Crafard Puzzle

Another one of my threads from the Web's forum:

Most people here know my feelings concerning Larry Crafard. For those who don’t, I think Crafard was quite likely the man who fired two shots from the sixth floor window of the TSBD, the man who was seen getting into the Nash Rambler Station Wagon by Roger Craig (and others), and the man who shot and killed J.D. Tippit. I find Crafard to be almost as interesting as Oswald himself. Now here’s a little puzzle concerning Crafard. The following is from Crafard’s interview with the FBI on November 28, 1963:

“During August, 1963, [Crafard] started to work with a carnival and followed this work, which accounted for his being at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, Texas, on or about October 15, 1963. He joined a carnival show which was named “How Hollywood Makes Movies.” This was run by a Bob Craven, of Hollywood, California, and he performed the duties of a roustabout.”

http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh25/pdf/wh25_ce_2250.pdf

Crafard’s interview implies that he arrived at the Fairgrounds in Dallas around October 15, 1963. Most people will recognise this date as the day on which we are told Oswald was hired to work at the TSBD; commencing work the very next day. This was NOT a coincidence, IMO. When Crafard testified before the Warren Commission months later, he claimed that he went to work for the aforementioned show on the first day of the Dallas, State Fair:

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=47&search=Mr_Crafard+It+was+the+first+day+of+the+fair#relPageId=426&tab=page

When Craven, “Deke” Miles (who ran the show with Craven), and Marvin Gardner (who worked for the show) were interviewed by the FBI, they all confirmed that the show opened on October 5, 1963 (though Miles later said during his interview that it opened on October 6):

http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh23/pdf/WH23_CE_1535.pdf

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=11717#relPageId=8&tab=page

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=11810#relPageId=3&tab=page

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=10486&search=Sam_Daugherty+actor#relPageId=75&tab=page

When Joseph Radula and Harry Lovejoy (both of whom also worked for the show) were interviewed by the FBI, neither of them mentioned when the show opened, and then subsequently closed down:

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=11253&search=Harry_Lovejoy#relPageId=42&tab=page

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=11253&search=Harry_Lovejoy#relPageId=41&tab=page

As we can see, Miles told the FBI that the show closed down on October 19, 1963. Gardner, on the other hand, told the FBI that it closed down on October 15, 1963; and Craven more or less told the FBI that this was the case (see above interviews). Since Gardner and Craven’s interviews with the FBI took place much sooner than Miles’, I go with Gardner and Craven’s recollection of when it closed down as being the most reliable. If Gardner’s recollection is accurate, then I think it creates a problem since Crafard’s interview with the FBI (above) implies that he joined the show at around that date. I think Crafard’s alleged employment with the show (just like his alibi for the time of the assassination) stinks to high heaven.

Let’s now consider the following. “Deke” Miles told the FBI that Crafard was working for a show next to his at the Dallas Fairgrounds but was fired; and he allegedly hired Crafard because he felt sorry for him. However, Crafard made no mention of working for another show at the Fairgrounds during his interview with the FBI and when he testified before the Warren Commission. In fact, Crafard told the Warren Commission that the show he was fired from was at Memphis, Tennessee (not Dallas, Texas). If you read his interview and testimony, it is apparent that he is saying the first show he joined in Dallas, Texas, was “How Hollywood Makes Movies.” There is also no corroboration for Miles’ claim from Craven or Gardner’s interviews with the FBI.

Let’s also take into account what Ruby Stripper, Joy Dale (who also worked for the show “How Hollywood Makes Movies”), told the FBI. She claimed that Crafard met Jack Ruby “around October 11, 1963,” and that it was Ruby who got Crafard the job with “How Hollywood Makes Movies.”

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=10672&search=Joy_Dale+205#relPageId=406&tab=page

As far as I am aware, there is no corroboration for this claim by Crafard, Craven, Miles, or Gardner. In fact, Crafard told the FBI that he was first introduced to Ruby “on or about October 21, 1963” by “Deke” Miles. But when Crafard testified before the Warren Commission, he claimed that he first met Ruby at the Fairgrounds about two or three days after the Fair opened. So this supposedly was around October 8 or 9. Either way, Crafard is saying that he met Ruby after he joined the show. We should also keep in mind that Dale told the FBI that Crafard went to work for Ruby at the Carousel Club around mid-October, when, according to her, the Fair had closed. However, Crafard told the FBI that he went to work for Ruby at the club around November 1, 1963, after the Fair allegedly closed in late October.

I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to see that something is not right here. In the thread “My latest essay” at this forum, I discussed the possibility that Crafard was involved in gun running at the Fairgrounds with Ruby. I will be discussing this possibility further in an upcoming post here.


To be continued…

As mentioned above, in the thread “My latest essay,” I discussed the possibility that Crafard was involved in gun running with Jack Ruby at the Dallas Fairgrounds. I also discussed the likelihood that Crafard was acquainted with Lawrence Howard of INTERPEN fame (who was involved in gun running and activities against Fidel Castro); and that Bertha Cheek (whom we are told is the sister of Earlene Roberts; the house keeper at the 1026 North Beckley rooming house) was involved in the theft of weapons from the National Guard Armory in Terrell, Texas, on November 14, 1963. Let’s now consider the following.

When former DPD officer, Harry Olsen, was interviewed by William Turner as part of Jim Garrison’s investigation into the assassination, he remarked that Bertha Cheek obtained many business leads from O. L. Nelms; a millionaire Real Estate tycoon in Dallas, Texas, who was also acquainted with Jack Ruby:

[url=http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg Subject Index Files/T Disk/Turner William Weyand Garrison File/Item 05.pdf]http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg%20Subject%20Index%20Files/T%20Disk/Turner%20William%20Weyand%20Garrison%20File/Item%2005.pdf[/url]

Given that Cheek was heavily involved in Real Estate, this hardly comes as a surprise. Olsen purportedly rented the Beachcomber apartment from Cheek in the early 1960s. When Olsen testified before the Warren Commission, he provided what I consider to be almost comical responses to questions concerning Cheek:

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=47&search=Mrs_Cheek+Olson#relPageId=399&tab=page

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=50&search=Mr_Olsen+Bertha+Cheek#relPageId=646&tab=page

O. L. Nelms was the owner of the Longhorn Ballroom (formerly known as Bob Wills’ Ranch House) in Dallas, Texas. Nelms had once leased the Ballroom to Jack Ruby. Nelms later sold/leased it to Dewey Groom; who was a close friend and business partner of his:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longhorn_Ballroom

http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/38/3861-001.gif   
 
http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/38/3861-002.gif

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=10516&search=Dewey_Groom#relPageId=208&tab=page

What’s interesting is that Marvin Gardner (who I mentioned above) told the FBI that after the show “How Hollywood Makes Movies” closed down; Crafard continued working at the Fairgrounds for the Rock and Roll show that replaced it. Gardner claimed that this show was produced by a Jessie Seay from Dallas, Texas, whom Gardner said he understood was a friend of Dewey Groom:

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=10486&search=Sam_Daugherty+actor#relPageId=77&tab=page

Let’s keep in mind that both Gardner and Robert Craven (who I also mentioned above) indicated to the FBI that “How Hollywood Makes Movies” closed down on October 15, 1963; and that Crafard more or less told the FBI on November 28, 1963, that he arrived at the Dallas Fairgrounds “on or about October 15, 1963.” When Crafard testified before the Warren Commission, he confirmed that he had worked for the show Gardner said was produced by Jessie Seay (whom Crafard referred to as “Big Jess”):

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=47&search=Mr_Crafard+Big+Jess#relPageId=428&tab=page

Let’s now consider the following. When Ruby associate, Wilbyrn Waldon (Robert) Litchfield, testified before the Warren Commission, he said that he met Bertha Cheek through a man named Bob Sands who owns “Bob Sands Electric Co.” Litchfield also remarked that the company “has the lighting for all the fairgrounds.”

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=50&search=Mr_Litchfield+Bob+Sands+Electric+Co#relPageId=107&tab=page

On March 6, 1964, the FBI interviewed a man whom Bill Kelly has identified as being Reverend Wayman Whitney. Whitney told the FBI that “about twenty years ago,” he had observed a gambling syndicate in existence at Dallas, and that the man who was “a local leader” of this syndicate was named Denny Pugh. Whitney went on to describe Pugh as a carnival worker “working out of Fair Park, Dallas.” Whitney further claimed that Pugh “was given unlimited power and even had the approval for all electrical installations in Dallas and other local utility work.” What really interests me however, is that Whitney claimed that Pugh operated out of a small electrical shop across the street from the Fairgrounds; which he says was owned by a man named Carroll Sands and which was known as Sands Electric shop:

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=57033&search=Carroll_Sands#relPageId=183&tab=page

At first I thought that “Carroll Sands” and “Bob Sands” were the same person. However, after doing some research, I discovered that according to the Dallas County birth records, a Thomas Carroll Sands was the father of a Robert L. Sands, and that Robert L. Sands was born in January 1929 (scroll to about half way through the first link):

http://www.familytreenow.com/records/genealogy/sands/robert

http://www.ancestry.com/1940-census/usa/Texas/Thomas-C-Sands_5k0p8w

Therefore, it seems that the Carroll Sands Wayman Whitney was referring to was the father of the Bob Sands whom Wilbyrn Litchfield spoke about when he testified before the Warren Commission. It seems almost certain to me that Bob Sands was operating from the “Sands Electric shop” near the Fairgrounds. After doing some more research into Bob Sands, I discovered that in her book “A Farewell to Justice,” Joan Mellen writes that one of Clay Shaw’s acquaintances was a man named “Bob Sands” who, according to Mellen, “raised money for the sabotage of Cuba.”

https://www.google.com/search?q=Clay+Shaw+Bob+Sands&rls=com.microsoft:en-au:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7ADFA_enAU385&gfe_rd=cr&gws_rd=ssl&oq=Clay+Shaw+Bob+Sands&gs_l=heirloom-serp.12...0.0.0.4756.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1ac..34.heirloom-serp..0.0.0.stXNcM3rfBM

If this is the same Bob Sands Wilbyrn Litchfield was referring to (and I’ll bet my car that it was), then I think it increases the likelihood that the Dallas Fairgrounds was being used as a hub (so to speak) for gun running activities. According to Gerald Hill’s obituary in the “Dallas Morning News,” throughout his high school days in Dallas, Texas, Hill worked as an usher at the old Starlight Operetta located at the State Fairgrounds:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dallasmorningnews/obituary.aspx?pid=153027526

Since Hill was born in 1929, this would have been during the early to mid-1940s; the same period of time Wayman Whitney spoke of during his interview with the FBI. With this in mind, I wonder if Hill was acquainted with Thomas Carroll Sands, Bob Sands, and Denny Pugh (amongst others). I would state what I think the answer is, but I am sure most of you can guess what I think the answer is.


Basically, I believe Crafard joined the aforementioned so-called Rock and Roll show when he arrived at the Fairgrounds on or around October 15, 1963; and that his alleged employment for “How Hollywood Makes Movies” was a ruse to make it appear as though Crafard only got the job at the so-called Rock and Roll show after “How Hollywood Makes Movies” closed down. I reiterate that it is NOT a coincidence that Crafard arrived at the Fairgrounds on or around October 15. I believe that this so-called Rock and Roll show was quite possibly a front for gun running; with connections to the planned commando raids against Cuba in the last week of November, 1963, followed by a “large scale amphibious assault against the Cuban mainland” which John Thomas Masen spoke of (see the thread “My latest essay”). I think the reason the planned raids didn’t go ahead was out of genuine fear that an attack against Cuba would have eventually led to a nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

With regards to the “Dusty” whom Crafard told the Warren Commission was managing the so-called Rock and Roll show at the Fairgrounds (and whom he said knew Jack Ruby), I think this could very well have been Murray W. “Dusty” Miller. Miller was considered a “key lieutenant” to Jimmy Hoffa of the Teamsters Union; and was a Teamster leader in Dallas. He also had connections to the Mafia. Ruby called Miller on November 8, 1963:

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=47&search=Mr_Crafard+Dusty#relPageId=429&tab=page

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=10761&search=Murray_Dusty+Miller+Eden+Roc+Hotel+Miami#relPageId=166&tab=page

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=957&search=Dusty_Miller#relPageId=570&tab=page

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=1141&search=Murray_Dusty+Miller+Eden+Roc+Hotel+Miami#relPageId=274&tab=page


As we can see, Miller was staying at the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami, Florida, when he received the call from Ruby. I think most of us know that in the early 1960s, Miami was a hotbed for anti-Castro activities. I find this to be very interesting, and I would just love to know if Miller was related to Lawrence Reginald Miller, who (as discussed elsewhere) was arrested by the DPD on November 18, 1963, for the possession of weapons stolen from the National Guard Armory in Terrell, Texas. Crafard also told the Warren Commission that he thought “Dusty’s” home was somewhere in Ohio. I have not been able to determine whether Murray “Dusty” Miller ever lived in Ohio.