Of course, he reached down and picked up a little dog.
Then we got around to Beckley and 10th Street, still cruising the area,
when I heard the call come over the radio that the suspect was supposed
to be at the theatre on Jefferson.
Mr. BELIN. Was this the Texas Theatre?
Mr. WALKER. Texas Theatre; yes.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do?
Mr. WALKER. I went in the alley up to the back door. When I arrived
there, there was several officers there. There was a plainclothesman up
on the ladder back there. I don't know what he was doing up there, but
he was up on the ladder that goes up that door that is in the back. And
there were several officers around the back of the theatre, and myself,
and McDonald, and Officer Hutson went in the back door. And this man
told us, or this boy told us that there was someone, said the person
that he had seen was inside the theatre, and that he had changed seats
several times, and he thought he was out there in the middle now.
Mr. BELIN. Did he say that he had seen him? Did he tell you what he had
seen him do, or not?
Mr. WALKER. He said he seen him duck into the store where he worked,
kind of looked back, and looked like he was running, and just run into
the theatre.
Mr. BELIN. Did he say why he seemed to duck in the store at all?
Mr. WALKER. No; he didn't. He said he looked like he was scared.
Mr. BELIN. Then do you remember this man's name that you talked to?
Mr. WALKER. No; it was just for a second, and I went on past him.
Mr. BELIN. All right, this was at the back of the theatre?
Mr. WALKER. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Did anyone have a gun drawn when this man came?
Mr. WALKER. I had my gun out. I had my gun out when I walked in the
back of the theatre.
Mr. BELIN. Did you have your gun as you continued walking through the
back of the theatre?
Mr. WALKER. I walked--McDonald and I walked across the stage, and he
walked across the farthest away. It would be the south aisle. And I
jumped off there where the north aisle runs east and west, and we
started up. Hutson went down the steps in front of both of us, and he
was slightly in front of me.
Mr. BELIN. You are speaking about Officer T. A. Hutson and Officer M.
N. McDonald and yourself?
Mr. WALKER. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. The three of you came in from the back?
Mr. WALKER. Yes; and there were probably a couple more, but I just
don't remember.
Mr. BELIN. Those are the three you remember?
Mr. WALKER. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Now as you faced the screen, were you going up the right
center or the left center aisle?
Mr. WALKER. As I faced the screen, I would be going up the left.
Mr. BELIN. Was it the left center aisle or was it the far left aisle
that you were going up?
Mr. WALKER. Be the far left aisle, I believe.
Mr. BELIN. Next to the wall?
Mr. WALKER. No; there is no aisle exactly against the wall. There is a
row of seats, and then an aisle, and the middle aisle, and then another
row of seats.
Mr. BELIN. So you would be in the aisle, as you faced the screen, which
would be to the left of the center row of seats?
Mr. WALKER. That's right.
Mr. BELIN. Okay; just tell what happened.
Mr. WALKER. There were two white males sitting approximately in the
center of the show. The lights had come on, and I don't know at what
point they come on.
Mr. BELIN. About how many people was seated down on the first floor?
Mr. WALKER. There were two in the middle, and then there was Oswald,
who turned out to be Oswald--I didn't know at that time it was him--and
two behind him, I believe. I think there was one in the aisle, in the
seats to the right of the right aisle. I don't know how you describe
it, south of the south aisle, what I call it.
Mr. BELIN. You were coming up the north aisle?
Mr. WALKER. And this other person was sitting over on the other side of
the show.
Mr. BELIN. Do you recall then a total of six people?
Mr. WALKER. That is all I recall seeing.
Mr. BELIN. The people behind the man that you later found out to be
Oswald, how far were they behind?
Mr. WALKER. They were about three or four or five seats behind him.
Mr. BELIN. In what row were they?
Mr. WALKER. I believe they were in the last row, or maybe the next to
the last.
Mr. BELIN. What row was Oswald in, to the best of your recollection?
Mr. WALKER. The best I recall, fourth or fifth aisle from me, from the
back.
Mr. BELIN. Fourth or fifth row from the back?
Mr. WALKER. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. All right, now, you mentioned there were two people sitting
together in the center?
Mr. WALKER. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. You came up and approached those people?