In order to pull off Oswald’s shooting as a random act of “senseless violence” – is there any other kind – it is necessary to present George Senator’s presence and testimony. You have to fix Jack Ruby in his apartment at a specific time. What you can not have is the possibility of Jack Ruby being down near that police garage too early. Enter George Senator.
The problem for the Warren Commission is that George Senator is a little vague about the time that he awoke and the time that Jack Ruby left the apartment. No one will ever accuse George Senator of being a Swiss watch. His testimony is vague at best. So too is the testimony of Karen Bennett, aka Little Lynn.
At any rate, something in Jack Ruby’s apartment must have spooked Bill Hunter and Jim Koethe – two investigative reporters who managed to find their way into Jack’s apartment the night Jack killed Lee. They spoke to George Senator. They were also killed within 18 months of being in that apartment. Assuming that their deaths were intentional, what could they have seen or noted that might bring forward an assassins bullet? It had to be something in that apartment that night because reporters who were not there were not killed.
Was it George Senator’s uneasiness under a reporter’s more careful questioning? Did they ask too many questions? Perhaps they wondered aloud why Jack would have a copy of that morning’s Dallas Times Herald under his bed. George Senator testified later that they didn’t get a paper delivered? Hell, maybe Jack was out late and picked up an early edition at 3 AM. Jack, being late to bed and late to rise, was hardly Ben Franklin’s role model for success.
I don’t want to get into the details of the deaths of the two reporters here except to say that they were both odd deaths. Koethe’s death was NOT resolved to satisfaction regardless of what Warrenatti might suggest.
Okay, here is the official George Senator timeline.
8:30: Jack Ruby wakes up. He uses the toilet; he paces; he dresses and he eats.
9:15: Little Lynn calls
10:15: Ruby leaves the apartment
11:00. Senator leaves
11:30: Senator hears of news at EatWell Cafe
11:45: Senator travels to Jim Martin’s house.
Now, let’s look at his testimony. It’s chock-full of apologies about not being able to remember to perfection. Okay, if that’s the case, then why should we believe any timeline from George Senator?
Now this passage has nothing to do with the discussion at hand. I wanted to show you why I like reading Warren Commission testimony; it makes me laugh.
Mr. GRIFFIN. How long have you known Mr. Martin?
Mr. SENATOR. I would say roughly around 2 or 3 years I guess, something like that.
Mr. GRIFFIN. How did you happen to meet him?
Mr. SENATOR. I think I met him through a friend of mine one day, if I remember right. I think we were having a cocktail one day in the Burgundy Room. I think this is how I met him. I am not sure.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Has he represented you in any legal matters?
Mr. SENATOR. No.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Is he a friend of Jack Ruby?
Mr. SENATOR. He knows Jack. I believe all the lawyers in Dallas know Jack.
Isn’t that hilarious?
Okay, let’s look at some of George Senator’s testimony.
Mr. HUBERT. What time did you awaken on Sunday morning?
Mr. SENATOR. Sunday morning I assume it was somewhere around between 8 or 9, somewheres in that time. Just something in that time.
Mr. HUBERT. Have you any way to fix it at all?
Mr. SENATOR. No; you see, when I was on the witness stand with Mr. Bill Alexander, now he tried to make me pinpoint it right down to the minute. It is highly impossible. If you are not watching a clock and don’t have one, how can you pinpoint these things? How can you really do it? How is it possible? How can you pinpoint time when you are not watching it?
Mr. HUBERT. In any case what you are saying, your best estimate is that it was—-
Mr. SENATOR. I have to estimate it. Now, as I say when I estimate it, I can be 15 minutes, a half hour or maybe an hour off on time.
Regarding when Ruby woke up.
Mr. HUBERT. Was Ruby there when you woke up, or not?
Mr. SENATOR. Yes; he was sleeping.
Mr. HUBERT. When did he waken?
Mr. SENATOR. Ruby must have woke up I assume it probably would have been maybe–of course, I have to guess again–I would assume somewheres around between 9 and 9:30.
Mr. HUBERT. Why don’t we put it in terms of how much after you did Ruby wake up. In other words, no matter what time you awoke, can you tell us how long after he awakened?
Mr. SENATOR. It could be maybe three-quarters of an hour or an hour. I am not sure.
Regarding the timing between Little Lynn’s call and Ruby’s moments in the apartment.
Mr. SENATOR. You see when you are relating all three there, in the relation of all three here from the time I got up to the time Jack got up to the time he had his breakfast, from the time that Little Lynn called I would be jamming all these things into maybe a half hour to an hour in differences, and they would all almost clog together because I would have to guess at all these, because, mind you, this wasn’t a great expanse of hours. This is why I say I will be guessing and have to be wrong. Mind you from the time that I wake up at 8 o’clock in the morning, supposedly around 8 or maybe it was 8:30 or 9, I have to have the answers, supposed to have the answers for what time I woke up, what time Jack got up, Little Lynn in the short span of hours, and it is hard to break these things down and be accurate.
What Mr. Hubert is trying to establish is when Ruby left the apartment – a difficult task to do – for if he can establish that Ruby left the apartment earlier, then there would be time for Ruby to get into the garage before when he said he did. Plus, his leaving earlier lends less credence to the randomness of his killing Oswald.
Mr. HUBERT. Leaving those aside, all I was asking was whether or not you could give us an estimate of the time from when Little Lynn called until he told you “I am leaving and I am going out and take this dog to the club.” Have you any idea at all? If you don’t, tell us.
Mr. SENATOR. Wait, wait, what time she called?
Mr. HUBERT. No; the time interval between when she called and when he left.
Mr. SENATOR I will make a wild guess. I would say it was at least three quarters, it must have been about three quarters of an hour.
Mr. HUBERT. On what do you base it?
Mr. SENATOR. I am just guessing. I can’t base it on anything. I am only guessing.
Now, let’s look at the testimony of Little Lynn regarding the timing of the call from her to Jack Ruby.
Mr. HUBERT. What about the call the next day?
Mrs. CARLIN. He told me to call back some time the next day and tell him how much I had to have, and which I did. I called back, but the only reason I called as early as I did–we saw on television what had happened. Well, I called first–we got up about–I don’t remember–I think it was about 9 or 9:30 or something like that, and my husband told me I’d better call him, and so I called.
The phone records of Jack Ruby were requested, but not all were obtained. Apparently someone felt the task arduous. At any rate, we either have the precise time of Little Lynn’s call, or we do not. It’s best to assume we do not because had we the precise time from the phone company, why wouldn’t the counsel, Mr. Hubert, just establish that fact? Since he did not, what we have are George Senator and Little Lynn guessing at the time of her call.
My conclusion: Jack Ruby was out of his apartment no later than 9:30 AM and was sequestered inside the police garage no later than 10:00 AM.
Fix the Bus 