Andy Armstrong coincidence?

[Steve Thomas]

While researching something else, I ran across this little tidbit:

In his WC testimony, The Carousel bartender, Andrew Armstrong told Leon Hubert that after getting out of jail on a marijuana possession charge, he went to work as a maintenance man at the Holiday Hills Apartments owned by the Hunt Oil Company in the summer of 1961. 13H303

Around Christmas time he was fired, and they wouldn't tell him why.

pp 306-307.

After getting fired, he went to work for the Marilyn Belt Factory in January, 1962.

The Marilyn Belt Factory was located in the Dal-Tex Building and shared the same phone number with Morty Freedman and the Dallas Uranium & Oil Company. Is my memory correct that noone's ever been able to dig up any incorporation papers on the latter company?

He worked at the Marilyn Belt Factory for two months, then went to work for Jack Ruby at the Carousel. 13H307

Coincidence?

Steve Thomas

[Ron Ecker]

Also, Armstrong told the Warren Commission that Carousel dancer Joy Dale (real name Joyce McDonald) retrieved Ruby's dog Sheba from the animal shelter, after Ruby had left the dog in his car on his way to shoot Oswald. Years later Armstrong told the HSCA that he himself picked up Sheba, but that he couldn't remember if he did so at the police station or at the animal shelter.

Was there really a dog in the car? Dale told researcher Gary Mack that she had no memory of picking up Sheba and that it must have been Armstrong. In any case Armstrong wound up with Sheba.

[Steve Thomas]

Ron,

Was there really a dog in the car?

I was reading the WC testimony of the parking lot attendant. He said there was.

Sorry I can't remember his name, I wasn't paying too much attention, but his testimony is right at the end of volume 15 I think.

Steve Thomas

[Ron Ecker]

Parking lot attendant Theodore Jackson seemed uncertain at first when asked if a dog was in the car when he first looked in it. “Yes, sir; I think so. It was—yes, it was a dog in the car.” Then later he says the dog was still in the car when it was taken away to DPD. But Detective Smart testified that he had a squad car come by and take the dog to the animal shelter. (Smart also testified that he didn't know a dog was in the car till he put a key in the ignition, and the dog rose up from under some newspapers. Say what?)

I'm just wondering if there was no dog in the car and people (Armstrong, Smart, and Jackson) were told to testify that there was (so the shooting of Oswald would look like an unplanned act), and they didn't have their stories straight. But then that would be a conspiracy.

[Jack White]

It has been more than 20 years since I read my WC volumes, but

I remember (maybe incorrectly) this about Andy Armstrong:

1. worked for Ruby

2. previously worked for Zapruder or in Dal-Tex

3. lived in Irving on same street as Paines.

I could be wrong.

Jack

[Antti Hynonen]

RE: Rubenstein's dog

Well, people see things in different ways from different angles and with time will testify slightly differently to what actually occurred. A small Dachshund may have remained unseen at times and he may have wondered to the police station and then to the animal shelter and eventually to Armstrong's on it's own. This clearly explains what happened - nobody lied and nobody picked the dog up and then again everybody did what they said and saw at different times. It all sums up, makes sense just like the head wound confusion.

When testimony doesn't add up, it's starts to smell like fish...

Edited April 27, 2006 by Antti Hynonen

[Guest Stephen Turner]

I'm just wondering if there was no dog in the car and people (Armstrong, Smart, and Jackson) were told to testify that there was (so the shooting of Oswald would look like an unplanned act), and they didn't have their stories straight. But then that would be a conspiracy.

Or perhaps Ruby's handlers told him to take Sheba for exactly the same reason, make it look a spur of the moment kinda gig. After all, Jack REALLY loved those dogs.

[Ron Ecker]

Or perhaps Ruby's handlers told him to take Sheba for exactly the same reason, make it look a spur of the moment kinda gig. After all, Jack REALLY loved those dogs.

That may well be what happened, since Ruby left the car unlocked, for the dog to be easily retrieved. I've just never seen or heard of a dog behaving that way when left in a car (disappearing under some newspapers). Every dog I've ever seen left in a car is desperately looking around for its owner, or barking at anything that looks like another dog. But for all I know such anxiety-ridden dogs may be a minority. Maybe most dogs left in cars relax under newspapers or something so that I never see them. Anyway I'll know that I'm nuts when I see a dog left in a car READING a newspaper.

[Francesca Akhtar]

Ian Griggs met and interviewed Andrew Armstrong last year in Dallas.There is an account of it in the latest issue of the Dealey Plaza journal, the DPUK Echo.

I don't think he mentions ruby's dog but he apparently practically ran the Carousel Club during periods when Ruby was away. It's an interesting read!

[Steve Thomas]

After getting fired, he went to work for the Marilyn Belt Factory in January, 1962.

The Marilyn Belt Factory was located in the Dal-Tex Building and shared the same phone number with Morty Freedman and the Dallas Uranium & Oil Company. Is my memory correct that noone's ever been able to dig up any incorporation papers on the latter company?

It's kind of odd. I can't find out anything online about the Marilyn Belt Factory. The only web entries refer to Armstrong's WC testimony, and a google groups search fails to show anyone talking about it in any of the usenet news groups.

Steve Thomas

[James Richards]

D'oh! Double post. Sorry.

Edited April 27, 2006 by James Richards

[James Richards]

After getting fired, he went to work for the Marilyn Belt Factory in January, 1962.

The Marilyn Belt Factory was located in the Dal-Tex Building and shared the same phone number with Morty Freedman and the Dallas Uranium & Oil Company. Is my memory correct that noone's ever been able to dig up any incorporation papers on the latter company?

It's kind of odd. I can't find out anything online about the Marilyn Belt Factory. The only web entries refer to Armstrong's WC testimony, and a google groups search fails to show anyone talking about it in any of the usenet news groups.

Steve Thomas

Steve,

I don't have much but I can tell you that the Marilyn Belt Manufacturing Company began in 1944 and produced 3 million belts annually. At the time it was the nation's leader in manufacturing.

Morty Freedman was said to be the owner of the Marilyn Belt Company. The manager was a guy named E.L Nelson and plant supervisor was a woman named Virgle Batson. Her husband was a guy named John Batson who I looked into at one time and he seemed to have some connections amongst the White Russians but I ultimately hit a dead end there. Batson died in 1965.

E.L. Nelson below.

FWIW

James

Edited April 27, 2006 by James Richards

[Greg Parker]

I'm with Ron. I don't believe Sheba was in the car. Apart from the car-park attendant and others needing prompting to "remember" the dog, and the slightly silly "under the newspaper" story, there's Armstrong's testimony to HSCA:

Q. Where was Sheba after Oswald was shot?

A. Now, that's another thing that I don't -- where was Sheba after Oswald was shot? Now, I am told that Sheba was in the car. Now. I remember going and getting Sheba, and I don't remember whether I went to the police station and got Sheba or whether I went to the Carousel and got Sheba, but I remember going and getting Sheba. Now, I could have went to the police station. If I did, I would have to get somebody to carry me, and I don't remember getting anybody to carry me to pick up Sheba, because I didn't have a car.

Re the Del-Tex clothing companies: 2nd floor had McKell's Sportswear Inc , 3rd had Miller-Cupaioli , 4th had Jennifer Junior's (Zap's co), 5th had Edwill's Fashion Inc, 6th was Marilyn Belt Manufactuering Co, 7th Mr Eddy Inc. Info from Polk's '63 directory.

Edited April 28, 2006 by Greg Parker

[James Richards]

Does anyone know if this dog below is Sheba?

I always found the dog connection interesting. Roy Truly and Bill Shelley were very much into dog breeding and showing.

James

Edited April 28, 2006 by James Richards

[Francesca Akhtar]

I've ben in touch with Ian and he's given me permission to print in his interview with Andrew Armstrong and also another article he wrote about Jack Ruby's possessions when arrested that may be of interest to you all.

Space permitting I'll try and upload the whole articles.