Mr. BOONE. This is the stairwell back here in the corner. If I am not
mistaken, there is a freight elevator over here.
Mr. BALL. That would be the right of the picture?
Mr. BOONE. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Now, point to the boxes where you found the rifle.
Mr. BOONE. Right down in this general direction.
Mr. BALL. Draw another arrow. I show you Exhibit 483, a diagram of
the sixth floor. Now, by referring to these numbers, can you show us
approximately where the rifle was found?
Mr. BOONE. Roughly in the area here, designated by the arrow No. 35.
Mr. BALL. The diagram on the sixth floor, as the Commission knows, has
been correlated with certain pictures. I now have Commission Exhibit
517 marked, which has the figure 35 on it, which corresponds to the
position of the camera at the time the picture was taken.
In other words, at about point 35 on this map. And now I show you a
photograph marked 517. Is that about the way the rifle looked when you
first saw it?
Mr. BOONE. Yes; it is. There was some newsman up there right behind
Officer Whitman and myself who took movie film of it, too. I don't know
his name.
Mr. BALL. What time was it?
Mr. BOONE. 1:22 p.m., in the afternoon.
Mr. BALL. 1:22?
Mr. BOONE. Yes.
Mr. BALL. You looked at your watch?
Mr. BOONE. That is correct.
Mr. BALL. And made a note of it?
Mr. BOONE. Yes; I did.
Mr. BALL. I show you a rifle which is Commission Exhibit 139. Can you
tell us whether or not that looks like the rifle you saw on the floor
that day?
Mr. BOONE. It looks like the same rifle. I have no way of being
positive.
Mr. BALL. You never handled it?
Mr. BOONE. I did not touch the weapon at all.
Mr. BALL. I would like to offer all the exhibits we have offered with
this witness, which is 515 to 516 and 517, into evidence.
Senator COOPER. Let the exhibits be admitted in evidence.
(The documents referred to marked Commission Exhibits Nos. 515, 516,
and 517 were received in evidence.)
Mr. BALL. I have no further questions.
The CHAIRMAN. I think you said that the reason you didn't touch it was
because of the danger of fingerprints on there, is that right?
Mr. BOONE. That is correct. The city officers had personnel in charge
up there. Captain Fritz, I believe, was in charge, senior officer on
the floor.
He was called to the location as soon as I found the rifle. He came
over, and it was photographed then.
Senator COOPER. Did you notice whether the rifle that you discovered
had a telescopic sight?
Mr. BOONE. Yes, it did.
Senator COOPER. Did it have a sling?
Mr. BOONE. Yes, it did. Because Captain Fritz picked it up by the sling
when he removed it from its resting place.
Senator COOPER. Looking at Exhibit 483, which represents the floor plan
of the sixth floor, you have marked on there the place where you found
the rifle. Is that near the stairwell?
Mr. BOONE. Yes, sir; this is the stairwell right here in the northeast
corner.
Senator COOPER. Also near the elevators?
Mr. BOONE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Pardon me, Senator Cooper, I think you said northeast.
Mr. BOONE. Northwest--I beg your pardon.
Senator COOPER. Do you remember whether Officer Mooney came up after
you found the rifle?
Mr. BOONE. I don't recall. There were officers, both city and county
officers, and constables officers up in the area on the floor. Now,
whether he was among the crowd there, I do not know.
Senator COOPER. When you climbed over the retaining wall at the
railroad yard, can you describe what the situation in the railroad yard
was at that time? Were there railroad cars in the area?
Mr. BOONE. There were four railroad cars down approximately 100 yards
from the retaining wall, right over the Elm Street tunnel, or portion
of the triple underpass. Then there were some people down to the south
of the triple underpass which had viewed the parade, or were viewing
the parade--I don't know. The city officer went back south, as I
recall, and I went off to the north, northwest.
Senator COOPER. Thank you.
The CHAIRMAN. Sheriff, thank you very much.
Mr. BALL. There is one question. Did you hear anybody refer to this
rifle as a Mauser that day?
Mr. BOONE. Yes, I did. And at first, not knowing what it was, I thought
it was 7.65 Mauser.
Mr. BALL. Who referred to it as a Mauser that day?
Mr. BOONE. I believe Captain Fritz. He had knelt down there to look at
it, and before he removed it, not knowing what it was, he said that is
what it looks like. This is when Lieutenant Day, I believe his name is,
the ID man was getting ready to photograph it.
We were just discussing it back and forth. And he said it looks like a
7.65 Mauser.
Mr. BALL. Thank you.
The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Sheriff. You have been very helpful.
Mr. BALL. Call Officer McDonald.