Mr. BALL. Where was it in November 1963?
Miss BURNS. At Elm and Houston.
Mr. BALL. What part of the building?
Miss BURNS. On the third floor, room 301.
Mr. BALL. Are there any windows in those offices?
Miss BURNS. Yes; they have some windows; they face the west, I guess
you would say. They don't overlook the route of the President's----
Mr. BALL. Do they or do they not overlook Elm Street?
Miss BURNS. They do not overlook Elm Street.
Mr. BALL. They overlook the railroad yards, do they?
Miss BURNS. That is right.
Mr. BALL. On November 22d, what were you doing that day?
Miss BURNS. I was listening to the radio as I worked.
Mr. BALL. About noon, did you go to lunch?
Miss BURNS. Well, I had lunch at the office and then I didn't intend
to go see the President, didn't have any desire to but I left about--I
don't remember the exact time but, anyway, when I left they said on the
radio that he--that the motorcade was coming up, I believe it was Cedar
Springs; anyway, he hadn't been away from the airport long and that
he was going about 5 miles an hour so everybody could see him. Well,
thinking he was going that slowly, I thought I had plenty of time, so I
walked up to Sanger's.
Mr. BALL. To where?
Miss BURNS. Sanger's.
Mr. BALL. Where is that?
Miss BURNS. It's about four blocks up Elm Street.
Mr. BALL. Which way on Elm--east?
Miss BURNS. East; you see, we are down at the extreme west end of the
street; nothing else down there.
Mr. BALL. Then what happened?
Miss BURNS. I bought some Kleenex and came back, and everybody was out
on the steps to look, but I didn't stop. I went on back to the office.
Mr. BALL. That is the third floor?
Miss BURNS. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Was anybody in the office?
Miss BURNS. Yes; Mrs. Case hadn't ever gone out. She was there. I
believe she was the only one.
Mr. BALL. What did you do?
Miss BURNS. I listened to the radio, and by that time they said that
he was on Main and turning at Houston or Main by the courthouse, so
since he was that close, I thought, well, I guess I will go look out
the window. I didn't care enough to go downstairs, but I thought I will
go look out the window. So I thought I would have plenty of time, if
he was just coming around Main Street, that I could still get around
there, so I went around to American Book Co., which is the office
closest to us that had a window looking out on Elm. There was nobody in
there, so then I started down the hall to Allyn and Bacon. As I went
down this hall towards the windows that looked out on Houston Street,
I heard a shot, but I didn't think much about it. I didn't, of course,
know it was a shot because when you hear tires backfire and all, they
all sound alike to me, so I didn't think a thing about that.
I went around to Allyn and Bacon, and Mr. Wilson, the manager, was at
the window looking out. He was the only one in there, so I asked him
if I could look out the window with him. About that time he said "Oh,
my God, there's been a shooting." I still didn't think anybody, of
course, had been killed, just thought somebody had shot in the air or
something, so I said "Has the President already passed? And he said
"Yes," so I looked out and that big bus that had the press in it, had
the word "Press" or whatever it was on the bus, was passing, so I said
"Well, I guess I have missed the President then," and I started on back
out of the office and I just said as I left, "Well, I hope nobody got
hurt."
Mr. BALL. You heard how many shots?
Miss BURNS. One.
Mr. BALL. Just one?
Miss BURNS. It must have been the last one because I didn't hear any
more.
Mr. BALL. Did you have any idea where it was coming from?
Miss BURNS. Well, it just sounded as though it was back of me. You see,
I was going towards Houston Street. I was facing east and it sounded to
me as if it came toward my back.
Mr. BALL. You were in the building?
Miss BURNS. Yes; I was in the building.
Mr. BALL. Walking down the hall?
Miss BURNS. Walking down the hall going towards Allyn and Bacon.
Mr. BALL. Now, what happened after that?
Miss BURNS. I came on back and listened to the radio some more and in a
few minutes, why, they told it.
Mr. BALL. Did you ever know Lee Harvey Oswald?
Miss BURNS. I rode on the elevator with him one time.
Mr. BALL. That's all?
Miss BURNS. But I didn't know who he was--about a week before.
Mr. BALL. You never talked to him?
Miss BURNS. I never talked to him.
Mr. BALL. Who were you with at the time this happened?
Miss BURNS. The Macmillan Co.
Mr. BALL. Who was in the office with you?
Miss BURNS. Mrs. Case, but I couldn't see her.
Mr. BALL. She was in the same office?
Miss BURNS. I have a private office. She was around the corner where
her office is.
Mr. BALL. Mrs. Case?
Miss BURNS. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Did you hear anybody running down the stairs at any time?