the bushes.

No canteens, No water -- within a couple of miles, even the coolness of a January day, brought them to their knees in total collapse. But, they continued laughing -- and the "Policia" pursuers, instead of administering a severe beating to them both -- joined in the laughter !!

The living conditions, how inmates were given Pesos to buy (then cook their own food), the frequent female "visitors ?", the two visits by the local U.S. Consular Official; and two tragi-comic escape attempts -- All made for many a humorous evening, later that year on No Name Key.

The Mexican "Tourist-Vehicle-Permit" is about right; as they entered Mexico during January 1962. "Gringos" (especially) were forced to pay for a 3 year sticker (which would expire in 1964). It was (and remains so) with the R.A.M.S.A. sticker for aircraft -- traveling within Mexico. But is not required of aircraft which are just "transiting and/or refueling".

I think that: If this is indeed Davy's Rambler, the embedded ends of the coat-hangers are most likely still jammed up under the frame. However, as I remember, his Rambler had a white paint-job. Moreover, this Rambler looks like it's right off the "showroom floor" (mint condition). Also, It appears to have been restored. What puzzles me even more: Why is the car parked alongside rusted-out wrecks? It looks like the dude pruning the tree, is doing so -- minutes after parking the Rambler, and their photo-taking ??!!

"WHO Knows what secrets...Da Shadow DOO..!!"

Chairs,

GPH

_________________________

[Lee Forman]

Years ago, I spent hours on the telephone with some kind of DP, LHO, Nash Rambler "expert?" I related to him that H. K. Davis had loaned his old Rambler to Dick Whatley and Bobby Willis for their trip to California, and then on to Mexico and British Honduras [belize].... Three weeks later, long after crossing the Mexico "frontier/migra" station, they encountered a shanty "mordida" 4 man checkpoint. Various weapons [including my old Schmeisser MP-40, now "Tefloned green"] were wired up under the chassis of the ramber. Refusing to pay the $20 bribe, a detailed search of the station-wagon commenced. The next spid move by these clowns was to make a run for it -- but a few bullets into the radiator quickly stopped the fleeing Gringos. They spent 6+ months in the same prison with Joel Kaplan, failed in two escape attempts...yadda, yadda !! Davy had immediately reported the Rambler as stolen upon learning of their arrests.

I called General Walker in Dallas, and around August he convinced both the "Chili-Belly Beaners" and "Fairy" Hoover's minions that both would serve more time stateside under the "Hobbs Act" [10 years] than

under the weak weapons charge [no trial yet] in Mexico. I had Walker send them money to bribe the warden, and they were driven to the U.S. Border and handed over to the FBI. Bob Dwyer[MIA/FO Div-9 ASAC] -- bursting with laughter, called Davy's house and asked whether we were going to "Testi-Lie" against these horse-thieving/car-rustling scalawag miscreants ??!!

Davy responded -- "...What solen Rambler ?? Once we found out it was stolen from them as a loaner...we forgot to give you a call !!" We hear that they are in Texas now ??" Whatley and Willis got some more buck$ from Walker, and they arrived at No Name Key a few days later. The Rambler was hauled to an impound yard on Meachum Field [Airport] 14 miles west of Dallas, and remained there until it disappeared during November 1963.

Jay Harrison had the Rambler in his possession for a number of years. Here's a photo of it the day it was moved to a farm last year:

Numerous photos were taken of it, including the Mexico stamp on the windshield. Jay Harrison also had a DPD ticket that was issued to the Rambler in Dallas in early 1963. The VIN numbers matched. This was all documented and the car was stored in Austin, Texas for over twenty years.

T.C.

Tim,

Appears to be the same as the one in the account by Richard Bartholomew?

http://spot.acorn.net/jfkplace/09/fp.back_...e/rambler1.html

- lee

[Lee Forman]

From Bartholomew - sorry to pull the thread off topic...

http://spot.acorn.net/jfkplace/09/fp.back_...e/rambler1.html

What is important here is that the Adolphus, according to assassination figure Jim Hicks, was the "communications center for the assassination."147 It was across the street from Jack Ruby's Carousel Club where "Lyndon Johnson's friends" were known to frequent. Warren Commission attorneys Leon Hubert and Burt Griffin, were interested in a man named Breck Wall who "was an entertainer at the Adolphus Hotel, Dallas, at the time of President Kennedy's assassination. Ruby called him in Galveston at 11:47 p.m. Saturday, November 23, 1963. He also visited Ruby at the county jail." Hubert and Griffin requested further investigation of Mr. Wall but their request was apparently ignored by the Commission.148

147. Jim Hicks affidavit to New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, cited in Gary Shaw with Larry Harris, Cover-Up, (Cleburn, TX: Self Published, 1976) p. 118, cited in Groden with Livingstone, High Treason, p. 213, photo with caption 14 pp. after p. 180.

Must be a document I have never seen. The citation in High Treason footnotes back to Cover-up. I don't own Cover-up to check Shaw's reference.

Does anyone know of an affidavit to Garrison by Hicks, separate from the New Orleans Parish testimony - 1/11/68?

- lee

[Tim Gratz]

Strange but inconsequential coincidence.

Munson Island in the Keys, where the movie "PT 109" was filmed, and The Adolphus, are now owned by the same closely-held corporation.

[Tim Gratz]

What kind of conspiracy was it which would use a Manlicher Carcano as the assassination weapon and a Rambler as the get-away car? My recollection is Ramblers were not known for their reliability!

[Mark Knight]

Tim, the '59 Rambler station wagon wasn't known for reliability problems. In November of '63, the '64 models now being on sale, the '59 Rambler wagon was 5 [model] years old. It would've been a perfect vehicle in which to "blend into the crowd," because there were a ton of similar cars sold, and most of the '59 Rambler station wagons were colored similarly [usually beige and copper 2-tone]...beige being the most unobtrusive of colors. [My dad and Granddad were still Rambler dealers in 1959, so I can probably give you more information on the '59 Ramblers than you'd care to know.] Reliability? My grandparents kept their '59 Rambler station wagon until 1970, when they traded it on a newer car...and they had no significant probelms in over 90,000 miles.

[Thomas H. Purvis]

Tim, the '59 Rambler station wagon wasn't known for reliability problems. In November of '63, the '64 models now being on sale, the '59 Rambler wagon was 5 [model] years old. It would've been a perfect vehicle in which to "blend into the crowd," because there were a ton of similar cars sold, and most of the '59 Rambler station wagons were colored similarly [usually beige and copper 2-tone]...beige being the most unobtrusive of colors. [My dad and Granddad were still Rambler dealers in 1959, so I can probably give you more information on the '59 Ramblers than you'd care to know.] Reliability? My grandparents kept their '59 Rambler station wagon until 1970, when they traded it on a newer car...and they had no significant probelms in over 90,000 miles.

The seats which would fold down completely flat were certainly of great advantage.

Tom

[Tim Carroll]

Various weapons [including my old Schmeisser MP-40, now "Tefloned green"] were wired up under the chassis of the ramber.

The seats which would fold down completely flat were certainly of great advantage.

The new book, Ultimate Sacrifice, has the following description of Nicoletti's automobile modifications, pp. 400-401:

"After being caught by police 'on March 2, 1962' in a car specially modified for hits and assassinations, Nicoletti was released - which later allowed him to be involved in the fall 1963 assassination plots. U.S. Senate hearings about what came to be known as Nicoletti's 'hit car' show the lengths the Mafia would go to for even routine hits. According to the Senate hearings, Nicoletti and another mobster - both linked to narcotics by earlier cases - were caught hiding in 'a 1962 Ford sedan'; 'under the dashboard of this automobile were concealed three switches. Two of these switches enabled the operators of the car to disconnect the taillights. Without taillights, the police would have difficulty in following the car at night. The third switch ... opened a hidden compartment in the back rest of the front seat ... fitted with brackets to hold shotguns and rifles.' It was also large enough 'that a machine gun could be secreted in the compartment.' If Nicoletti and Rosselli's Chicago mob would go to that much trouble for routine hits, one can only imagine the lengths they would go to in preparing for JFK's assassination."

T.C.