Mr. BALL. Did you ever mention this to any of the people around there
about Oswald?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir; I mentioned it to Mr. Shelley.
Mr. BALL. What did you tell him?
Miss HINE. One day I said to Mr. Shelley, "Who is that queer duck you
have working down here" and I said that just as a matter of slang
because I've known Mr. Shelley for a long time and I was just talking
to him, you see, and usually, all the boys that work down there speak
to me because I have to go down there to pick up the little "comp" or
gift slips on my desk. Every time I went by him I would speak to him,
say "Good morning" and he would never catch or meet my gaze so I just
made that remark to Mr. Shelley because I had spoken to him so many
times and he never answered.
Mr. BALL. What did Shelley say?
Miss HINE. He said that was just his way.
Mr. BALL. On the 22d of November 1963, did you know that there was to
be a motorcade or parade come by your building?
Miss HINE. Oh, yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. How did you find that out?
Miss HINE. Sir, I don't remember. I probably heard over the news but I
cannot remember.
Mr. BALL. You were just aware of the fact?
Miss HINE. Yes; I knew it and the girls were discussing it in the
office that morning. Many of them, probably six, had not seen the
President close. You see, I had seen him on two different occasions
and I had been very close to him and so they were lamenting that they
couldn't go out so I spoke up and said "I will be glad to answer the
telephone so you girls may go out and see the motorcade" and I had
previously answered the telephone when we were in the other building
before we moved in this building, so they were delighted and I thought
nothing about it.
Mr. BALL. Did they all go out?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir; everyone went out.
Mr. BALL. Was there anyone left in the office part of the building on
that second floor office?
Miss HINE. Only Mr. Williams and myself and he stayed with me because
he was working on his desk until he thought that the motorcade was
about there.
Mr. BALL. Then he went out?
Miss HINE. When he thought it was about there he said "I think I will
go out for 5 minutes."
Mr. BALL. What is his name?
Miss HINE. Otis N. Williams.
Mr. BALL. He works in the office, too?
Miss HINE. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Did you have to change your desk over to another desk?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir; to the middle desk on the front row.
Mr. BALL. Was there a switchboard?
Miss HINE. No, sir; we have a telephone with three incoming lines, then
we have the warehouse line and we have an intercom system.
Mr. BALL. You don't have a switchboard?
Miss HINE. Not now; we did in the other building.
Mr. BALL. Were you alone then at this time?
Miss HINE. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Did you stay at your desk?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir; I was alone until the lights all went out and the
phones became dead because the motorcade was coming near us and no one
was calling so I got up and thought I could see it from the east window
in our office.
Mr. BALL. Did you go to the window?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Did you look out?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. What did you see?
Miss HINE. I saw the escort car come first up the middle of Houston
Street.
Mr. BALL. Going north on Houston Street?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir; going north on Houston Street. I saw it turn left
and I saw the President's car coming and I saw the President and saw
him waving his hand in greeting up in the air and I saw his wife and I
saw him turn the corner and after he turned the corner I looked and I
saw the next car coming just at the instant I saw the next car coming
up was when I heard the shots.
Mr. BALL. How many did you hear?
Miss HINE. Three.
Mr. BALL. Could you tell where the shots were coming from?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir; they came from inside the building.
Mr. BALL. How do you know that?
Miss HINE. Because the building vibrated from the result of the
explosion coming in.
Mr. BALL. It appeared to you that the shots came from the building?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Did you know they were shots at the time?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir; they sounded almost like cannon shots they were so
terrific.
Mr. BALL. That is when you were at the window, is that right?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir; that is when I was at the window, because the
next car, you see, was coming up and turning and I looked. Of course
I looked when I heard the shots. I just stood there and saw people
running to the east up Elm Street. I saw people running; I saw people
falling down, you know, lying down on the sidewalk.
Mr. BALL. That was on Houston Street?
Miss HINE. No, sir; Elm.
Mr. BALL. You could see--could you see any part of Elm?
Miss HINE. East, yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. You could see east on Elm?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir; I could see east on Elm. I saw them run across
east on Elm away from where his car had gone and my first thought was
if I could only see what happened, so I went out our front door into
the foyer.
Mr. BALL. You mean the front door to the office?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir.