The testimony of Julia Postal was taken at 3 p.m., on April 2, 1964, in
the office of the U.S. attorney, 301 Post Office Building, Bryan and
Ervay Streets, Dallas, Tex., by Mr. Joseph A. Ball, assistant counsel
of the President's Commission.
Mr. BALL. Will you stand and hold up your hand, please and be sworn?
Do you solemnly swear the testimony you will give before this
Commission will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth, so help you God?
Mrs. POSTAL. I do.
Mr. BALL. Will you state your name, please?
Mrs. POSTAL. Julia Postal.
Mr. BALL. What is your address, please?
Mrs. POSTAL. 2728 Seevers.
Mr. BALL. Will you tell me something about yourself, where you were
born and what your education was, what your occupation has been, just
in general.
Mrs. POSTAL. Was born here in Dallas and I went through all school here
to my first year at Adamson, and went to California and finished up out
there.
Mr. BALL. Finished high school there?
Mrs. POSTAL. Went through 4 years of it.
Mr. BALL. In California?
Mrs. POSTAL. In California, and then I lived there for 12 years and
came back here. I have been here ever since.
Mr. BALL. What has been your occupation?
Mrs. POSTAL. Well, basically it has been theatre, cashier, and
officework in connection with theatres.
Mr. BALL. You have been to California? Did you work in theatres there?
Mrs. POSTAL. Yes, sir; I worked at the Paramount Theatre, and Graumans,
and R.K.O. Used to work for the Pantages. Worked for the Wilshire in
the office.
Mr. BALL. How long have you been back from California, to Dallas?
Mrs. POSTAL. Oh, me, I have been there 11 years, 14 or 15 years;
really, I don't remember.
Mr. BALL. Have you been working? You are now working where?
Mrs. POSTAL. With the Texas--really, it is United Theatres, Inc., at
the Texas Theatre.
Mr. BALL. How long have you been working there?
Mrs. POSTAL. It was 11 years last November 24.
Mr. BALL. Same theatre?
Mrs. POSTAL. Same theatre.
Mr. BALL. What were your hours of work last fall?
Mrs. POSTAL. Last fall? Well, let's see, I worked in the office, and
then started cutting down personnel and I worked in the office until
they opened the box office at 12:45, and then come down to the box
office and worked until 5.
Mr. BALL. When you say worked in the box office, is that take tickets?
Mrs. POSTAL. Sell tickets.
Mr. BALL. Sell tickets. Is there a ticket taker inside the theatre?
Mrs. POSTAL. Yes, sir; now, during the slack period like this with
school, just an usher who works the concession and tears the tickets,
because it is just straight through.
Mr. BALL. On November 22, Friday, November 22, 1963, what time did your
box office open?
Mrs. POSTAL. We open daily at 12:45, sometimes may be 5, 4 minutes
later or something, but that is our regular hours.
Mr. BALL. On this day you opened on 12:45, November 22?
Mrs. POSTAL. Uh-huh.
Mr. BALL. And on that day, did you have the ticket taker working around
12:45, 1 o'clock?
Mrs. POSTAL. Just the usher, which, as I said, works the concession and
ticket.
Mr. BALL. What was his name?
Mrs. POSTAL. Warren Burroughs. Call him Butch.
Mr. BALL. Butch Burroughs?
Mrs. POSTAL. Uh-huh.
Mr. BALL. Was he stationed inside the door, the entrance to the theatre?
Mrs. POSTAL. Yes, sir; he stays, actually, behind the concession
counter, but as I said, the concession runs for the entire way as you
go in the door and it runs this way so that you can see the door and
steps insides, and tears tickets.
Mr. BALL. Now, did you have a radio in your ticket office?
Mrs. POSTAL. Uh-huh, a transistor.
Mr. BALL. Had you heard that the President had been shot?
Mrs. POSTAL. Yes; my daughter had called me at the office before we
opened up and said it was on the TV, so I then turned the little
transistor on right away, and of course it verified the--they were
saying again that he had been shot.
Mr. BALL. And did you find out that he had died here? That President
Kennedy was dead or----
Mrs. POSTAL. No, sir; I didn't.
Mr. BALL. You didn't hear that?
Mrs. POSTAL. I was listening to KLIF, and I was down in the little box
office, and they kept saying that Parkland hadn't issued an official
report, that he had been removed from the operating table, and everyone
wanted to surmise, but still hope, and it was after this that they came
out and said that he was officially dead.
Mr. BALL. But, you didn't hear that when you were in the box office,
did you?
Mrs. POSTAL. Yes, I did. In fact, I was just about--it was just about
the time all chaos broke loose.
Mr. BALL. Now, did many people go into the theatre from the time you
opened at the box office until about 1:15 or so?
Mrs. POSTAL. Some.
Mr. BALL. How many? Can you give me an estimate?
Mrs. POSTAL. I believe 24.
Mr. BALL. Twenty-four?
Mrs. POSTAL. Fourteen or twenty-four. I believe it was 24. Everything
was happening so fast.
Mr. BALL. You had sold about that many tickets?
Mrs. POSTAL. That's right.
Mr. BALL. What was the price of admission?
Mrs. POSTAL. We had three. Adults 90 cents, teenager with a card is 50
cents, and a child is 35, and you have a pass ticket.
Mr. BALL. It is cheaper that time of day than other times of day?
Mrs. POSTAL. No, sir; we don't change prices. Used to, but we don't.
Mr. BALL. Same price?
Mrs. POSTAL. Uh-huh.
Mr. BALL. Now, did you see anybody go in the theatre--well, did you see
any activity on the street?
Mrs. POSTAL. Now, yes, sir; just about the time we opened, my employer
had stayed and took the tickets because we change pictures on
Thursday and want to do anything, he--and about this time I heard the
sirens--police was racing back and forth.
Mr. BALL. On Jefferson?
Mrs. POSTAL. On Jefferson Boulevard, and then we made the remark,
"Something is about to bust," or "pop," or something to that effect,
so, it was just about--some sirens were going west, and my employer got
in his car. He was parked in front, to go up to see where they were
going. He, perhaps I said, he passed Oswald. At that time I didn't know
it was Oswald. Had to bypass him, because as he went through this way,
Oswald went through this way and ducked into the theatre there.
Mr. BALL. Let me see. Had you ever seen this man before then at that
particular theatre?
Mrs. POSTAL. Not that I know of, huh-uh.
Mr. BALL. A police car had gone by just before this?
Mrs. POSTAL. Yes, sir; going west.
Mr. BALL. Its siren on?
Mrs. POSTAL. Yes; full blast.
Mr. BALL. And after you saw the police car go west with its siren on,
why at the time the police car went west with its siren on, did you see
the man that ducked? This man that you were----
Mrs. POSTAL. This man, yes; he ducked into the box office and--I don't
know if you are familiar with the theatre.
Mr. BALL. Yes; I have seen the theatre.
Mrs. POSTAL. You have? Well, he was coming from east going west. In
other words, he ducked right in.