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363
Mr. LIEBELER. Would you rise and raise your right hand. Do you solemnly
swear that the testimony you are about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth, so help you God?
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Mrs. DAVIS. I do.
Mr. LIEBELER. My name is Wesley J. Liebeler. I am a member of the legal
staff of the President's Commission that is investigating the assassination of President
Kennedy. I have been authorized to take testimony from you and from other witnesses
pursuant to authority granted to the Commission by Executive Order 11130, dated November
29, 1963, and Joint Resolution of Congress No. 137.
As I told your husband, whose testimony which I just took, Mr. Rankin
sent you both a letter last week which was returned to Washington because it could not be
delivered at the gun range. It was addressed to the Sports Drome Rifle Range and it could
not be delivered there.
Mr. Rankin in the letter advised you that we would be in touch with you
to arrange for the taking of your testimony. He enclosed copies of the Executive order and
the congressional resolution, as well as a copy of the Commission's rules governing the
taking of testimony from witnesses.
I gave your husband a copy of those documents and he has them and will
make them available to you if you want to look at them. You have been provided with copies
this morning.
As I told Mr. Davis, you are technically entitled to 3-days' notice
before appearing before us, but since you are here, I presume that you would be willing to
waive that notice and will go ahead?
Mrs. DAVIS. Sure.
Mr. LIEBELER. We want to question you about the possibility that Lee
Harvey Oswald engaged in rifle practice at the rifle range which is operated by you and
your husband.
Before I get into the details of that testimony, however, would you
state your full name for the record?
Mrs. DAVIS. Virginia Louise Davis.
Mr. LIEBELER. You are married to Floyd Guy Davis, is that correct?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Your address is 2825 Byway, Dallas?
Mrs. DAVIS. Dallas; yes, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. You and your husband have been operating the Sports Drome
Rifle Range since. some time in October 1963; is that correct?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. LIEBELER. Are you a native of Dallas, Mrs. Davis?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; Kentucky.
Mr. LIEBELER. Where in Kentucky?
Mrs. DAVIS. Louisville.
Mr. LIEBELER. When did you move to Dallas?
Mrs. DAVIS. Oh, let's see, it has been 7 years ago, I think. I think we
have been here 7 years.
Mr. LIEBELER. You and your husband moved to Dallas from Louisville
together; is that correct?
Mrs. DAVIS. He came down about 6 months before I did.
Mr. LIEBELER. Were you married at that time?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. The Commission has had reports that various people
observed a gentleman whom they believed to be Lee Harvey Oswald at the Sports Drome Rifle
Range at 8000 West Davis on various occasions. I would like to have you tell us now just
what you know about those reports, and whether or not you have ever seen anybody there
that resembled Oswald?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; I did not.
Mr. LIEBELER. You have not?
Mrs. DAVIS. No. There is only three things that stand out in my mind at
the time it happened that I can verify what they say, and that is the one night that I was
there by myself and Mr. Howard Price got the last customer that came in and took him down
there, and he said that he thought it was Lee Harvey Oswald because of the rifle, it being
an Italian rifle with this scope on it, and he remembered the gun.
Mr. LIEBELER. Mr. Price told you that?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes. And then the other time I was there was, this
gentleman
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that was supposed to have been with him with the beard, and I couldn't forget him--if I
would see the man right now I would recognize him, but he has never been back.
Mr. LIEBELER. Can you tell us the date that Mr. Price said he took
Oswald in, or this man who he thought was Oswald, who was the last customer?
Mrs. DAVIS. I don't know the exact date, but I wrote it in my journal,
but I don't have it with me.
Mr. LIEBELER. When you refer to the journal, what do you mean?
Mrs. DAVIS. It is a daily record I keep of everything that happens at
the range. When we first opened, everyone had to sign it. But the FBI picked up the
sign-in slips and checked it out, and, of course, Lee Harvey Oswald wasn't on it, but at
the time we did not have fences up and anyone could get on the range without us knowing
it.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you know whether or not this man who Mr. Price took
down to the range this evening as the last customer signed in the book or not?
Mrs. DAVIS. He did not. It was our last customer and he just went on
down with him because it was late and they were tired and cold and wanting to get home.
But he was in an old car and he was alone and he was a young slender man, and that is all
I know.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you know what kind of car it was?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; I don't.
Mr. LIEBELER. Mr. Price does?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes; he does. But I don't. It is just an old car to me. I
don't know too much about cars and then the day that Mr. Slack came up there in a panic
because someone was shooting at a target that he had paid for instead of his own, I
remember that. That is the only three incidents that I remember, and that is all.
Mr. LIEBELER. The first incident was when?
Mrs. DAVIS. A late customer when Mr. Price brought them in.
Mr. LIEBELER. The man was a late customer?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you see this man?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes; I did, but it was dark and I didn't see his face. I
just went to the window and Mr. Price said, "I will take him. You won't have to take
him down." We always take the customer to the range and stay with them and put their
target up for them because you can't let them stay down there. They are liable to shoot
anything, and he took him down, and I locked up, and I left, and they were there.
Mr. LIEBELER. You are not able to identify this man if I showed you a
picture of Oswald or someone else?
Mrs. DAVIS. I don't remember.
Mr. LIEBELER. The second incident was when Mr. Slack reported to you
that someone was firing his target, is that correct? Or was that the third incident?
Mrs. DAVIS. That was the third incident.
Mr. LIEBELER. Let's cover that one. Mr. Slack came up to the office,
you say, and complained that someone was firing on his target?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. What did you do?
Mrs. DAVIS. My husband went down there and asked the boys to quit
firing at someone else's target, and he said something about, "Boys, you must fire at
your own target," or something like that. And he got it straightened out, but they
left.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you see any of these men at that time?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; I was in the office. I take care of that part of it.
Mr. LIEBELER. Was this man with the beard there at that time, do you
know?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; that was on a Sunday afternoon or a Saturday. It was a
Saturday or a Sunday, and the reason I remember him, it was the same day they said Oswald
was out there, and I tried to talk to him, which I talked to everyone that comes in, and
he was noticeable because he looked like the Castro type. He had this big beard and he was
heavy set and big broad shoulders, and well, he was just outstanding in his appearance. He
had big red earmuffs on and I couldn't help but notice him.
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Mr. LIEBELER. Was anyone with him?
Mrs. DAVIS. I don't know because he never spoke a word. I don't know if
anyone was with him or not, but he did have several guns. When I say several, I mean not
one or two. It was three or four, and he paid for each rifle.
Mr. LIEBELER. But you did not see anyone with him?
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. LIEBELER. That was Saturday or Sunday, you say?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was a Saturday or a Sunday, and we was having turkey
shoots at the time and having several people out there.
Mr. LIEBELER. That is when the man with the beard was there, is that
correct?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Was that the same day that the gentleman complained about
somebody firing into their target?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was. It was the same day they was complaining about the
two boys next to him firing into his target.
Mr. LIEBELER. We mean Mr. Slack, do we not?
Mrs. DAVIS. Mr. Slack.
Mr. LIEBELER. But you yourself did not see either of these two men who
were supposedly firing into Mr. Slack's target?
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. LIEBELER. So you did not yourself personally observe any of those
gentle men or who was supposed to have been Lee Oswald, is that correct?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you ever observe the rifle that was in the possession
of this gentleman who was supposed to be Oswald?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; at the time I didn't know one gun from another. Now I
can tell you everything they bring in.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you remember whether or not on this Sunday that Mr..
Slack complained that someone was firing into his target, everybody signed into the
journal?
Mrs. DAVIS. Not everyone, because at the time we didn't have our fences
up. See, we have a fence that is all along the gun range, because there were too many
getting on the range without paying.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you know whether or not the two men who were supposed
to be firing into Mr. Slack's target signed in the journal?
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. LIEBELER. You don't know one way or the other, Mrs. Davis?
Mrs. DAVIS. I don't know, because the only reason we was having them
sign in was to sign them cards to invite them to the next turkey shoot.
Mr. LIEBELER. Would you have seen them at the time they signed it,
necessarily, or might someone else?
Mrs. DAVIS. Someone might sign in for them.
Mr. LIEBELER. And you would not necessarily have observed these
individuals signing in?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; because the man who was outstanding, he didn't sign in.
I didn't see the man until he walked through the gun range. He didn't walk through the
entrance, or I would have seen him.
Mr. LIEBELER. Mr. Davis mentioned the names of Mr. Slack and Mr. Price,
and he said that there were some others.
Mrs. DAVIS. There was a doctor and his son that was out there that day.
They remembered the rifle and they reported that to me before any of it came out in the
paper, but I didn't get his name. But I do think that the FBI contacted this doctor.
Mr. LIEBELER. Would you remember his name if I told you it was Dr.
Wood? Would that ring a bell with you?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, it doesn't. It has been so long ago.
Mr. LIEBELER. Now, other than this doctor and Mr. Slack and Mr. Price,
do you know of anyone else who said that they thought that they saw Oswald at the range?
Mrs. DAVIS. Not that I would take their word for it.
Mr. LIEBELER. Tell us what you mean by that. You must have somebody in
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mind, somebody who told you these stories, and I would like to have you tell them to us if
you would.
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, there was a mister--what is his name--Camplen,
Charlie Camplen, and he said he was out there on a Wednesday.
Mr. LIEBELER. He said that Oswald?----
Mrs. DAVIS. But I didn't get into any detail, so I don't know.
Mr. LIEBELER. But Camplen told you he saw Oswald on a Wednesday?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Is there anybody else that has claimed to have seen
Oswald at the range?
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you know Mr. James Thompson?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes; Jim, he did say he thought he did, and I think he kind
of backed off. I don't know what to believe. I just don't know. He said he wasn't going to
say he did, because he couldn't swear to it.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you remember what day that he, Mr. Thompson, thought
he might have seen Oswald?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was on a Sunday. It was the same Sunday, because he was
helping run the targets down.
Mr. LIEBELER. What did Thompson tell you about this?
Mrs. DAVIS. He told--he didn't talk to me too much about it. In fact,
he said he don't remember. He couldn't say he actually saw him. At first he did say he saw
him, and he did remember the incident about the target, and Slack, but he don't, he said
he couldn't swear that it was Oswald. And we have never discussed it further.
Mr. LIEBELER. Thompson lives----
Mrs. DAVIS. He is with the Bardahl Co. He is a representative of
Bardahl.
Mr. LIEBELER. Does he live in the 1100 block of Gilpin Street?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Is that in Dallas?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. What about Mr. B. G. Moses, do you know him?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes; he is a neighbor. He lives across the street from me.
But I just don't know about him. I mean, he hasn't had too much to say about it.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did he talk to you about it?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; in a way, he did, and well, in a way--he didn't
actually come out and say--he said, "I think I saw him." I will put it that way.
He thinks.
Mr. LIEBELER. Was this the same Sunday that you had the incident
concerning the target?
Mrs. DAVIS. He worked that week, but I don't know if he was down there
or not that Sunday. It seems to me like he was working the trap. He was in the office,
come in and out of the office, but I don't think he was on the rifle range.
Mr. LIEBELER. On the Sunday we are speaking of?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you remember the date of this Sunday?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, I don't. I think it was around November, maybe the
13th, something like that. I wouldn't know unless I had my dates in front of me. I don't
remember names or dates too well, but I remember faces.
Mr. LIEBELER. Was it the weekend before the assassination?
Mrs. DAVIS. Oh, yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. It was the last weekend preceding the assassination?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes; and we did quite a bit of advertising when we opened
that range. The last week in October is when we opened the range, and we had in that
month, we ran, let's see, it was 1600 and some people through there, so you know the word
got around that it was a public gun range and was open.
Mr. LIEBELER. So that anybody who was interested in it would have known
about it?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you have any opinion as to whether or not Oswald was
really at the range as a result of all these discussions?
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Mrs. DAVIS. I really do think he was. I didn't see the man. I couldn't
say one word, but I really think he was, sincerely, because the two men, especially Howard
Price, he is the kind of person that you can believe what he says. He is intelligent. When
he says he knows a rifle, he knows that rifle. He can get out there and dig out slugs,
which he does, and melt them down to the lead, and he can tell you what slug is out of
each gun, which I can't do. He is just a gun enthusiast and he loves it and he remembered
that gun.
But that is the only thing I can say. I did not see the man and I
couldn't say. I mean nothing except I would take his word for it. He wouldn't be the kind,
and he told us this before it all come out in the paper, and the rifle, it hadn't been
identified in the paper when he identified it. But Slack, I don't know too much about him.
He is just a temperamental hothead. He was very hot, and they kept kicking his booth. He
said they had odd shoes on and kept kicking his booth. If someone is knocking this desk,
she couldn't write, and he kept knocking the side of the booth and he couldn't shoot, and
that made him angry. But that is the only thing that I know.
Mr. LIEBELER. You are basing your opinion basically on the conversation
you had with Mr. Price and your respect for Mr. Price's judgment?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did Mr. Price tell you, or did you learn how these men
got to the rifle range?
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did they walk or come in a car?
Mrs. DAVIS. Now, Mr. Price said they came in a car, this old car. I
think he knows the make of it, but like I say, I didn't see him. The only thing--only time
I saw a car at a late arrival was the night I was telling you about that Price took him
down there, but I saw the man get out, but that is all.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did Mr. Price see these two men on the Sunday before the
assassination when they had the incident over the target?
Mrs. DAVIS. I don't think he was down there that day. I don't remember.
I don't think so. I know Jim Thompson was working that day and Mr. Moses and my husband
and I, and we never have over four, so I don't think we was--I may be mistaken, he may
have been there, but not working for us, because he was there every day.
Mr. LIEBELER. Price was?
Mrs. DAVIS. Price was.
Mr. LIEBELER. Can you think of anybody else who might have seen Oswald
at the range, or this fellow they thought was Oswald, come and told you about it?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, I sure can't.
Mr. LIEBELER. I don't think I have any more questions at this point. Is
there anything that you can think of?
Mrs. DAVIS. I have thought and thought, and I would give anything if I
could think of something or identify someone he was with. I think that would be more of a
help to you people than anything, wouldn't it?
Mr. LIEBELER. Yes, it would.
Mrs. DAVIS. My husband did call in that he saw this bearded man. Do you
have that on your records?
Mr. LIEBELER. Your husband told us.
Mrs. DAVIS. He went right to the phone and called, because we were
convinced. Do you know anybody that was with him that day? The man may be completely
innocent, but we just feel that he was with him because he was so belligerent and stood
around and he wouldn't talk. You don't find people like that at a gun range. They are
really friendly and they come out to shoot and have a good time, and I have never had
anyone treat me like he did.
Mr. LIEBELER. This bearded man?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you see the rifle that the bearded man had with him?
Mrs. DAVIS. He had several, yes. He had them, but I couldn't identify
them. I could now. They like for you to discuss their rifles with them when they come in.
They think they are important, you know. And now I can identify a rifle but I didn't know
a rifle from a shotgun, a .22 from a 16-gauge shotgun, I mean, I didn't know the
difference.
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Mr. LIEBELER. So you wouldn't be able to identify the rifle that the
bearded man had with him if I showed you pictures of a rifle?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; because like I say, at that time they were just guns.
Mr. LIEBELER. If you don't have anything else that you think would be
helpful to us at this point, I will thank you for coming in and cooperating with us the
way you have. I want you to know the Commission appreciates it very much.
Mrs. DAVIS. All right.
Mrs. Charlie Virginia Davis (aka Virginia Louise Davis)
The second session was conducted with Mrs. Charlie Virginia Davis (aka Virginia Louise Davis) at 9 a.m., on April 2, 1964, in the office of the U.S. attorney, 301 Post Office Building. Bryan and Ervay Streets, Dallas, Tex. by Mr. David W. Belin, assistant counsel of the President's Commission. It is found in Volume 6 of the Warren Commission Hearings.
Page 455
Mr. BELIN. Mrs. Davis, would you stand and raise your right hand and be
sworn, please? Do you solemnly swear that the' testimony you give will be the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mrs. DAVIS. I do.
Mr. BELIN. Would you please state your name for the court reporter?
Mrs. DAVIS. Mrs. Charlie Virginia Davis.
Mr. BELIN. You are known as Mrs. Charles Davis?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Your first name is Virginia?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Where do you live, Mrs. Davis?
Mrs. DAVIS. Athens.
Mr. BELIN. In Texas?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. How old are you?
Mrs. DAVIS. Sixteen.
Mr. BELIN. How long have you lived in Athens?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, about 6 months. It was after the President was shot.
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember when the President was shot?
Mrs. DAVIS. On November 22.
Mr. BELIN. About how long after that did you move to Athens?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was about 2 weeks after the President was shot.
Mr. BELIN. Mrs. Davis, how long have you been married?
Mrs. DAVIS. Seven months.
Mr. BELIN. Any children?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. The time you moved to Athens would have been sometime in
December of 1963?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Prior to that time, had you always lived in Dallas?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, after I got married we moved to Dallas and we lived
there ever since.
Mr. BELIN. When you got married, you moved to Dallas. Before you got
married, where did you live?
Mrs. DAVIS. Palestine.
Mr. BELIN. Is that in Texas?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Were you raised there?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir; I was raised in Athens.
Mr. BELIN. You were raised in Athens. Did you go to school in Athens?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; I went to school in Palestine.
Mr. BELIN. How far did you get through school?
Mrs. DAVIS. The ninth grade.
Mr. BELIN. Have you ever been employed at all?
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. BELIN. Now, Mrs. Davis, where were you living when you were living
in Dallas in November of 1963?
Mrs. DAVIS. 400 East 10th Street.
Mr. BELIN. Is that 400 East 10th?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Do you know what cross-street runs at 10th there?
Mrs. DAVIS. Patton.
Mr. BELIN. 10th and Patton?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. What kind of house did you live in? Was it a brick or frame
home?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was a frame apartment house.
Mr. BELIN. Pardon?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was a frame apartment house.
Mr. BELIN. A frame apartment house. You and your husband lived in one
apartment?
Mrs. DAVIS. And my sister and her husband lived in another one.
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Mr. BELIN. There were two apartments there?
Mrs. DAVIS. On the bottom floor.
Mr. BELIN. What is your sister's name?
Mrs. DAVIS. Mrs. Barbara Jeanette Davis.
Mr. BELIN. Do you know what her husband's name is?
Mrs. DAVIS. Troy Lee Davis.
Mr. BELIN. Taking you back to the afternoon of November 22, do you
remember anything out of the ordinary that happened on that date?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, the boy that was known as Lee Harvey Oswald shot J.
D. Tippit.
Mr. BELIN. Well, now, did you see him shoot J. D. Tippit?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; we didn't see. Yes; we heard the shot. He had already
shot him.
Mr. BELIN. You say you heard a shot?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Where were you when you heard the shot?
Mrs. DAVIS. I was over at my sister-in-law's.
Mr. BELIN. Her apartment?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Where in her apartment were you?
Mrs. DAVIS. I was in the living room.
Mr. BELIN. You were in the living room ?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes. We was lying down.
Mr. BELIN. You were lying down in the living room on the sofa bed, or
what?
Mrs. DAVIS. It is a bed against the wall and a sofa.
Mr. BELIN. Who was lying down?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, Jeanette was lying on the bed. I was lying on the
couch, and Annette and James Lee were lying on the other bed.
Mr. BELIN. Are these other people children of your sister's?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. About how old are those children?
Mrs. DAVIS. James will be 6 and then Annette is 5.
Mr. BELIN. Now as you were lying down, what did you see or hear?
Mrs. DAVIS. We Just heard a shot.
Mr. BELIN. How many shots did you hear?
Mrs. DAVIS. We heard the first one and then we thought maybe someone
had a blowout like a tire or something and we didn't get up to see. Then we heard the
second shot and that is when we ran to the front door.
Mr. BELIN. Well, now, does that mean that you heard two shots?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Are you sure there were not more than two, or are you sure
that you heard two?
Mrs. DAVIS. We just heard two.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do?
Mrs.DAVIS. Well, Mrs. Markham was trying to say----
Mr. BELIN. Mrs. Markham?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Do you know what her first name is?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir. I Just know her by Mrs. Markham.
Mr. BELIN. Had you ever known her before?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. How did you know it was Mrs. Markham?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, it said in the paper that it was Mrs. Markham, and my
sister-in-law said it was Mrs. Markham. My sister-in-law knows Mrs. Markham
Mr. BELIN. Now you heard the shots. You heard, you say, the second shot
and then what did you do?
Mrs. DAVIS. We was already up. We ran to the door.
Mr. BELIN. By we, who do you mean?
Mrs. DAVIS. Jeanette and I.
Mr. BELIN. You went to which door?
Mrs. DAVIS. The front door.
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Mr. BELIN. That would be the front of the house facing East 10th
Street?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. What did you do when you got to the door?
Mrs. DAVIS. Mrs. Markham was standing at the tree.
Mr. BELIN. If we can picture the street intersection, was she standing
in the middle of the street or on the sidewalk?
Mrs. DAVIS. She was on the sidewalk.
Mr. BELIN. Let me ask you this. Your house would be located at the
southeast corner of the intersection, is that where it is, or not?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Would she be standing on a corner that would be right across
10th Street but on the same side of Patton, or across Would it be catty-cornered or would
it be across 10th Street but on the other side? Maybe we can draw it here on a little
paper.
Mrs. DAVIS. I don't remember it too good.
Mr. BELIN. Now I have drawn on a piece of paper here a street
intersection and this is Patton and here is 400 East 10th, which would be your house. Do
you want to mark here where you think you saw Mrs. Markham?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, she was standing on the sidewalk right here. Do you
want to put an "X" there?
Mr. BELIN. Please put an "X" there.
Mrs. DAVIS. (Marks "X".)
Mr. BELIN. I'm going to call that Virginia Davis Deposition, Exhibit 1.
What was Mrs. Markham saying, or did you hear her say anything?
Mrs. DAVIS. We heard her say "He shot him. He is dead. Call the
police."
Mr. BELIN. Was she saying this in a soft or loud voice?
Mrs. DAVIS. She was screaming it.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see anything else as you heard her screaming?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, we saw Oswald. We didn't know it was Oswald at the
time. We saw that boy cut across the lawn emptying the shells out of the gun.
Mr. BELIN. All right. Now, you saw a boy. Do you know how old he was?
Mrs. DAVIS. He didn't look like he was over 20.
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember what color hair he had?
Mrs. DAVIS. Let's see, the best I recall, he had sort of light brown.
Mr. BELIN. Light brown hair?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Was he tall or short or average height?
Mrs. DAVIS. He was about average height.
Mr. BELIN. Fat, thin, or average weight?
Mrs. DAVIS. Slim.
Mr. BELIN. Pardon?
Mrs. DAVIS. Slim.
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember what he had on?
Mrs. DAVIS. He had on a light-brown-tan jacket.
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember what color his trousers were?
Mrs. DAVIS. I think they were black. Brown jacket and trousers.
Mr. BELIN. The trousers were black?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember what kind of shirt he had on?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir; I don't recall that.
Mr. BELIN. Was the jacket open or closed up?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was open.
Mr. BELIN. But you don't remember what kind of shirt he had on?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Did he look at you?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir; not that I remember. I don't think so.
Mr. BELIN. And where was he when you first saw him?
Mrs. DAVIS. He was cutting across our yard.
Mr. BELIN. In what direction was he walking?
Mrs. DAVIS. He was walking---
Mr. BELIN. Away from Patton or towards Patton?
Mrs. DAVIS. Towards Patton.
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Mr. BELIN. When you first saw him, had he gotten up to your yard yet or
not?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes; he was cutting over across our yard.
Mr. BELIN. He was cutting across your walk that leads up to the front
door?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. About how far from the main sidewalk on East 10th was he?
Mrs. DAVIS. He was about 3 feet.
Mr. BELIN. About 3 feet or so?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes; when I first saw him.
Mr. BELIN. Then he was cutting across your sidewalk about 3 feet away
from the main sidewalk?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Then did you see him-how long did you see him? Where did you
see him go?
Mrs. DAVIS. We saw him go around the corner of our house.
Mr. BELIN. How far did you see him go?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, when he disappeared around that corner, that is the
last we saw of him.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see him go through any bushes by your house or not?
Or didn't you see him?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. You mean you didn't see him?
Mrs. DAVIS. We saw him when he cut across our yard.
Mr. BELIN. Where was he when you last saw him? He was---was he still in
your yard, or was he on the sidewalk on Patton Street?
Mrs. DAVIS. He was still in our yard.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do
Mrs. DAVIS. We already called the police.
Mr. BELIN. You called the police before you saw him
Mrs. DAVIS. When Mrs. Markham was standing across the street hollering,
she told us to call the police, so Jeanette and I went in there, and Jeanette called the
police and we went back and he was cutting across our yard, and we gave him time to go on
because we were afraid he might shoot us.
Mr. BELIN. Did you call the police before or after you saw him cut
across your yard?
Mrs. DAVIS. Before.
Mr. BELIN. In other words, to your---to the best of your recollection,
you heard the shots, you ran outside, you saw Mrs. Markham---did you see anything else
when you saw Mrs. Markham?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir; we just saw a police car sitting on the side of
the road.
Mr. BELIN. Where was the police car parked?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was parked between the hedge that marks the apartment
house where he lives in and the house next door.
Mr. BELIN. Was it on your side of East 10th or the other side of the
street?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was on our side, the same side that we lived on.
Mr. BELIN. Was it headed as you looked to the police car, towards your
right or towards your left?
Mrs. DAVIS. Right.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see any police officer in a police car when you
first saw him?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. When your sister went to call the police, did you go with
her, or did you stay by the front door?
Mrs. DAVIS. I went with her.
Mr. BELIN. What did you hear your sister do?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, she called the police and told whoever answered the
phone that there had been a murder out in front of our house, to come quick.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did she do?
Mrs. DAVIS. She hung up and then we went back to the front door and
told the two kids to stay indoors.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do?
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Mrs. DAVIS. Then we went out in the front yard and right down to the
police car and that is when we saw the policeman lying on the street.
Mr. BELIN. Where was the policeman lying?
Mrs. DAVIS. He was lying just, well, he was half between the front end
of his car and, well, his head was lying toward the front end of it.
Mr. BELIN. Was he on the driver's side of the front or on the other
side?
Mrs. DAVIS. He was on the driver's side.
Mr. BELIN. All right, now, as I understand your testimony, after you
made the call, you went out to the front yard, is that it?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. You then went out to see the policeman in the street?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. When you went out in the front yard, were you in the front
yard when the man was going by there?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir; he had already gone when we went outside.
Mr. BELIN. He had already gone when you went outside?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. I thought you said that when you went outside you went on
the sidewalk?
Mrs. DAVIS. See, all the people had already--see, he was already gone.
Mr. BELIN. Had he gone by at that time?
Mrs. DAVIS. By the time we got back from off the phone, he had already
gone. He had already disappeared behind the corner of our house.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see him going in front of your house before you
called on the phone?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes. When we heard the second shot, we ran to the front
door, and that is when we saw the boy cutting across the yard.
Mr. BELIN. Well, let me see if I understand your statement now. You
went to the front door after you heard the second shot?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. What did you do when you got to the front door? Did you open
the front door, or not?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir; we just looked through the front door.
Mr. BELIN. You looked through the front door?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Was there a screen door on it or not?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was a screen door.
Mr. BELIN. Were you looking through the screen door, or was the screen
door partially open, if you remember.
Mrs. DAVIS. It was closed. We was looking through it.
Mr. BELIN. You were looking through the screen door?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Were you in front of your sister-in-law, or was she in front
of you?
Mrs. DAVIS. She was in front of me.
Mr. BELIN. You were both looking through the screen door?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. What did you see when you looked through the screen door?
Mrs. DAVIS. We saw a boy walking, cutting across our yard.
Mr. BELIN. Where was he when you first saw him?
Mrs. DAVIS. He was about 3 feet from the sidewalk. Not the one that
comes up to our front door, but the other sidewalk.
Mr. BELIN. He was about 3 feet from the front sidewalk on East 10th?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Had he come up to your sidewalk yet that comes up from East
10th to your front door?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, he had already. He was about half on the concrete, I
think.
Mr. BELIN. He was half on that concrete?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you watch this man do?
Mrs. DAVIS. We watched him unload the shells out of his gun.
Mr. BELIN. What hand was he holding this gun in?
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Mrs. DAVIS. In the right.
Mr. BELIN. He was holding the gun in his right hand, if you remember?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. What was he doing with his left hand?
Mrs. DAVIS. He was emptying the shells in his left hand.
Mr. BELIN. Was the gun broken open, so to speak? In other words. I
don't know if you have ever seen a capgun. When you want to load the capgun, you have to
kind of break it apart on a hinge. Was the gun broken apart like that, or was the barrel
straight?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was like the real gun, little one.
Mr. BELIN. What do you mean it was just like?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was just as best as I can remember, it was a little
pistol, and he was emptying the shells. Where the shell was coming out, he was emptying
the shells into his left hand.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see what he did with the shells when he emptied them
into his left hand?
Mrs. DAVIS. After we, well, he was dropping them on the ground because
we found two.
Mr. BELIN. You said that you found two? Did you see him drop them on
the ground or not?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; we didn't see him.
Mr. BELIN. You just saw him emptying shells in his hand?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. You didn't actually see what he did with them when he got
them in his hand, did you?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. You are nodding your head no?
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you see the man do?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, he just cut across. He disappeared from behind the
corner of the house.
Mr. BELIN. Going toward what street?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, going toward Jefferson Street.
Mr. BELIN. He was headed on Patton in the direction toward Jefferson?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see him actually get to Patton Street?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes; he was already around the corner.
Mr. BELIN. You saw him go around the corner of your home?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. What did you do or see then?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, we just went out, because we had already called the
police, notified them, and we went out in the yard.
Mr. BELIN. You notified the police. Let me ask you this. Did you notify
the police before or after you saw 'the boy with the gun?
Mrs. DAVIS. Let's see, I think it was before.
Mr. BELIN. When you say before, what do you mean?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, before we saw the boy.
Mr. BELIN. Before you saw the boy you notified the police?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Well, let me try and reconstruct your actions then.
You heard the shots?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. You ran to the door?
Mr. BELIN. What did you see when you got to the door?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, we just saw, you know, the police car parked down
there and we wondered what was going on, so we heard Mrs. Markham across the street
calling.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, she told us to call the police, well, so we went to
the house. We was already in the house, and we went to the phone and called the police.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do?
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Page 461
Mrs. DAVIS. Then We went back to the front door.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do?
Mrs. DAVIS. We saw the boy cutting across the street.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do or see?
Mrs. DAVIS. After he disappeared around the corner we ran out in the
front yard and down to see what had happened.
Mr. BELIN. Then is that when you saw the policeman?
Mrs. DAVIS. I saw the policeman lying on the street.
Mr. BELIN. All right. Did you see or do anything else? Did you see
anyone else that you know come up to the policeman?
Mrs. DAVIS. No sir; there was a lot of people around there.
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember about what time of day this was?
Mrs. DAVIS. I wouldn't say for sure. But it was about 1:30, between
1:30 and 2.
Mr. BELIN. All right, after this, did police come out there?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes; they was already there.
Mr. BELIN. By the time you got out there?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, we just stood out there and watched. You know, tried
to see how it all happened. But we saw part of it.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do?
Mrs. DAVIS. We stood out there until after the ambulance had come and
picked him up.
Mr. BELIN. All right, then what did you do?
Mrs. DAVIS. And we stood out there and talked to this woman who told us
that President Kennedy was shot.
Mr. BELIN. About what?
Mrs. DAVIS. This woman had told us that President Kennedy was shot.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do?
Mrs. DAVIS. When the police cars was circling all the blocks, about
four or five blocks to see if they could find the boy, and we stayed out there all that
time to see if they would locate him.
Mr. BELIN. All right, did you tell the police that you had seen anyone
with a gun?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir; we told them that we saw a boy carrying a gun.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do ?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, that was----
Mr. BELIN. Did you ever go down to the police station or identify him?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir; we had to identify him in the lineup.
Mr. BELIN. What day was that? This same day or another day?
Mrs. DAVIS. Same day.
Mr. BELIN. About what time of the day was it?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was probably about 5:30.
Mr. BELIN. Who went down with you?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, let's see, my sister-in-law.
Mr. BELIN. That would be Barbara Jeanette Davis?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir; and her husband Troy Lee and myself.
Mr. BELIN. What did you do when you got to the. police station?
Mrs. DAVIS. We stayed there until this detective, some man walked up to
us and led us to this dark room.
Mr. BELIN. Before they led you to the dark room, did he show you any
pictures of anyone?
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. BELIN. Had you seen any pictures on television of anyone that might
be the man you saw walking with the gun?
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. BELIN. Had you watched television at all?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; we didn't watch television.
Mr. BELIN. Had you seen any newspapers that afternoon?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir; we didn't get the newspapers until that following
morning.
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Mr. BELIN. All, right, you went with the detective to a dark room?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. What did you do when you got to the dark room?
Mrs. DAVIS. He told us to sit down.
Mr. BELIN. All right.
Mrs. DAVIS. And then these five boys, or men walked up on this
platform, and he was No. 2.
Mr. BELIN. You say he was No. 2. Who was No. 2?
Mrs. DAVIS. The boy that shot Tippit.
Mr. BELIN. You mean the man--did you see him shoot Tippit? Or you mean
the man you saw with the gun?
Mrs. DAVIS. The man I saw carrying the gun.
Mr. BELIN. Was he white or a Negro man?
Mrs. DAVIS. He was white.
Mr. BELIN. Were all the men in the lineup white men or some Negroes?
Mrs. DAVIS. All of them were white.
Mr. BELIN. Could you describe any other people in the lineup as to
whether they might be fat or thin or short or tall?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, one of them was sort, well, he was tall and slim. And
then the other one there, he was sort of chubby and he was short. Then this other one, he
was about the same height as the other one, the last one I told you about, short and
chubby. And the other one was about--medium tail.
Mr. BELIN. Now you identified someone in that lineup?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Did you hear your sister-in-law identify him first, or not?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir; I identified him first.
Mr. BELIN. Where was your sister when you identified him?
Mrs. DAVIS. She was sitting right next to me.
Mr. BELIN. How did you identify him? Did you yell that this is the man
I saw?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; I just leaned over and told the detective it was No. 2.
Mr. BELIN. Where was the detective? Was he to your right or to your
left?
Mrs. DAVIS. Let's see, to my right.
Mr. BELIN. Where was your sister, to your right or to your left?
Mrs. DAVIS. Right.
Mr. BELIN. As she was to your right, so you leaned over to the
detective and told the detective it was No. 2?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Anything else that you can think of that happened that day?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Later did you ever see a picture of Lee Harvey Oswald on
television?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. When did you first see it on television?
Mrs. DAVIS. When they was bringing him out of the jail out here.
Mr. BELIN. When?
Mrs. DAVIS. When they were bringing him out of the jail.
Mr. BELIN. You mean Sunday when he got shot?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Did this look, could you tell whether this was the same man
you saw running with the gun?
Mrs. DAVIS. I wouldn't say for sure.
Mr. BELIN. You mean from seeing his picture on television?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. What about the man you identified as No. 2? Would you say
for sure that he was the man you saw running with the gun?
Mrs. DAVIS. I would say that was him for sure.
Mr. BELIN. What you are saying is that you couldn't necessarily tell
from the television picture?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir. Our television was blurred anyway, so we couldn't
hardly tell.
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Mr. BELIN. Do you remember that you signed a statement when you were
down at the Dallas Police Department at all, or not?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. I'm going to hand you what has been marked as Virginia Davis
Deposition, Exhibit 2, and ask you to state if this is your signature on here?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Would you read the contents of your deposition Exhibit 2,
and I will ask you if there is anything there that is inaccurate. (Reads statement.)
Mr. BELIN. You have read Exhibit 2?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Is there anything in that statement that is inaccurate in
any way?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Is that what you told the police of Dallas on November 22,
1963?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. Now on this statement it says that you heard a shot and then
another shot and ran to the side door at Patton Street. Was that the side door or front
door?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was the front door.
Mr. BELIN. Then it says, "I saw the boy cutting across our yard
and he was unloading his gun." Is that correct?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. Then it says, "We walked outside and a woman was
hollering, 'He's dead, he's dead, he's shot.' " Is that. right?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. Then it says, "This woman told Jeanette to call the
police and she did." Is that what happened?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. It says, "I saw the officer that had been shot lying on
10th Street after Jeanette had called the police." Is that right?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. Now it says, "Jeanette found a empty shell that the man
had unloaded and gave it to the police." Did you see Jeanette find that shell?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes. I was right along behind her.
Mr. BELIN. Where did she find it?
Mrs. DAVIS. She found it beside, well, the apartment was facing this
way.
Mr. BELIN. Facing Patton Street?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir. And we was already outside. We thought maybe we
could find some evidence for the polices so we went through the hedge, and by my front
door of the apartment where we live, right there in the grass where he dropped them.
Mr. BELIN. Had the police started to search around your house yet when
they found it?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes; they already started to search.
Mr. BELIN. Would this have been to the side of the house or the corner
of the house that you found, that Jeanette found that shell?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was by the side.
Mr. BELIN. This would have been by the side of the house that is next
to Patton Street?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. About how far from the front of the house would it be?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was about 5 feet.
Mr. BELIN. About 5 feet. You saw Jeanette find the shell? You saw her
pick it up from the ground?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. What color was it, do you remember?
Mrs. DAVIS. The best I can recall, it was gray, one of these
Mr. BELIN. The best you can recall, it was gray?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. What did Jeanette do with it?
Mrs. DAVIS. She gave it to some detective.
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Mr. BELIN. Did you see her find any other shells?
Mrs. DAVIS. I found one after Jeanette, after all the police had gone.
Mr. BELIN. When did you find yours?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was about 10 minutes after all the police had gone.
Mr. BELIN. Was that before or after you went down to the police
station?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was before.
Mr. BELIN. About when before?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, I would say it was about 2:30, or 4.
Mr. BELIN. Mrs. Davis, when did you say you found this other shell?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was about 4.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see or know of anyone else finding any other shell?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir; not that I remember.
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember what you did with your shell when you found
it?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, before I picked it up, this boy told me that was
walking along with us helping us find, see if we could find anything for evidence, he told
me the police would get me if I picked it up by my fingers, and take fingerprints, and I
got scared and ran to the house and got a Kleenex tissue and brought back outside and
wrapped the shell in.
Mr. BELIN. What did you do with it when you wrapped the shell up?
Mrs. DAVIS. Jeanette took it and put it in her apartment up on the
mantleboard.
Mr. BELIN. Then what?
Mrs. DAVIS. Then about 5:30 the same day the police called and wanted
us to come down and identify him in the lineup.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do with the shell?
Mrs. DAVIS. I gave it to the police.
Mr. BELIN. Did you give it to him at your house or down at the police
station?
Mrs..DAVIS. They come and picked us up.
Mr. BELIN. You gave it to the officer that came to pick you up?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember what his name was, or not?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Now in your statement, Virginia Davis Deposition Exhibit 2,
now you state that, "Jeanette found an empty shell that the man had unloaded and gave
it to the police. After the police had left I found a empty shell in our yard." Is
this the same shell you gave to Detective Dhority? Does the name Detective Dhority sound
familiar to you now, or don't you remember?
Mrs. DAVIS. I never did hear the detective called.
Mr. BELIN. Pardon?
Mrs. DAVIS. I didn't hear the detective's name called.
Mr. BELIN. You say, "The man that was unloading the gun was the
same man that I saw tonight as No. 2 man in a lineup." Is that right?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Now, Mrs. Davis, on this statement, Virginia Davis
Deposition Exhibit 2, it states that "We heard a shot and then another shot and ran
to side door at Patton Street." You say that should have been the front door?
Mrs. DAVIS. That was supposed to be the front door.
Mr. BELIN. You say, "I saw the boy cutting across our yard and he
was unloading his gun. We walked outside and a woman was hollering, 'he's dead, he's, he's
shot'." "This woman told Jeanette to call the police and she did." Now
according to this statement, you saw the man cutting across your yard before you called
the police?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Now this statement is wrong, is that correct?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. It is your testimony now, as I understand it, that you went
back in the house and you called the police, and then you went back outside the house and
saw the boy cutting across the yard?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. That is your statement now?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
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Mr. BELIN. Now I hand you what is Deposition Exhibit 3, and ask you to
state if your signature appears on Deposition Exhibit 3?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. This appears to be an affidavit dated December 1, 1963, and
I would like you to read the statement if you would.
Mrs. DAVIS. (Reads statement.)
Mr. BELIN. You have now had an opportunity to read over Virginia Davis
Deposition Exhibit 3, is that correct?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. Is there anything on that statement that is not accurate?
Mrs. DAVIS. As I recall, this is all right on that statement.
Mr. BELIN. Pardon?
Mrs. DAVIS. I recall that is all right on that statement.
Mr. BELIN. Is there anything on that statement that is not accurate, to
the best of your knowledge?
Mrs. DAVIS. (indicating no with head)
Mr. BELIN. You are nodding your head no?
Mrs. DAVIS. Not that I recall.
Mr. BELIN. Now, in this statement it says that you and your
sister-in-law were lying on the bed with the two children when you heard a loud bang, and
immediately following the first report there was another loud bang and you jumped up and
ran to the front door? Is that correct?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. Then it says, "When we got to the door and went out on
the porch, I saw a man who I later that day identified at the Dallas Police
Department." Is that correct?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. Now, according to this statement, you saw the man when you
first got to the door and went out on the porch? Now, did you see him then, or did you see
him----
Mrs. DAVIS. We saw him cut across after he had shot the policeman. We
saw him cut across our yard, and that is the last we saw of him.
Mr. BELIN. Well, now, you actually didn't see him shoot the policeman,
did you?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. You saw---just saw the man with the gun?
Mrs. DAVIS. I just saw the man with the gun cutting across the yard.
Mr. BELIN. After you heard some shots
Mrs. DAVIS. After I heard the two shots.
Mr. BELIN. Now, about how soon after you heard the two shots did you
get to the door?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, we didn't even put on our shoes. We just run to the
front door.
Mr. BELIN. Was it a matter of seconds or a matter of minutes?
Mrs. DAVIS. A matter of seconds.
Mr. BELIN. When you got there, you opened the door, and what did you
see?
Mrs. DAVIS. We saw this boy or man cut across the yard.
Mr. BELIN. All right, and he had a revolver in his hand?
Mrs. DAVIS. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. In his right hand or left hand?
Mrs. DAVIS. In his right.
Mr. BELIN. This statement goes on to say that "The man had a
revolver in his left hand and was shaking the shells out of it into his right hand."
Is that right or wrong?
Mrs. DAVIS. Wrong.
Mr. BELIN. It was the other way around?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was the other way around.
Mr. BELIN. You got to the door and you opened the door, and what did
you see now?
Mrs. DAVIS. We saw this boy cut across our yard unloading the shells
out of his gun.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do?
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Mrs. DAVIS. Mrs. Markham, this woman, was standing across the street
hollering to us to call the police. So we went back in there and called the police.
Mr. BELIN. All right. Now, this statement says, goes on to say,
"This man was coming across the yard and was almost to the walk which leads directly
to the porch and is in a direct line with the front door." Is that where the man was
when you first saw him?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. "The man had a revolver in his left hand and was
shaking the shells out of it into his right hand."
Mrs. DAVIS. It was the other way, sir.
Mr. BELIN. But you say "The man had a revolver in his left hand
and was shaking the shells out of it into his right hand. As the man passed directly in
front of us, he looked up for a second or so and then continued on across the yard to
Patton Street in a normal walk." Was he walking or running when you saw him?
Mrs. DAVIS. He was walking.
Mr. BELIN. Did he look up at you?
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. BELIN. Pardon?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir; not that I remember.
Mr. BELIN. All right, you just remember kind of seeing him from a side
view?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. "At about this time, a woman directly across the
intersection from our house yelled out, 'He's dead, he's dead, he shot him.' "
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. "The man glanced up at the woman and kept on
walking." Did you see the man glance up at Mrs. Markham when she was yelling?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes; we saw when he looked over at Mrs. Markham.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see Mrs. Markham do anything when he looked at her?
Mrs. DAVIS. No; she was over there just hollering and screaming.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see her raise her hand to her face in any way?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir. She raised both her hands to her face.
Mr. BELIN. You saw her do that?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see her do anything else?
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. BELIN. You say, "He walked around the corner of the house that
faces Patton Street and out of sight." Is that right?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. "Barbara Davis and I returned to the house where she
called the police." Is that right?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. According to the statement then, it says that your sister
Barbara Jeanette called the police after you saw the man, is that right?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. "After she called the police, we went back out on the
porch but by then the man we had seen with the gun Was no longer in sight." Is that
right?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. Then it says, "When the police arrived we searched the
area on the side of the house that faces Patton Street, and Barbara found a gunshell that
had been fired." It that right?
Mrs. DAVIS. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. "After the police left we again searched the area and I
again found a gunshell that had been fired. I later turned this shell over to the Dallas
Police Department." Is that right?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Then it says, "I have been given an opportunity to make
additions and corrections on this statement, and it is true to the best of my knowledge
and belief."
Did they give you an opportunity to make additions and corrections on
the statement?
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Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. BELIN. They did not?
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. BELIN. Did they read the statement back to you?
Mrs. DAVIS. Not that I remember.
Mr. BELIN. They may have but you don't remember.
Mrs. DAVIS. May have but I don't remember.
Mr. BELIN. Now, Mrs. Davis, you and I never talked about this matter
until the court reporter started taking your testimony, have we?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. I never met you before, is that correct?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Have you ever talked with any person in connection with the
President's Commission before we started taking your testimony here?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. I want to be certain that we get this time sequence correct
as to when you saw the man with the gun and when the police were called, so I am just
going to ask you to sit for about 30 seconds and Just think as to just what did happen,
and then just tell the court reporter in your own words just what did happen there.
(Three minutes of silence.)
Mr. BELIN. Now, Mrs. Davis, you may not be able to remember just what
exactly the time sequence was. You have been sitting here about 3 minutes, and if you
don't remember what the time sequence was, why I would like to have you so state. But if
you do remember---or do you want more time to think about it?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, the best I can remember, it was before that we saw
the boy cut across the yard that we called the police, the best that I can remember.
Mr. BELIN. In other words, it is your testimony, as I understand it
now, that you heard the shot, and then what did you do?
Mrs. DAVIS. We heard the second shot and we ran to the front door.
Mr. BELIN. What did you see?
Mrs. DAVIS. We saw this boy cut across the yard, and we had seen this
woman was coming home from work, she had on a uniform, that was Mrs. Markham---we didn't
know it was at the time, but she saw all that happen.
Mr. BELIN. What did you do when you got to the door?
Mrs. DAVIS. We saw the boy cut across our yard.
Mr. BELIN. At the time you got to the door, did you also see Mrs.
Markham?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see both at approximately the same time? I will ask
you whom did you see first, Mrs. Markham, or the boy cutting across the yard?
Mrs. DAVIS. The boy.
Mr. BELIN. You saw the boy first?
Mrs. DAVIS. That is who we saw first.
Mr. BELIN. Then you saw Mrs. Markham second?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Did the boy say anything?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Did Mrs. Markham say anything?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, when she got across the other street, 10th, she
hollered, "He's dead, he's dead, he shot him."
Mr. BELIN. Then what did she say?
Mrs. DAVIS. She was screaming. I don't know.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do?
Mrs. DAVIS. Well, we called the police. Notified them.
Mr. BELIN. So you called the police after you saw the boy?
Mrs. DAVIS. After we saw the boy.
Mr. BELIN. And Mrs. Markham?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. You are nodding your head yes. Is that your testimony, to
the best of your recollection?
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Mrs. DAVIS. That is my testimony.
Mr. BELIN. I want to ask you again, did you call the police before or
after you saw the boy?
Mrs. DAVIS. It was after.
Mr. BELIN. It was after?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir; after, the best that I can remember.
Mr. BELIN. The best you can remember, you called the police before or
after you saw the boy?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Before or after?
Mrs. DAVIS. After.
Mr. BELIN. After you saw the boy, you went back in the house and called
the police?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Is there anything else that you can think of that we haven't
talked about that might be helpful in this investigation?
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see any ambulance come up to where Officer Tippit
was?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes; I saw the ambulance.
Mr. BELIN. You got there before the ambulance, did you not?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes; we got there before.
Mr. BELIN. Did the ambulance get there first or the police get there
first?
Mrs. DAVIS. The ambulance got there first.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see anyone making any calls over Tippit's radio?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. When you got to Tippit's car, did you take a look at that
police car?
Mrs. DAVIS. We didn't touch it.
Mr. BELIN. Did you look at it? Did you notice whether its windows were
rolled up or rolled down?
Mrs DAVIS The one on his side was rolled down.
Mr. BELIN. What about the one on the passenger side of the front seat,
did you notice that?
Mrs. DAVIS. Rolled up.
Mr. BELIN. Was that rolled up?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. When you got there?
Ms. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. You are nodding your head .
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Now the front window has kind of a little window in it. Do
you know that little tiny part of the front window
that opens and closes ?
Mrs. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember whether that one on the front seat by the
right side of the seat was open or not?
Ms. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. It was not open? Or you don't---
Mrs. DAVIS. I don't remember.
Mr. BELIN. Did you hear anyone make any statements that they had seen
anything other than Mrs. Markham?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see a taxicab parked anywhere in the vicinity?
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. BELIN. You are nodding your head no.
Mrs. DAVIS. No.
Mr. BELIN. Anything else you can think of?
Mrs. DAVIS. No, sir; I think I have told it all.
Mr. BELIN. All right, Mrs Davis, we want to thank you very much for
taking the time and the effort to come here. I know that this whole episode has taken time
on your part, and we certainly appreciate your cooperation with the President's Commission.
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