Mr. HUBERT. About the key and Larry leaving it?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Oh, about 1 o’clock, I guess, I got down again about 1
o’clock.
Mr. HUBERT. That was on Saturday?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. On Saturday.
Mr. HUBERT. All right.
Mr. ARMSTRONG. I always stopped at the garage to see if there was any
mail.
Mr. HUBERT. Is that where the mail was delivered?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. That’s where the mail was delivered and Ben gave me the
key. He said Larry had left it and left a note and just said thank Jack
for everything, and that’s all.
Mr. HUBERT. You mean a written note?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right.
Mr. HUBERT. In other words, Ben, the man at the garage, told you that
Larry had left?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Did he tell you what time he left?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. He said “Early this morning,” that’s all he said.
Mr. HUBERT. He didn’t give you any time?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No.
Mr. HUBERT. And he said that he had left the key and a written note?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right.
Mr. HUBERT. Saying to thank Jack for everything?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. That he was leaving?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Where was the written note?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. With the key--just a little piece of paper--I think it
was an envelope tore up or something like that.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you see it?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. What did you do with it?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Well, I don’t know--I guess I must have throwed it away
because only thing on it was “Thank Jack.” I read it to Jack on the
phone and I guess I must have throwed it in the trash by the phone
there.
Mr. HUBERT. And when you got upstairs, did you call Jack as usual?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. He was at his house?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right.
Mr. HUBERT. That would have been about 1 or a little after?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. About 10 after, I would say.
Mr. HUBERT. How did you find him then, his attitude, and so forth?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. He said when I told him about Larry, he said, “I guess
he wanted to be with his people through all this.”
Mr. HUBERT. He wanted to be through with what?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. He said, “I guess he wanted to be with his people
through this,”--you know--through the assassination. So, we didn’t say
anything else--he didn’t say anything else except he said, “I’ll see
you later.”
Mr. HUBERT. You say you read him the note?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right.
Mr. HUBERT. And he told you to throw it away?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No, he didn’t tell me to throw it away.
Mr. HUBERT. But you did do it?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. I did.
Mr. HUBERT. As far as you know, the note is not in existence right now?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. As far as I know.
Mr. HUBERT. You actually looked at it?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. And you read it in fact to Jack?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Give us your best recollection of precisely what the note
said.
Mr. ARMSTRONG. It just said, “Thanks, Jack, for everything.”
Mr. HUBERT. Did it have a signature on it?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No.
Mr. HUBERT. Was it in his handwriting?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes, it was in his handwriting.
Mr. HUBERT. You recognized his handwriting?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know where Larry’s people were at that time?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No; I didn’t.
Mr. HUBERT. Did Jack know?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No; he didn’t know either.
Mr. HUBERT. You found out later, I think?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Well, there was a letter that he had received,
which--pardon me--someone got it in this letter that I have the letter
in my possession.
Mr. HUBERT. Yes?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. I don’t have it, but the last I saw of the letter was
when I showed it to one of the FBI men at the club.
Mr. HUBERT. It was a letter received by Jack? Or written by Jack?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No; a letter written to Larry.
Mr. HUBERT. To Larry?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. From some girl in some other city.
Mr. HUBERT. All right.
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Did you send me this [presenting witness’ letter of
notice to depose to Counsel Hubert]?
Mr. HUBERT. Yes.
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Well, you remember what city it was sent from?
Mr. HUBERT. Well, isn’t it a fact that you forwarded two letters?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. One that Larry was writing himself.
Mr. HUBERT. Yes; to a girl called Gayle.
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right, and one that he had received from her.
Mr. HUBERT. Was that letter opened?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. It was opened.
Mr. HUBERT. But it was still in the envelope?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. And you just gave that to the FBI people?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Where did you find it?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. In Larry’s belongings there in his room on a little
table there.
Mr. HUBERT. Did he leave any belongings behind?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. He left some shirts, he left a pair of khakies, I think,
or bluejeans--a pair of jeans.
Mr. HUBERT. Did he have any bags up in that room?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. He had one little bag, a sort of a little square bag
with a little handle or two little handles like that [indicating].
Mr. HUBERT. By the measurements you are making, it is a bag about 12 to
15 inches in length?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right.
Mr. HUBERT. And about 6 or 8 inches in height?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. About big enough to get a change of clothes in.
Mr. HUBERT. He didn’t have another bag, did he?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No.
Mr. HUBERT. Was this bag you are talking about made of leather or cloth?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. It was made of leather.
Mr. HUBERT. And all he left behind was just this one change of clothing
and two letters?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Well, you see, Jack had bought him a change of clothes,
you see. Jack bought him a suit. I think he left what he had--his
change of clothing, and carried the suit with him.
Mr. HUBERT. Where did you find these two letters, one written to him
and one written by him?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. In the room where he slept on a table there.
Mr. HUBERT. They wasn’t in the wastepaper basket?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No; not that I recall.
Mr. HUBERT. When did you pick those things up?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. When the FBI’s were there.
Mr. HUBERT. Not before?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Not before.
Mr. HUBERT. So, you didn’t pick them up on Saturday at all?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No--I didn’t even go in that room on Saturday. As a
matter of fact, I didn’t even know he had anything there--they were
looking for something with his handwriting on it, for something
possibly where he had gone and we started searching where he was
staying and we found those letters.
Mr. HUBERT. And that was on the first day you spoke to the FBI?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No; this was not on the first day. We opened back up on
a Monday, I think we spoke to the FBI--one FBI that Monday, but later
on, you know, there was some other ones--possibly the last part of the
week.
Mr. HUBERT. And it was then that they were talking to you at the club?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. And they asked about Larry?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. And you all went and searched his room where he had been
and they found the letters?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right.
Mr. HUBERT. You are sure that that’s right, Mr. Armstrong?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Well, I looked in the room myself. They was in the
office, which has a door from his room to the office.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you look in his room either on Saturday or Sunday, the
23d or 24th?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No.
Mr. HUBERT. And when you looked in his room, it was when the FBI was
interviewing you?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. At the club?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes; I didn’t even know Larry had left any belongings
there until the FBI was asking me about it.
Mr. HUBERT. And you went into the room alone?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes, the door was open.
Mr. HUBERT. And then you came out and you showed them these things?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know what date that was on?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No, I sure don’t.
Mr. HUBERT. All right, as I understand it, a little after 1 on Saturday
the 23d, you spoke to Ruby over the phone and told him about Larry?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, did any other conversation take place between you on
that telephone call?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. None?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No.
Mr. HUBERT. Did he tell you what to do with reference to the club on
Saturday night?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No.
Mr. HUBERT. Did he say that he would be there soon or something of that
sort?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. He said he would be there sometime “this afternoon.”
Mr. HUBERT. Did you stay there until he came?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes, I was there when he came.
Mr. HUBERT. What time did he come?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. I don’t recall the exact time--I don’t think that Jack
came in the club that day before--it was late in the afternoon--I don’t
know the exact time, but it was somewhere around 6 or 7 o’clock.
Mr. HUBERT. Was it still daylight or dark?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. It was still daylight.
Mr. HUBERT. Were there any phone calls during the time you talked to
Ruby on the phone until he came in?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Well, there was phone calls--something about was we
going to be open--a few reservations came in, and I told them I didn’t
know whether we would be open tonight or not and to call back later,
and there was a couple of girls called.
Mr. HUBERT. What did you tell them?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. The girls was told, “I’ll talk to you later.”
Mr. HUBERT. So, Jack came in at approximately 6 o’clock, or at least
before dark--but it was getting dark, right?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Describe his condition at that time?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Well, he was still in a sad mood, you know, in a
sorrowful mood, you know.
Mr. HUBERT. Was he crying?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No, he wasn’t crying this time.
Mr. HUBERT. You were in a sorrowful mood, too, I take it?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Would you say that his mood and yours were about the same?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No--my sorrowful mood was sort of on the inside mostly,
and his was in his face and in the way he was worried about the things.
He seemed like--to be more worried than ever.
Mr. HUBERT. Then, how--that is to say--what was he doing that gave you
the impression that he was more worried than ever? You have told us he
had a sad look on his face?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Well, he was--he just felt like--it seemed like he was
just disturbed over what had happened, you know, over the assassination.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, of course, you are telling us about the mental
impression you formed, which is perfectly all right, but it would be
helpful to us if you could give us facts upon which you base your
opinion, you see? Now, you have given us one fact--he had a sad look on
his face. If you could tell us the things that he said or did.
Mr. ARMSTRONG. I don’t recall anything that he said that day, no more
than--he said the club was going to be closed and immediately I got on
the phone and started to making phone calls.
Mr. HUBERT. To all the people who were concerned?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right, to all the people.
Mr. HUBERT. And the object was to tell them not to come in that night?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes--I know now--and it was around 6 o’clock, because
one of the girls was getting ready to come down to town, one of
the waitresses. They had to be there at 7:30, so it was around
6:30--between 6 and 6:30 when I was making the phone calls.
Mr. HUBERT. I think you said you tried to call Karen Bennett Carlin
then, but you couldn’t reach her?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Couldn’t reach her, and I believe Jack said, “I will
call her later.”
Mr. HUBERT. You mean he undertook to call her?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. He told me to keep trying and he would try to call her,
too, and he left and went home.
Mr. HUBERT. What time did he leave?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. He left about 7 o’clock, between 7 and 7:30.
Mr. HUBERT. So, he was there roughly between an hour and an hour and a
half?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right.
Mr. HUBERT. You were making all these phone calls?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes, and he asked me to stay there until about 8
o’clock, just in case any customers called and if they did, to tell
them we would be closed until Monday, and he called me back and he
said, “What time are you leaving?” I said, “Well, 8 o’clock, I want to
go home.” He said, “Well, will you stay on to 10?” I said, “What should
I stay here until 10 o’clock for?”
Mr. HUBERT. Where was he calling from, do you know?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. He was calling from home, I’m pretty sure it was from
home.
Mr. HUBERT. What gives you that impression?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Well, because he had said, “If anything come up, call
me.”
Mr. HUBERT. To call him at home?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. He just said, “Call me,” so--he always just said, “Call
me” when he was at home and if he was not at home, he would always give
me a number.
Mr. HUBERT. In other words, when he said, “If anything happens, call
me,” you knew that that meant he was at home, because that was the
custom?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right, and so we got into a discussion of whether I
should stay there until 10 o’clock or should I leave at 8 o’clock, and
I said, “Well, I’m leaving at 8 o’clock,” and he said, “Well, just get
on out of the club and don’t come back no more.” And slammed the phone
down.
Mr. HUBERT. That was about a half hour after he left, wasn’t it?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right, but I stayed there until 8 o’clock, like I said I
was going to stay, and I closed the club up and went home.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you hear from him any more that day?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, on Sunday, did you go to the club?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Well, I had planned on going to the club--I was planning
on looking for another job Monday morning, because I said--“This is
it.” I had already made up my mind then I wasn’t going back to work
there, no matter what happened.
Mr. HUBERT. Why?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Well, I just got fed up.
Mr. HUBERT. But this had happened, I think you said, 35 times or so?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Something like that.
Mr. HUBERT. What you mean to say is that the last time is the straw
that broke the camel’s back sort of thing?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. But you had definitely made up your mind that this time you
weren’t going back?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right.
Mr. HUBERT. And that this time you were going to start looking for a
job on Monday morning?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you go to the club on Sunday?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes, after I heard about it--well, I was listening to
the radio that morning--I was not looking at television.
Mr. HUBERT. You were home then?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Right; it was Sunday morning?
Mr. HUBERT. That’s right.
Mr. ARMSTRONG. When I heard about the shooting of Oswald and they said
it was a well-known nightclub owner, and so I got a phone call--no,
then, it come on the radio that it was Jack Ruby and I got a phone call
is when I found out it was on television.
Mr. HUBERT. Who called you?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. A friend of mine--William Morris. He used to help me
down at the club some Saturday nights when we had a big convention
in--he would come down and help me out at the bar.
Mr. HUBERT. And then what--he called you and told you it was Ruby?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. No; I knowed it was Ruby--they said that on the radio.
Mr. HUBERT. Then, Morris called you and told you it was on television?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. He said, “Did you see it on television?” And I said,
“No; I didn’t see it on television.” He said, “Well, turn the
television on.” And so I turned the television on and they rerun the
shooting, and what I saw on the TV was a rerun.
Mr. HUBERT. I understand.
Mr. ARMSTRONG. And so--about--sometime during that day, I forget what
time it was, I called Ralph Paul.
Mr. HUBERT. What time was it actually, and where was it from?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. From home.
Mr. HUBERT. That’s a long-distance call, wasn’t it?
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. So, there would be a record of that?