Justification For Killing

by Larry Edward Hunt

  The Captain wanted Forrest to do the honors and film the scene along with Zapruder. Would Forrest end up being the person seen in some of the pictures filmed by other witnesses that fateful day? Old photos of that scene today have been minutely examined using electronic microscopic imaging trying to identify this unknown person. Although, no one could recognize this person, anyone at SCAR would have easily identified him as... as... Forrest.

  Later that day at 12:30 Forrest would become a part of American history.

  Captain Scarburg further explained once they returned home they could compare the Zapruder film to the one Forrest was going to take.

  Olive Marie did not realize it at the time, but she too was to become an icon of the Kennedy assassination

  The time was 4:00 a.m., Thursday, November 22, 1963.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  SUNRISE ON THIS INAUSPICIOUS DAY - THE EVENT

  The snow showers of the previous night had given way to a drizzly, damp, overcast morning in Dallas. Although the rays of the morning sun were not apparent, the fading of the darkness in the parking garage has awakened LJ and Rocky.

  The past few hours had been spent trying to get some sleep; however, all they could accomplish were brief moments of fitful sleep with hardly any rest whatsoever. They had already decided once they left the parking garage they would find a cafe, grab a bite of breakfast then drive the few blocks over to Dealy Plaza. They reasoned barricades would be blocking all the intersections of the motorcade route beginning roughly around 10:00 a.m., so they wanted to be parked and in the vicinity of the TSBD long before that time.

  Another player in this day’s events, Mrs. Marie Tippit, wife of Patrolmen J. D. Tippit felt, for some reason, she should arise early and send her husband off to his job at the Dallas Police department with a hardy morning breakfast. This was unusual, normally Tippit had left the house before Marie awoke, but for some unknown reason, she sensed this day was going to be different. Maybe it was because her husband had awakened her when he got home the night before and told her and the children that he loved them. She thought that was strange. After breakfast, she kissed him goodbye, and J.D. left the house headed to police headquarters for his morning shift. Marie followed him out onto the porch watching as he walked down the sidewalk to his car. An impending feeling of doom crept over her. J.D. must have felt that foreboding feeling too - he opened his driver’s door and hesitating he looked back over the car’s roof at his wife and mouthed the words, “I love you.” She was seeing him alive for the last time.

  On a morning to be remembered forever, the participants were going about their business as usual. Usual may not be quite accurate for later many would remark, for some unknown reason, the day “felt” different. When questioned to pinpoint the exact nature of this impression, none could precisely explain what the “perception” was. They only could say something was not right - the day just did not feel “normal.”

  It had been snowing north of town most of the night and raining, off and on, elsewhere in Dallas. In Fort Worth, it had rained all night, and into the early morning of this fateful day the rain had changed to a drizzle, which had stopped. Now the brightness of the sun was slowly beginning to emerge off the distant eastern horizon. The rays were beginning to break through the overcast, and the early morning dampness was giving way to a bright and clear day. It appeared after all, the President would be able to ride down the streets of Dallas without the “bubble top” on his limousine and give the Texans the opportunity to show their love and respect for their President, John F. Kennedy.

  On Houston Street, just a rocks throw from the Texas School Book Depository, the morning shift police officers were attending the first roll call of the day at Police Headquarters. Some fifteen or so officers were told to report to the Dallas Trade Mart and secure the entire area. Sergeant Mike Hasty instructed the group of specially selected officers to be vigilant; the President of the United States will deliver a speech there at 12:45 p.m. and Sergeant Hasty did not want any trouble on his watch.

  Lee Harvey Oswald did not return to his boarding house on the eve of the 21st of November, as was his usual routine. Normally Oswald stayed at the rooming house during the week and went to be with his family on the weekends. Bud and Lou had stayed up with Mrs. Rodgers watching television until she went to bed around 10:00 p.m. They both had studied the Kennedy assassination and knew Oswald would not return to the boarding house Thursday night. They were not concerned with Oswald on Thursday night, their purpose was to search Oswald’s room and see if they could determine if he possessed a .38 caliber revolver if so, it should have been hidden somewhere in his room. After getting off work the day before the assassination, they knew Oswald had asked a fellow worker if he would mind giving him a ride to the Oak Cliff area, a suburb of Dallas. His wife Marina and his daughters lived there in a house owned by the Oswald’s friend Ruth Paine.

  The following morning, Friday the 22nd, Oswald leaves Oak Cliff and rides into work with a neighbor, Brian Cleland, who would later testify to the Warren Commission Oswald got into his car with a long brown bag. Mr. Cleland said Oswald said the bag contained curtain rods for his room. Later, employees of the Book Depository will testify when he arrived they did not see Oswald bring a bag into the building.

  After roll call at Police Headquarters, the patrolmen leave to begin their shift. Patrolmen J. D. Tippit is one of those officers. He is in patrol car Number Twenty-Five.

  Lou and Bud said goodbye to Mrs. Rodgers and left the boarding house. They had intended to leave earlier; however, Mrs. Rodgers insisted they join her for breakfast. She was such a lovely lady, how could they refuse. After their last cup of coffee, they left the house a few minutes after eight. Their intent was to get to Dealy Plaza, just a mere 2.6 miles away, and obtain an advantageous spot on the corner of Elm Street and Houston Street to observe Oswald when he leaves the Texas School Book Depository.

  As Bud and Lou drove to the vicinity of Dealy Plaza, Lonnie Joe had left a large tip on one of the tables of the Silver Spur Cafe. He had been flirting with a cute, blonde waitress. He and Rocky had just finished breakfast and were preparing to make their way to rendezvous with Lou and Bud at Dealy Plaza. At the door, Lonnie Joe turned and looked back at the waitress. She smiled, turned her head slightly and winked. Darn, I would have to be from the year 2012. That is forty-nine years in the future – she’d have to be nearly seventy now. Oh, well, Lonnie Joe thought as he pushed the glass door open and stepped out into the cool, damp Dallas morning. Time-travel sure has some definite drawbacks, he thought.

  It was a few minutes after eight a.m. The morning sun was just beginning to peep around a corner of one of the skyscrapers in downtown Fort Worth as President Kennedy walked out onto the sidewalk in front of the Texas Hotel. His destination was a large group of well-wishers gathered in a parking lot across the street - little does he realize this was to be the last sunrise he will ever witness. Later he will return to the Texas Hotel and give a breakfast speech to the Ft. Worth Chamber of Commerce. On the elevator to the Sam Houston banquet room, a Secret Service agent overhears the President say, under his breath, “I wish this were the last one of these things I ever had to attend.” ‘Be careful what you wish for, you might get it,’ isn’t that the saying?

  At about the same time the President was walking across the brick paved Main Street to the awaiting throng of well wishers, Richard Nixon on the other side of town boards United Airline flight 221 heading back to Washington, D.C.

  It was almost eight-thirty as Bud and Lou drive the couple of miles back into downtown Dallas to the Steven Austin Hotel. They pull into the parking lot of this twelve-story hotel, find a spot close to Houston Street and sit back and wait for the arrival of Lonnie Joe and Rocky.

  BELL & HOWELL

  Fifteen minutes later Captain Scarburg, Olive Marie and Forrest arrive at Peacock Jewelry 879 Elm Street. The old warehouse built in 1908 had been converted into a luxurious, modern jewelry and quality merc
handise shop. Entering the jewelry store a young salesman seeks them out. The Captain explains he is there to purchase a home movie camera. The salesman escort the three over to the electronics counter, which was filled with a number of home movie and single reflex cameras of every description and price range.

  “What did you have in mind, Sir?” The clerk asked.

  “Do you know Mr. Zapruder, the man who owns the clothing factory on the end of the block on Houston Street?”

  “Oh, yes sir. He is one of our favorite customers.”

  “I know he purchased a movie camera from you last week. If possible I would like to see one just like it,” the Captain said.

  “Just a second sir and I will check our records... No, no... that will not be necessary”, said the clerk. “I remember it was a Bell & Howell, eight-millimeter, Director Series, Zoomatic with a leather carrying case. Funny thing... when he came into the store he wanted one of those cheap instant-photo type camera to film the Presidential parade.”

  “What happened?”

  “We only keep one or two of those low-end type cameras in stock. I explained we mostly carry the high quality, top of the line cameras, and if he had arrived a couple of minutes earlier the store would have had one in stock. He was told we had sold the last instant camera just a few minutes before he walked in. I suggested he purchase a movie camera. I told him it was like first impressions; he would only get one opportunity to get a good picture of President John F. Kennedy, and suggested it was the perfect time to buy - the Bell & Howell was on sale.”

  “And he obviously took you up on your suggestion?”

  “Oh yes...” replied the clerk reaching into the display counter and removing the exact model Bell & Howell Mr. Zapruder had purchased a few days earlier. “Here it is – still on sale... just $89.99 plus $9.99 extra for the leather carrying case. You have a good eye sir; as I told Mr. Zapruder this is the top of the line home movie camera. I think you will be very pleased with it, and the total price is only $99.98. Shall I wrap it?”

  “Doesn’t it include a roll of film?”

  “Yes sir, it does. It comes with a roll of Kodak Kodachrome II film.”

  “Perfect... perfect, the exact film Mr. Zapruder used? Then I will take two... no need to wrap them... we are going to film the presidential parade later on this morning also,” the Captain said handing the clerk two one hundred dollar bills (one hundred dollar bills issued in 1963) plus an extra twenty for a tip.

  Walking from the jewelry store, the Captain smiled to himself. He couldn’t help but think how different history’s future portrayal of the JFK Assassination would be if Mr. Abraham Zapruder had arrived just five minutes earlier, and walked out with an instant snapshot camera instead of the top of the line movie camera.

  Forty-five minutes after arriving Bud and Lou were joined in the Stephen Austin Hotel parking lot by Lonnie Joe and Rocky. The Stephen Austin is located one block south of Dealy Plaza on the east side of Houston Street. Lonnie Joe and Rocky parked alongside Bud and Lou. Lonnie Joe rolls down his driver window and inquires to their time of departure. Bud replies they would walk up to the Texas School Book Depository building around 11:30.

  At other places in Dallas preparations are going smoothly for the forthcoming motorcade. All vehicular traffic to the area around Dealy Plaza is being blocked at all intersections by the Dallas police department just as Lonnie Joe and Rocky predicted.

  The Secret Service is monitoring all activity; however, the Secret Service headquarters in Washington, D. C. just issued an urgent message stating there may be an attempt on the President’s life. The Secret Service in Dallas did not receive the warning message. However, the Washington office will later state they received a confirmation reply from Dallas confirming receipt of the warning. Who sent the Dallas reply, to this day no one knows. The original warning was sent at 10:35 a.m. and the confirmation reply was received at 10:38 a.m. in Washington. Strange!

  A few minutes before eleven o’clock, the presidential party walked out of the Texas Hotel, entered the waiting cars and began the motorcade to the enormous Carswell Air Force base. From Carswell to Love Field in Dallas was a flight of less than fifteen minutes.

  Less than thirty minutes from leaving the Texas Hotel, the President’s plane taxied toward its rendezvous with destiny. Lou, Bud, Lonnie Joe and Rocky were within easy walking distance to the Texas School Book Depository.

  As the President prepared to leave Fort Worth, the phone in Lou’s car rings. What do LJ and Rocky want now, he thought; however, he was in for a shock – it was not LJ or Rocky it was Captain Scarburg. “Where are you Captain...? We have been worried to death… You have Forrest and Olive Marie with you, right...? What...? You are where...? We thought you would be back to Celina by now... Okay... I see... please be careful.” Hanging up the phone, he turned and remarked to Bud, “You are not going to believe this... Captain Scarburg, Forrest and Olive Marie, are parked on the north side of the Dal-Tex Building on the corner of North Houston and Ross Avenue. They are just one block northeast of the Texas School Book building! They are just a couple of blocks from us right now.”

  “What! What in the heck are they doing there? We thought they were on their way back to Celina.”

  “Nope, the Captain said, ‘how many times do they get a chance to witness such a historic event.’ He wanted Forrest and Olive Marie to be present at Dealey Plaza at 12:30. It was to momentous an event for them to miss.”

  The time was approaching 11:20 a.m. – Air Force One was sitting on the end of the runway, all four giant turbo-fan engines, strained awaited the pilot’s release of the brakes. It was ready to take off from Carswell Air Force Base on its way east to Love Field in Dallas.

  The city of White Settlement was nestled on the west side of the gigantic Air Force base, home of Strategic Air Commands 9th Bombardment Wing and their giant B-52s - B-52s nicknamed the ‘Stratofortress.’ High on a slight ridge overlooking the Air Force base sits the White Settlement Middle School. From the schools large expanse of east facing windows, the students can look down the shallow valley onto the gigantic 12,000-foot runway. The school’s perch high above the black tarmac offers a perfect view of all the aircraft landings or takings off from Carswell. At that moment, Air Force One’s captain Colonel James Swindle released the brakes and the giant Boeing began to move, Mr. Waymon Washam asked his class of band students if they wanted to come over to the window and watch the president’s airplane take off. Of course, every student in the band room immediately slammed their musical instruments down and hurried to the window just as the Boeing 707 rolled down the tarmac and lifted into the air. How little did this small group of students comprehend they were eyewitnesses to history? It wasn’t a spectacular event, just a large airplane taking off, an occurrence the children had seen many times before, but those twelve year old, sixth grade students would be telling and retelling the story of watching this particular plane’s takeoff for the rest of their lives.

  At exactly eleven-thirty, Lonnie Joe and Rocky leave the parking lot and walk to the adjacent Houston Street. They turn right and walk through the assembling crowd and continue on toward the Texas School Book Depository. Once they arrive, they mingle with bystanders on the sidewalk in front of the building.

  At Love Field in Dallas, the Presidential plane arrived from Ft. Worth. On the ground, to greet President and Mrs. Kennedy were Vice President and Mrs. Johnson.

  Bud and Lou followed Lonnie Joe and Rocky from the parking lot of the Stephen Austin hotel and walked nonchalantly into Dealy Plaza. Bud and Lou were amazed… this scene was real, whereas before they had only seen it in pictures. Lou gawked at the open windows in the Texas School Book Depository trying to see if there were anyone in the sixth floor snipers window, inadvertently he ran into a woman standing on the sidewalk. “Sorry,” says Lou and continues walking. He will later say he did see anyone at the window, but there appeared to be a shadowy figure in one of the other windows, in particular the window a
t the very end closest to the Grassy Knoll.

  Captain Scarburg, Forrest and Olive Marie, walked from the parking lot on the north side of the Dal-Tex building where they had been sitting waiting for the past couple of hours. They walk directly in front of the TSBD on their way to an area of the concrete pedestal where Abraham Zapruder will film the assassination. Walking past the Book Depository, the Captain could not restrain himself from the urge to look up! Yes, there in the end window on the 6th floor he saw a figure. Was that Oswald? This man had on a sports coat – he knew from all the history books and from photos of the arrest Lee Harvey Oswald did not wear a sports jacket. Who was this man? Down the street they found a seat on a concrete bench in front of the pagoda, just left of the grassy knoll. Captain Scarburg is well aware from his previous visit that a shot comes from that area. He did not want Olive Marie to be in the direct line of fire of the assassin in the wooden area; however, at this location they should still be within twenty feet of the limousine as the first shot is fired. As they sat on the bench, the Captain loaded the Kodachrome eight-millimeter film into both Bell & Howell cameras. Snapping the film doors shut, he handed one camera to Forrest, “When we see the motorcade approaching Elm from Houston, I want you to step over beside that concrete pedestal”, Grandpa Scarburg said pointing to the large concrete platform, “and film the motorcade as it turns and proceeds down Elm. You will be standing directly at the feet of Abraham Zapruder. He will be standing on the pedestal filming also. Forrest, make sure to lock the filming switch, I want to make sure there is no interruption in the short section of the Presidential parade from Houston to the triple-overpasses. The Zapruder film only lasted 26.6 seconds. Another thing Forrest, I must emphasis as the President’s car gets immediately to your front the fatal shot will be fired, please do not look up from the camera, keep filming, it is extremely important.”