The testimony of Eddie Piper was taken at 4 p.m., on May 14, 1964, at
the Texas School Book Depository Building, Dallas, Tex., by Mr. Joseph
A. Ball, assistant counsel of the President's Commission.
Mr. BALL. You understand since this is a continuation of your
deposition you are under oath still?
Mr. PIPER. Thank you; I appreciate it.
Mr. BALL. Your deposition has been taken?
Mr. PIPER. Yes; that's right.
Mr. BALL. I'm going to just ask you a few questions.
Mr. PIPER. Sure, that's all right.
Mr. BALL. You told us that after the shooting you came out onto the
floor?
Mr. PIPER. That's right.
Mr. BALL. And the first people that you saw on the floor after the
shooting was who?
Mr. PIPER. Mr. Truly and some fellow--I really don't know who it was;
like I say, it was some fellow that was with Mr. Truly.
Mr. BALL. Some fellow; how was he dressed?
Mr. PIPER. Oh, I don't know.
Mr. BALL. Was he an officer?
Mr. PIPER. Yes; I believe he was an officer.
Mr. BALL. A police officer?
Mr. PIPER. Yes; a police officer.
Mr. BALL. Did he have a white helmet on?
Mr. PIPER. No; I don't think so. I didn't pay any attention to it. I
was already excited over the shooting or something when he came running
into the building.
Mr. BALL. And what did Truly and this--some fellow do?
Mr. PIPER. Well, Mr. Truly and this fellow run up the steps. He just
hollered for the elevator and I said, "I don't know where it is at,"
and I'm still standing over there by that table and he ran up--on up
the steps with this police officer--him and another fellow and I was
standing there and the people began swarming out and around--different
ones coming in, but it was where nobody could come out.
Mr. BALL. They were the first ones to go up the steps?
Mr. PIPER. That's right.
Mr. BALL. Had anybody come down the steps before they went up the steps?
Mr. PIPER. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. They weren't the first ones to come down?
Mr. PIPER. Yes; and when the elevators come down--I really don't know
who brought the elevators down, but I know nobody ever come down the
steps.
Mr. BALL. Did you ever see Vicki Adams come down the steps?
Mr. PIPER. No, sir; I don't know about that, if she said she did, it
was after I got over here and walked over to the back door.
Mr. BALL. Did Vicki Adams come down before Truly and the man went up
the steps?
Mr. PIPER. No, sir, no, sir; she didn't do it.
Mr. BALL. Did you at anytime after the shooting miss Lee Oswald--did
you notice he wasn't around?
Mr. PIPER. No, sir; I didn't notice it until the lineup. You know, I
just figured all the people was there.
Mr. BALL. You did notice it at the lineup, did you?
Mr. PIPER. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Tell us about that.
Mr. PIPER. I did notice it in the lineup.
Mr. BALL. What do you mean by the lineup?
Mr. PIPER. I mean, when they lined us all up and told us to give our
name and address and just to go home.
Mr. BALL. You say "they"; who do you mean?
Mr. PIPER. The detective--whoever it was.
Mr. BALL. The police?
Mr. PIPER. Yes; they had the building all surrounded. They went to
locking the doors back and front and told us to all come up and then
go home, and I told him, I says, "I've got to go down in the basement
and get my clothes," and he said, "You can go down and get your clothes
and come on back up here, but give me your identification and your name
and tell us where you are staying," and everybody heard me say that, I
guess, and he let us out of the building, one by one, and I went on out
the front door.
Mr. BALL. Did you say something to anybody about not seeing Oswald
there?
Mr. PIPER. No, sir; I didn't say it, but I just saw he wasn't in the
lineup--I didn't tell anyone because I didn't see him.
Mr. BALL. Just tell us what did you notice?
Mr. PIPER. I noticed he was not in the lineup.
Mr. BALL. You noticed that he was not in the lineup?
Mr. PIPER. Yes.
Mr. BALL. But you didn't mention it to anybody?
Mr. PIPER. No, sir; I didn't mention it but I knows he wasn't in the
lineup, and Charles--I don't know whether he was, but he went out for
lunch.
Mr. BALL. Was Charles Givens there?
Mr. PIPER. I couldn't remember seeing him. He went out for lunch and
I don't remember whether he come out from the building again or not
because I was getting dressed to get out of there myself.
Mr. BALL. That's all.
Mr. PIPER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.