Warren Commission (15 of 26): Hearings Vol. XV (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (15 of 26): Hearings Vol. XV (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Chief BATCHELOR. I am told that he called Lieutenant Wiggins in the
basement and asked him if he was ready. He called him, I think, from
the jail floor, not from his office. He called him when Oswald was up
in the jail.
Mr. HUBERT. Now when the transfer party did appear, you were actually
moving toward the armored car, as I recall it, then weren’t you, to
close the door?
Chief BATCHELOR. No; I actually saw Oswald come through the door.
Someone shouted “Here he comes.” I looked over and saw him come out
the door, and then I turned and started up the ramp. I didn’t see the
shooting. I turned before.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you recall if Captain Fritz or anyone else called to
find out if the situation was all right security wise?
Chief BATCHELOR. I don’t know, because I wasn’t in the jail office. I
was out. I am told that he called down and Lieutenant Wiggins said that
almost immediately the elevator came down. And he said, “Is everything
all right?” And started walking with the prisoner. And Wiggins said
that he doesn’t recall whether he answered him or whether--I mean it
just happened so quickly, or whether he went out ahead of him.
Mr. HUBERT. Were the armored car people told of the change of plans?
Chief BATCHELOR. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know what was proposed to get the truck out of the
way?
Chief BATCHELOR. The driver was in the truck. I would have shouted to
him.
Mr. HUBERT. That was the plan, that you were to call to him?
Chief BATCHELOR. This wasn’t a plan. This is what I would have done.
He was there. I knew he was there. And as soon as I ran up to close
the thing, why I would have shouted. But after the shooting, I didn’t
shout, and the truck wasn’t even moved. We had to move it to let the
ambulance out.
Mr. HUBERT. But your thought was that since the plans had been changed,
the truck had to be gotten out of the way, and since you were the only
one down there who knew other than Stevenson, you would have gotten the
truck out of the way?
Chief BATCHELOR. I would have gotten the truck out, just like I would
have told him to close the door and let’s go.
Mr. HUBERT. Now do you recall whether immediately prior to the shooting
the detectives and other police officers in the basement had side arms,
pistols drawn? Did you see anybody with a drawn gun?
Chief BATCHELOR. The only person I saw with a drawn gun was after the
shooting. I looked up. There was a great deal of confusion and a lot of
shouting immediately after the shooting, and a group of these reporters
started to run up the Main Street ramp, and the officer at the top of
that ramp, I recall very vividly him pulling his gun and waving it
across this way and saying, “Get back down that ramp.”
Mr. HUBERT. That was Vaughn, was it not?
Chief BATCHELOR. Yes; and they turned around and came back down.
Mr. HUBERT. Did any of the police personnel in the basement area have
any shotguns?
Chief BATCHELOR. Not visible. The homicide cars had shotguns.
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