Mr. GRIFFIN. Were there other cars in the basement area?
Chief BATCHELOR. Yes, there were others. I don't recall just exactly.
It wasn't full. It was a Sunday, and Chief Stevenson's car was parked
over here somewhere, and Chief Lunday's, Lumpkin's car was parked here.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Was there general traffic of police cars in and out of the
garage?
Chief BATCHELOR. There would have been. However, on Sunday morning,
that time of day there is very little traffic in and out of there. It
is one of the quietest times. There were two or three other cars parked
in here.
Mr. GRIFFIN. When you went down to the basement at that time, were
there news people in the basement?
Chief BATCHELOR. Yes, sir. When we went down in there the next time,
there was some cameras setting up here that had just been rolled in.
They weren't operative.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Let's focus on this trip that you took downstairs with,
was it Stevenson?
Chief BATCHELOR. Yes.
Mr. GRIFFIN. At 9:15 or 9:30. What is your best estimate of the number
of news people that were down there?
Chief BATCHELOR. I don't know. I can tell you a better estimate when we
finally went down there.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Was it crowded or sparsely crowded?
Chief BATCHELOR. It wasn't crowded; no. There wasn't any big
congregation. There may be two or three people from--some television
people standing around there, trying to get set up, and they had some
cables and stuff in there, and the best I remember, we told them they
were going to have to move those cables out of there. And we instructed
Lieutenant Wiggins to move these two vehicles out.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Those were the two that are on the Main Street side of the
entrance into the garage area?
Chief BATCHELOR. Yes, north side. And that we were going to have this
for the news media to stand behind the rail.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Right where the two cars were that you wanted to be moved?
Chief BATCHELOR. Yes; and we instructed the television people that they
would have to put their cameras on this side of the driveway.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Did you talk to any newspeople yourself?
Chief BATCHELOR. I didn't myself. I was present there. I don't remember
exactly who directed, whether it was Chief Curry or Stevenson or
myself, but I mean it was three of us standing there, and we all agreed
that this needed to be done, and one of us told them.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Now this first trip down to the basement, what did you do
besides direct that the two cars on either side of the garage entrance
be moved, and that the camera be moved back there?
Chief BATCHELOR. We went over in here, and there were some detectives
around in here.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Now can you indicate in words what you are referring to on
the map?
Chief BATCHELOR. They were along in here. There was a man over here by
this elevator.