Chief Justice WARREN. Right now, Mr. Ruby, before we get started taking
your testimony, would you mind being sworn?
(Chief Justice Warren and Jack Ruby stand and both raise their right
hand.)
Chief Justice WARREN. Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are
about to give before the Commission will be the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mr. RUBY. I do.
Chief Justice WARREN. Now will you please state whether the things you
have just told us are true under your oath?
Mr. RUBY. I do so state they are the truth.
Chief Justice WARREN. Now you complete whatever story you want to tell.
Mr. RUBY. All right. Thursday night I was having dinner at the Egyptian
Restaurant on Mockingbird Lane, and a fellow comes over to the table. I
was sitting with a guy by the name of Ralph Paul. He tried to invite me
to the club a couple of doors down and I refused, because he had taken
a band away from me that had been engaged for 7 years, and I felt it
was a lost cause, that the club would be failing because of that, and I
sort of excused myself and I refused to go over to the club.
We finished our dinner, and I went down to the club that I operated,
the Carousel, and this particular master of ceremonies happened to be
there at the time, and we discussed a few things.
And there is a columnist by the name of Tony Zoppi--and prior to that,
I wrote out a full page copy of this build--I have the copies--as an
emcee, and I brought a picture and brochure, and Tony said, "I will
write a story."
This was done 2 days prior to this Thursday night.
So then I went down, so we discussed it and were very much disgusted
with Tony because he only gave us a build of one or two lines.
Well, I retired that night after closing the club. Then I knew I wanted
to go back to the Morning News Building to get the brochure I left,
and also this complete page of longhand writing describing the various
talents of this Bill DeMar.
I picked up the brochure that Friday morning, and I also had business
at the News Building on Friday because that is the start of the
weekend, which is very lucrative, the weekend.
I have ways of making my ads of where they have a way of selling the
product I am producing or putting on on the show.
So I went down there Friday morning to Tony Zoppi's office, and they
said he went to New Orleans for a couple of days.
I picked up the brochure. I believe I got downtown there at 10:30 or 11
o'clock that morning. And I took the brochure and then went into the
main room where we compose our ads. That is the sales room where we
placed our ads.
And I remained there for a while. I started to write the copy of my ad.
Now I go back to the same fellow that wanted me to come over to the
club when we were having our dinner on Mockingbird at the Egyptian
Lounge.
I came to the desk and I wanted to apologize and explain why I didn't
accept his invitation last night. I wanted to explain, and that took
about 20 or 25 minutes. All this is pertaining to everything prior to
the terrible tragedy that happened.
I started to explain to him why I didn't want to go there, because this
fellow mentioned--Tony, I think--I can't think of his last name--of me
having his band so many years, and I felt at the moment I didn't want
to go over to the club because I didn't care to meet this fellow.
And he started to apologize, "Jack, I am sorry, I did work for the
fellow and we have been advertising him for that club, and I am
putting out a night club book."
I remained with him for 20 or 25 minutes talking there. I don't know
whether my ad was completed or not. It was an ad on the Vegas and the
Carousel.
My ads were completed, I believe, and after finishing my conversation
with him, he left.
Suddenly the man that completes my ads for me, that helps me with it on
occasion--but I usually make it up myself--but the person that takes
the money for the ads--this is the reason it is so hard for me to meet
a deadline when I get downtown to the News Building. And as a rule, I
have to pay cash for my ads.
When you are in debt, it is necessary, and they will not put it in
unless you pay cash.
And consequently, the weekend, I had been to town on that particular
day. All this adds up later on, as I will state why I didn't go to the
parade.
In the first place, I don't want to go where there is big crowds. I
can't explain it to you. If I was interested, I would have seen it on
television, our beloved President and all the parade that transpired.
But all that adds up why it is important for me to be in the News
Building.
I owe the Government quite a bit of money, and it is doing business out
of your pocket, supposedly, in the slang expression.
Well, John Newnam comes in, and evidently he took it for granted I
finished my ad, and I don't recall if he paid for his ad, and suddenly
there is some milling around. I think it was 12, or 15 minutes after
12, I don't recall what, but John Newnam said someone had been shot.
And I am sorry, I got carried away. It is the first time I got carried
away, because I had been under pressure.
And someone else came running over and he said a Secret Service man was
shot, or something to that effect.
And I am here in the middle with John Newnam, because Newnam isn't
paying any attention to anyone else, and there is a lot of going back
and forth.
So someone must have made a statement that Governor Connally was shot.
I don't recall what was said. And I was in a state of hysteria, I mean.
You say, "Oh my God, it can't happen." You carry on crazy sayings.
There was a little television set in one office not far away from
where I had been sitting at the desk. I ran over there and noticed a
little boy and a little sister say, "I was standing right there when it
happened." I mean, different things you hear on the television.
Then the phone started ringing off the desk and I heard John Newnam say
people were complaining about the ad, why they accepted this ad.
(A tray of water and glasses was brought in.)
Thank you.
Has every witness been this hesitant in trying to explain their story?
Chief Justice WARREN. You are doing very well. I can understand why you
have to reflect upon a story of that length.
Mr. RUBY. The phones were ringing off the desk calling various ads, and
they were having a turmoil in that News Building because of a person by
the name of Bernard Weissman placing that particular ad, a full page
ad. I am sure you are familiar with the ad.
Chief Justice WARREN. Yes; I am.
Mr. RUBY. Criticizing a lot of things about our beloved President. Then
John Newnam and I and another gentleman walked over to another part of
the room, and I heard John Newnam say, "I told him not to take that
ad." Something to that effect.
Then he said, "Well, you have seen him pay part cash and come back and
pay the balance."
Now everything is very vague to me as to when this transpired; after
they heard the President had been shot, or prior to that.
You know it's been a long time, and I am under a very bad mental strain
here.
Chief Justice WARREN. Yes.
Mr. RUBY. From the time that we were told that the President was shot,
35 minutes later they said he had passed away. In the meantime, I
became very emotional. I called my sister at home. She was carried
away terribly bad. And John Newnam happened to be there, and I know it
is a funny reaction you have, you want other people to feel that you
feel emotionally disturbed the same way as other people, so I let John
listen to the phone that my sister was crying hysterically.
And I said to John, I said, "John, I will have to leave Dallas." I
don't know why I said that, but it is a funny reaction that you feel;
the city is terribly let down by the tragedy that happened. And I said,
"John, I am not opening up tonight."
And I don't know what else transpired there. I know people were just
heartbroken.
I left the room. I may have left out a few things. Mr. Moore remembers
probably more, but you come back and question me and maybe I can answer
those questions.
I left the building and I went down and I got my car, and I couldn't
stop crying, because naturally when I pulled up to a stoplight and
other people would be adjacent to me, I wouldn't want them to see me
crying, because it looked kind of artificial.
And I went to the club and I came up, and I may have made a couple of
calls from there. I could have called my colored boy, Andy, down at the
club. I could have--I don't know who else I would have called, but I
could have, because it is so long now since my mind is very much warped
now.
You think that literally?
I went up to the club, and I told Andy, I said, "Call everyone and tell
them we are not opening."
We have a little girl in Fort Worth I wanted to make sure he called her.
And a fellow by the name of Bell called and wanted to know if we were
open.