The testimony of Mrs. Viola Peterman was taken on April 7, 1964, at
the Old Civil Courts Building, Royal and Conti Streets, New Orleans,
La., by Mr. Albert E. Jenner, Jr., assistant counsel of the President's
Commission.
Mrs. Viola Peterman, 1012 Bartholomew Street, New Orleans, La., after
first being duly sworn, testified as follows:
Mr. JENNER. This is Mrs. Mildred Peterman, is that right?
Mrs. PETERMAN. No; that's Milfred.
Mr. JENNER. Milfred?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes; that's M-i-l-f-r-e-d. That's my husband's name.
Mr. JENNER. It's Mrs. Milfred Peterman?
Mrs. PETERMAN. That's correct.
Mr. JENNER. What is your given name, Mrs. Peterman?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Viola.
Mr. JENNER. Is that V-i-o-l-a?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. You received a letter recently from Mr. Rankin; is that
correct?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. The general counsel of the Warren Commission?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. There was enclosed with the letter three documents, weren't
there?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. One was the Senate joint resolution authorizing
the creation of the Presidential Commission to investigate the
assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy; another was the
Executive order of President Johnson appointing that Commission and
fixing its powers and its duties, and the other was a copy of the rules
and regulations under which we take depositions, such as this one, and
have testimony before the Commission; is that right?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Do you understand from those documents, Mrs. Peterman, that
the Commission is directed by the President to investigate the facts
and circumstances surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. In that connection, we of the Commission's legal staff,
in addition to presenting evidence before the Commission itself, are
deposing various people around the country whose lives came into
contact with Lee Harvey Oswald and with other individuals involved, or
possibly involved, in the assassination, and we understand that you
have some information that might be helpful to us; is that right, Mrs.
Peterman?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Well, I can only tell you what I know.
Mr. JENNER. That's all we ask, Mrs. Peterman. First, let me ask, are
you a native of this part of the country?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes; New Orleans, La.
Mr. JENNER. You were born here?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. And was your husband likewise born here?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. And what is his business or occupation?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Well, he's retired now. He was taking care of the
building and things over at LSU, but he retired last year.
Mr. JENNER. He retired last year?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes; since March last year.
Mr. JENNER. Now, I understand you were acquainted with Marguerite
Oswald, mother of Lee Oswald; is that right?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes; she lived right next door to me, at 1010
Bartholomew. I live at 1012 Bartholomew, but, gee, that was 23 years
ago that they lived there.
Mr. JENNER. She lived at 1010 Bartholomew, right next door to you?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. How long have you lived at 1012 Bartholomew, Mrs. Peterman?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Well, let's see--I moved there in 1941; that's been 23
years ago that I moved there.
Mr. JENNER. Was she already living there when you moved there?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes; she was there, I would say, well, it couldn't have
been more than a month before we moved there, because both of the
houses was sold at the same time, but we bought ours after she did,
because she was in there first.
Mr. JENNER. Were these relatively new houses?
Mrs. PETERMAN. No; they were old places.
Mr. JENNER. They had been lived in before?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Oh, yes.
Mr. JENNER. When you say you lived next door to each other, was that
across the street from each other, or right next door, on the same side
of the street?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Right next door. There were three single homes on two
lots, you see.
Mr. JENNER. Three single-family dwellings on two lots?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes; on two city lots.
Mr. JENNER. Are they identical houses?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Well, they were when we bought them, but everybody fixed
theirs up different, you see.
Mr. JENNER. Describe those houses for me.
Mrs. PETERMAN. What do you mean?
Mr. JENNER. Were they four-room, five-room, or six-room dwellings, and
so forth--give me just a general idea of how they were composed, and
how large.
Mrs. PETERMAN. Well, they had four rooms and a bath is all; just
straight houses.
Mr. JENNER. Four rooms and a bath?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Of what construction; wood?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Wood; yes.
Mr. JENNER. Did you have any children, Mrs. Peterman?
Mrs. PETERMAN. I had four children.
Mr. JENNER. What were their ages around that time?
Mrs. PETERMAN. When she moved there and we moved there; right around
that time, you mean?
Mr. JENNER. Yes.
Mrs. PETERMAN. Well, let's see; my oldest girl was 21; my boy was 12;
my next girl was 10; and the other one was 8.
Mr. JENNER. Your eldest child was a boy or girl?
Mrs. PETERMAN. A girl.
Mr. JENNER. And her present name?
Mrs. PETERMAN. She's a Herrmann now. She married Felix Herrmann.
Mr. JENNER. How do you spell that--Herrmann?
Mrs. PETERMAN. I think it's H-e-r-r-m-a-n-n.
Mr. JENNER. What's her first name?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Marian is her first name.
Mr. JENNER. Does she still live in New Orleans?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Well, she lives down in Chalmette.
Mr. JENNER. Is that near here?
Mrs. PETERMAN. That's down in St. Bernard; below, in St. Bernard.
Mr. JENNER. Is that a city?
Mrs. PETERMAN. What, Chalmette?
Mr. JENNER. Yes.
Mrs. PETERMAN. I wouldn't call it a city; it's a different part of St.
Bernard.
Mr. JENNER. But it's in the vicinity of New Orleans?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. She's now what; 45?
Mrs. PETERMAN. No; she's going to be 46, I think; I am pretty sure she
will be 46.
Mr. JENNER. Was she living at home at that time?
Mrs. PETERMAN. You mean when Marguerite was living next door to us?
Mr. JENNER. Yes.
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes; she was.
Mr. JENNER. Your next was then 12 years old; is that right?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Was that a boy or girl?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Boy.
Mr. JENNER. His name?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Emile.
Mr. JENNER. Where does he live now?
Mrs. PETERMAN. He lives, I think it's 13 St. Claude Court.
Mr. JENNER. St. Claude Court?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes; that's right.
Mr. JENNER. Is that in New Orleans?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Then your next was a 10-year-old; right?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. What was her name?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Myra; another girl.
Mr. JENNER. Myra?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Myra is now married; is that right?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. What's her married name?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Davis.
Mr. JENNER. What's the name of her husband?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Eddie.
Mr. JENNER. Edward?
Mrs. PETERMAN. No, Eddie; E-d-d-i-e is how they spell it.
Mr. JENNER. Does he work here?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes; at Public Service.
Mr. JENNER. Where do they live?
Mrs. PETERMAN. They live on Cedar Avenue--713 Cedar Avenue, in Metairie.
Mr. JENNER. Metairie?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Is that part of New Orleans?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes; that's in Jeff Parish, but it's part of New
Orleans. It runs into it, I mean.
Mr. JENNER. All right; and then your youngest?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Let me explain about her.
Mr. JENNER. Go right ahead.
Mrs. PETERMAN. She wasn't really my own. She was my husband's sister's
child. I didn't adopt her, but I raised her. The father and mother both
died, and I raised her from 5 years old. She went by her own name.
Mr. JENNER. What was that?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Her name was--when she was single, Welbrock, but she
married, and now it's Kushler.
Mr. JENNER. And that's the one that you said was 8 years old at the
time?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes; at that time, yes.
Mr. JENNER. What was her first name?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Cecelia.
Mr. JENNER. And she's married, and her name is now Kushler?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. And they reside where?
Mrs. PETERMAN. 3207 Rabbit Street, Gentilly.
Mr. JENNER. Rabbit Street in Gentilly?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Is that a part of New Orleans?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes; it's the part out by the lake.
Mr. JENNER. Which lake?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Lake Pontchartrain.
Mr. JENNER. All right; now, Emile; how old is he now?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Emile?
Mr. JENNER. Yes.
Mrs. PETERMAN. He will be 34; no, 35. He will be 35 in September. He's
34 right now.
Mr. JENNER. He's 34 now?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. And Myra will be how old?
Mrs. PETERMAN. She made 32 in February.
Mr. JENNER. And Cecelia?
Mr. PETERMAN. She will be 30 this month--I mean, in May--May 15.
Mr. JENNER. So at that time, Emile, Myra and Cecelia were attending
elementary school, is that right?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Did they all attend the same school?
Mrs. PETERMAN. They went to Washington, yes.
Mr. JENNER. Washington Elementary School?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Where is that?
Mrs. PETERMAN. St. Claude and Alvar.
Mr. JENNER. And your son Felix; had he graduated from both elementary
school and high school at that time?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Who is that?
Mr. JENNER. Oh, I'm sorry; your daughter Marian. Did she graduate from
high school?
Mrs. PETERMAN. No; she went through Washington, and then she went to
high school 3 weeks or thereabouts.
Mr. JENNER. You became acquainted with Marguerite Oswald immediately
when you moved into those houses, I assume; did you?
Mrs. PETERMAN. No, I wouldn't say that. She was a person that kept to
herself, and I did the same. She must have lived there about 3 years,
maybe a little less, but I didn't bother her and she didn't bother me.
I had my hands full with my children, and she had three little ones
herself, so she had her hands full. We would speak, but that was about
all.
Mr. JENNER. But you did become acquainted with her?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Oh, yes; I would say that.
Mr. JENNER. You were aware that she had three children?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Three boys, yes. The oldest one was John Pic, because
she married his father before she married Oswald. She told me that
herself, but now whether she was divorced from him or whether he was
dead, I don't know.
Mr. JENNER. All right. Now, one of her boys was John Pic, is that right?
Mrs. PETERMAN. Yes, P-I-C-K.