Warren Commission (02 of 26): Hearings Vol. II (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (02 of 26): Hearings Vol. II (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. SPECTER. Why did you not look back at the Texas School Book
Depository Building in view of the fact that you had seen a man with a
rifle up there earlier in the day?
Mr. ROWLAND. I don't remember. It was mostly due to the confusion, and
then the fact that it sounded like it came from this area "C," and that
all the officers, enforcement officers, were converging on that area,
and I just didn't pay any attention to it at that time.
Mr. SPECTER. How many officers were converging on that area, to the
best of your ability to recollect and estimate?
Mr. ROWLAND. I think it would be a very good estimation of 50, maybe
more.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you know how fast the President's automobile was
driving as it proceeded in front of you when you were standing at
position "B"?
Mr. ROWLAND. Very slow pace, 5, 10 miles an hour.
Mr. SPECTER. When, if at all, did you first report what you had
observed in the Texas School Book Depository Building about the man
with the rifle to anyone in an official position?
Mr. ROWLAND. That was approximately 15 minutes after the third report
that I went to an officer, he was a plainclothesman who was there
combing the area, close to position "C," looking for footprints and
such as this, some lady said someone jumped off one of the colonnades
and started running, there was an officer looking in this area for
footprints and such as this.
Mr. SPECTER. Was that lady ever identified to you?
Mr. ROWLAND. No; I do not remember his name. He introduced himself and
showed me his ID.
Mr. SPECTER. I mean the lady you talked about.
Mr. ROWLAND. No; I don't.
Mr. SPECTER. Now as to the officer to whom you made a report, was he a
State, City or Federal official, if you know?
Mr. ROWLAND. It was a Dallas detective.
Mr. SPECTER. And did you give him a statement or what procedure did he
follow?
Mr. ROWLAND. It happened such as this: He was looking in this area for
footprints or any visible marks. I started looking around also. I found
a fountain pen that someone had probably dropped during the confusion
or fell out of their pocket when they fell on the ground or such. I
picked it up and handed it to him. I had on gloves, I wasn't to mess up
the fingerprints because it very possibly could have fallen out of the
pocket of the man who supposedly had jumped down.
Mr. SPECTER. You were wearing gloves on that day?
Mr. ROWLAND. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. Was it a chilly day?
Mr. ROWLAND. The sun was shining, it was a fair day but the wind was
blowing and it was breezy.
Mr. SPECTER. Was it cold enough to have gloves?
Mr. ROWLAND. Yes; I had on my overcoat and my wife had a fairly heavy
coat.
Mr. SPECTER. Proceed, and tell us what you did.
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