Suspect behind the Texas Theatre

Fri 02 Aug 2013, 5:52 am

Contained within the report of Sgt H.H (R.D) Stringer to Jesse Curry is the following information:

“Then, I rode in the squad car with the Officer to the rear of the Texas Theatre, where there were already several Officers present. Captain Talbert and some more Officers were questioning a boy in the alley. There was a pickup truck setting just North off the alley with the motor running. I checked the truck for a weapon……”

http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/06/0687-001.gif

Stringer then goes on to explain how the suspect (Oswald) was arrested. My question is: Does anyone know who this man was that the Police were questioning?
Paul Bentley in his report to Jesse Curry confirmed that Talbert went to the back of the Theatre:

“Captain Talbert let me out in the front [of the Texas Theatre] and told me that he would cover the rear [of the Texas Theatre].”

http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/06/0636-001.gif

Stringer was never called to testify before the Warren Commission, and there is nothing in the arrest reports and testimony of the other cops involved in Oswald’s arrest, or in Captain Talbert’s testimony about this incident that I could find.

Also, does anyone know anything about the pickup truck Stringer was on about, or about the boy who was being questioned by the unidentified cop in the “100 block South Patton”? I don’t think this was Adrian Hamby.

I would appreciate all the help anyone can provide.

Fri 02 Aug 2013, 6:12 am

Hasan Yusuf wrote:Contained within the report of Sgt H.H (R.D) Stringer to Jesse Curry is the following information:

“Then, I rode in the squad car with the Officer to the rear of the Texas Theatre, where there were already several Officers present. Captain Talbert and some more Officers were questioning a boy in the alley. There was a pickup truck setting just North off the alley with the motor running. I checked the truck for a weapon……”

http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/06/0687-001.gif

Stringer then goes on to explain how the suspect (Oswald) was arrested. My question is: Does anyone know who this man was that the Police were questioning?
Paul Bentley in his report to Jesse Curry confirmed that Talbert went to the back of the Theatre:

“Captain Talbert let me out in the front [of the Texas Theatre] and told me that he would cover the rear [of the Texas Theatre].”

http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/06/0636-001.gif

Stringer was never called to testify before the Warren Commission, and there is nothing in the arrest reports and testimony of the other cops involved in Oswald’s arrest, or in Captain Talbert’s testimony about this incident that I could find.

Also, does anyone know anything about the pickup truck Stringer was on about, or about the boy who was being questioned by the unidentified cop in the “100 block South Patton”? I don’t think this was Adrian Hamby.

I would appreciate all the help anyone can provide.

Johnny Brewer would be my guess on "the boy" being questioned in the alley prior to Oswald's arrest but I'm interested in the pickup truck, Hasan. Julia Ann Mercer springs to mind.

Fri 02 Aug 2013, 7:28 am

Thanks, Lee. You are probably right about the "boy" being Brewer. The pickup truck is definitely something we need to look into.

Fri 02 Aug 2013, 7:44 am

Hasan Yusuf wrote:Thanks, Lee. You are probably right about the "boy" being Brewer. The pickup truck is definitely something we need to look into.

The only problem being this was Texas and pickup trucks are as common as Stetsons.

I haven't read Brewer's testimony in a while but didn't he say he walked through the cinema, didn't see Oswald, went to the emergency exit that was situated at the side if the movie screen and as he opened it he was dragged outside by the cops.

Brewer drives me nuts. I cannot for the life of me work out what the hell he was up to. It almost reads like he was trying to flush Oswald out of the Theater in the hopes that the cops could shoot him but Oswald sat tight and "did not resist arrest" when they eventually laid their hands on him. I mean, Oswald must have been able to hear the sirens outside when the emergency door was opened, surely. There were about 30,000 cop cars waiting outside scratch

Fri 02 Aug 2013, 7:54 am

I will need to read Brewer's testimony again, Lee, but Thomas Hutson testified that he had accosted Brewer at the rear exit of the Theatre. This was corroborated by Ray Hawkins.

Tue 15 May 2018, 10:10 am

Mr. HUTSON. We pulled up to this location and I was the first out of the car to hit the ground. As I walked up to the fire exit doors, Officer Hawkins and Baggett were getting out of the car, and the door to the theatre opened, and this unknown white male was exiting.
I drew my pistol and put it on him and told him to put up his hands and not to make a move, and he was real nervous and scared and said: "I am not the one. I just came back to open the door. I work up the street at the shoestore, and Julia sent me back to open the door so you could get in."
I walked up and searched him briefly and I could see by the description and his clothes that he wasn't the person we were looking for.
Then I entered the theatre from this door, and Officer Hawkins with me, and Officer Baggett stayed behind to cover the fire exit door.
We walked down the bottom floor of the theatre, and I was joined there by Officer Walker by me, and as we walked up the north aisle from the center section, I observed Officer McDonald walking up the south aisle from the center section, and we observed two suspects sitting near the front in the center section.
Mr. BELIN. You were on the fight center or the left center?
Mr. HUTSON. I was on the left center.
Mr. BELIN. That would be the left center, and McDonald on the right center aisle?
Mr. HUTSON. Yes; and Officer Walker was with me on the left center aisle.
Officer McDonald and Walker searched these two suspects, had them stand up and searched them while I covered.
As soon as they were searched----well, I left out that part about the number

30

of people sitting in the theatre on the lower floor. When I walked in, I noticed there were seven people I observed sitting on the lower floor.
Mr. BELIN. Did you count them?
Mr. HUTSON. Yes, sir; I counted them.
Mr. BELIN. All right, seven people. There were two people you noticed toward the front of the center section, right?
Mr. HUTSON. Right.
Mr. BELIN. Then where were the other five?
Mr. HUTSON. There was two sitting in the center section near the front, and directly behind them, five rows from the back, and three seats over, I am not sure whether that was the third row----I put it in my report.
Mr. BELIN. You say you put it in your report. Is that your report dated December 3, 1963?
Mr. HUTSON. The third row from the back and the fifth seat.
Mr. BELIN. Was there another person there?
Mr. HUTSON. That was another person.
Mr. BELIN. Who was that?
Mr. HUTSON. That was Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. BELIN. You didn't know it at the time?
Mr. HUTSON. I didn't know who it was; no, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Then who else?
Mr. HUTSON. And directly behind him sitting against the back of the theatre was another man.
Mr. BELIN. In the back of the last row of the center section?
Mr. HUTSON. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. That accounts for four people. Where were the others?
Mr. HUTSON. There were two young boys.
Mr. BELIN. Where were they?
Mr. HUTSON. They were sitting back on the same row as that man, back row.
Mr. BELIN. Right center or left center?
Mr. HUTSON. They were sitting in the left as you face the screen, left center section.
Mr. BELIN. All right, that accounts for six of them, and the only other people was one person sitting over here to the right side toward the rear?
Mr. HUTSON. Yes; toward the rear.
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember how many people were upstairs, or didn't you count?
Mr. HUTSON. I couldn't tell, so many people up there, and so many policemen when I looked up. I don't have any idea
Mr. BELIN. Then what happened after you saw these two people towards the front of the center section? Were they searched?
Mr. HUTSON. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Then what?
Mr. HUTSON. Then I proceeded up the aisle toward the back of the theatre, and McDonald was walking toward the back of the theatre in the right center section aisle.
As he approached this person sitting in the same row of seats, he approached this person. I approached from the row behind.
Mr. BELIN. You approached from the second row from the back?
Mr. HUTSON. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. All right, then what did you see happen?
Mr. HUTSON. I saw this person stand up, and McDonald and him became engaged in a struggle.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see who hit whom first?
Mr. HUTSON. No.
Mr. BELIN. You are shaking your head, no.
Mr. HUTSON. No, I didn't.
Mr. BELIN. Okay.
Mr. HUTSON. The lights were down. The lights were on in the theatre, but it was dark.
Mr. BELIN. All right.

Mr. HAWKINS. Yes, sir; he is a three-wheel officer. We went to the library and this turned out to be an employee of the library who had heard of the news and was apparently running in the library to tell the other employees there.
We then, after this checked out, we then continued circling in the area around 10th and Patton and Marsalis and Jefferson.
We then heard on the police radio that a suspicious person was at the Texas Theatre, and at this time we proceeded to the theatre.
Mr. BALL. Where did you park?
Mr. HAWKINS. I parked my squad car in the alley at the rear of the theatre.
Mr. BALL. Then, what did you do?
Mr. HAWKINS. Officer--I believe Officer McDonald was at the back door at the time and Officer Hutson and Captain Westbrook and Officer Walker and myself went in the rear door, all went to the rear door, and at this time we saw a white male there and began talking to him and he identified himself as being the manager of a shoe store next door and that he was the person who had noted the suspicious acting on the suspect, and he at that time was brought into the rear of the theatre and on the stage and he pointed the person out sitting about three or four rows from the back of the theatre on the right hand or the south side.
Mr. BALL. That would be near the right aisle as you face the screen?
Mr. HAWKINS. Yes, sir; near the right aisle as you face the screen about four rows from the rear of the theatre.
Mr. BALL And how many seats over from the right aisle?
Mr. HAWKINS. I would say probably three or four--I don't remember exactly.
Mr. BALL. Now, at that time you were standing behind the screen, were you?
Mr. HAWKINS. No; we had walked out onto the stage itself and could see the people sitting in the show--the house lights had been turned on--the show was still going on, but we did walk out onto the stage.
Mr. BALL. And did you later learn that the man's name was Brewer?
Mr. HAWKINS. The man whom I had been talking to?
Mr. BALL Yes; the shoe salesman.
Mr. HAWKINS. I don't remember what his name is, but I think he did identify himself and we did have his name.
Mr. BALL. Were you armed?
Mr. HAWKINS. Yes, sir; I was.
Mr. BALL. With what?
Mr. HAWKINS. I had my Service .38 revolver.
Mr. BALL. Did you have it out or was it in your holster?
Mr. HAWKINS. I believe I had it out.
Mr. BALL. What did you do with it?
Mr. HAWKINS. At that time, after he pointed out the person, Officer McDonald had started up the left aisle and he stopped and talked to two boys who were sitting about three rows in front of where Oswald was sitting. I continued up the north aisle or the left aisle as you would walk toward the screen, and then Officer McDonald had walked on back to this person who was seated back there.
Mr. BALL. He was--he walked over to the right aisle, did he?
Mr. HAWKINS. He walked from the right aisle and came in from the person's right. I was about three rows from--still in the same aisle, on the left aisle and about three rows from McDonald and Oswald when I heard him say, "I've got him," or "This is it," or some words to that effect.
Mr. BALL. Did you hear Oswald say anything?
Mr. HAWKINS. Not at that time; no, sir; I did not.
Mr. BALL. What happened then?
Mr. HAWKINS. They had a scuffle and I immediately ran to the location. Officer Hutson had come in the aisle behind Oswald and McDonald and Officer Walker had come in on the left-hand side and I came up in the front. I grabbed his left hand and then immediately took my handcuffs out and put them on his left hand and we brought his right arm around as soon as the gun had been removed and handcuffed his right arm with both hands behind his back.
Mr. BALL. Now, did you see Oswald strike Officer McDonald?

Tue 15 May 2018, 10:19 am

Brewer WC testimony

Mr. BREWER - I heard a noise outside, and I opened the door, and the alley, I guess it was filled with police cars and policemen were on the fire exits and stacked around the alley, and they grabbed me, a couple of them and held and searched me and asked me what I was doing there, and I told them that there was a guy in the theatre that I was suspicious of, and he asked me if he was still there.

And I said, yes, I just seen him. And he asked me if I would point him out.

And I and two or three other officers walked out on the stage and I pointed him out, and there were officers coming in from the front of the show, I guess, coming toward that way, and officers going from the back

Wed 16 May 2018, 10:44 am

Mr. HUTSON. We pulled up to this location and I was the first out of the car to hit the ground. As I walked up to the fire exit doors, Officer Hawkins and Baggett were getting out of the car, and the door to the theatre opened, and this unknown white male was exiting.
I drew my pistol and put it on him and told him to put up his hands and not to make a move, and he was real nervous and scared and said: "I am not the one. I just came back to open the door. I work up the street at the shoestore, and Julia sent me back to open the door so you could get in."

Brewer WC testimony

[size=16]Mr. BREWER - I heard a noise outside, and I opened the door, and the alley, I guess it was filled with police cars and policemen were on the fire exits and stacked around the alley, and they grabbed me, a couple of them and held and searched me and asked me what I was doing there, and I told them that there was a guy in the theatre that I was suspicious of, and he asked me if he was still there.
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