Mr. DEAN. I told Lieutenant Pierce that Ruby had told me he had came in
through the Main Street ramp, at which Officer Vaughn was posted.
Mr. GRIFFIN. And then what did you and Pierce do?
Mr. DEAN. He notified the captain of this.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Talbert?
Mr. DEAN. Yes, sir.
Mr. GRIFFIN. And did Talbert come in? Were you present when Pierce
notified Talbert?
Mr. DEAN. I was present when--I do know that they called Vaughn in, but
I think that he had already gone home that day, and that he was off the
next day, and I think they called him to tell him to come, to report to
the office this next morning, to investigate whether he did let Ruby in
or how he got in, or why he said he came in through his post.
Mr. GRIFFIN. You didn't talk with Vaughn the rest of the day?
Mr. DEAN. No, sir.
Mr. GRIFFIN. And to your knowledge Pierce didn't talk with him the rest
of that day?
Mr. DEAN. No, sir.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Or Talbert?
Mr. DEAN. No, sir.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Now, what else was done that day, as you recall, as a
result of your telling Pierce about the conversation with Ruby?
Mr. DEAN. I am sure that--I don't know. I am thinking that Captain
Talbert called Chief Fisher, notified him of it.
Mr. GRIFFIN. What's your best estimate of what time of the day that
would have been, that you talked with Pierce?
Mr. DEAN. It was that afternoon, I believe, after I had gotten back
from the hospital. I didn't remember it a while ago, but I think when
I did get back from the hospital, that's when I told Lieutenant Pierce
about it, somewhere around 2:30 or 3.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Is there any kind of record that you would have
maintained, or the police department would have maintained, that would
give us some better way of fixing that time?
Mr. DEAN. No, sir; not that I know of.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Dispatchers? Did you call the dispatcher to tell them you
were coming back?
Mr. DEAN. No, sir; now, it was about 2 when I was talking--or had taken
Mrs. Oswald in to view Lee, and I left then, somewhere around 2. So
I got back to the station, maybe around 2:25 or 2:30, so when I told
Lieutenant Pierce about it, it should have been somewhere around, maybe
3, or the first time I saw him.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Now, did you, after coming back and talking with Pierce,
make any further efforts or make any effort to talk with people who
you had assigned in the basement, or who you knew were working in the
basement, concerning the security of the basement?
Mr. DEAN. Yes, sir; I did ask Nelson could he say for sure that this
man didn't come through his post, and he said he could say for sure
that he didn't come through the police and court building, Nelson's
post.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Now, when did you talk with Nelson?
Mr. DEAN. This was, I am sure, when I got back--probably when I got
back from the hospital. I don't recall. It might have been before I
went. This was my main thought, as to how the man got into the basement.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Did you call Vaughn at that time?
Mr. DEAN. No, sir; I asked him, just as I asked the others, had this
man come through, because I knew the focal point was going to be on
Vaughn, and I knew the investigation was going to be on Vaughn.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Now, did you talk with Vaughn that afternoon?
Mr. DEAN. It seems that Lieutenant Pierce and I talked to him, and I
think Captain Talbert was there. It was up on the second floor. It
seems that we did talk to him that day, asked him did he have any
knowledge of how he got into the basement. Captain Talbert was doing
most of the questioning. I told Lieutenant Pierce and Captain Talbert
what Ruby had told me, and from this he was questioning Vaughn.
Now, I think this was in the afternoon and Vaughn was scheduled to be
off the next day, and Captain Talbert told him he better come on into
work the next day, for the purpose, I assumed, of more investigation.
Mr. GRIFFIN. How about Nelson, when was Nelson talked to?
Mr. DEAN. Well now. I talked to Nelson myself. I don't know. I am sure
that somebody else did too, but I don't know.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Was that before or after you talked with Vaughn?
Mr. DEAN. I don't remember.
Mr. GRIFFIN. And where did that conversation with Nelson take place?
Mr. DEAN. He was still on his post when I talked to him. Of course,
this--whether it was before I went to the hospital or--I am sure that
it probably was before I went to the hospital, that I asked Nelson
could he say for certain that this man hadn't come by him, and he
said yes. And then I asked Patterson, all of them; Patterson, Nelson,
Vaughn, stated the man did not come by their post, but I--the focal
would be on Vaughn, since I had been told that that's where Ruby came
in, by Ruby himself.