The John F. Kennedy Assassination Homepage

Navigation

  » Introduction
  » The Report
  » The Hearings

Volumes

  » Testimony Index
 
  » Volume I
  » Volume II
  » Volume III
  » Volume IV
  » Volume V
  » Volume VI
  » Volume VII
  » Volume VIII
  » Volume IX
  » Volume X
  » Volume XI
  » Volume XII
  » Volume XIII
  » Volume XIV
  » Volume XV
Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. XV - Page 149« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of J.w. Fritz)

Mr. Hubert.
day before, and I told him I didn't think we could be through with our questioning at that time.
At that time he asked me about 10 o'clock the next morning, and I told him we thought we could be ready by 10 o'clock the next morning. We went, I believe, an hour overtime with the interrogation, but we tried to finish up by 10 o'clock the next morning.
Mr. Hubert.
Is there anything that makes you certain that the decision that the Dallas Police Department would be responsible for the transfer rather than the sheriff's office, was made on Saturday rather than Sunday?
Captain FRITZ. On Saturday rather than Sunday, I am sure that it was, because I had talked to the sheriff one time myself during one of those previous days, and I made some remark to him, something about the transfer, and he told me to bring him on when we were ready; so I can't tell you exactly what conversation that was, but it was pretty well understood we were to do the transferring.
Mr. Hubert.
That was a departure from the usual system?
Captain FRITZ. We transferred a great many of the prisoners in major cases. It is not a usual thing. We don't do it every day, but we often do it in major cases. It isn't the sheriff's duty to transfer the prisoner. It is usually done by a constable.
Mr. Hubert.
You get a constable under the authority of the sheriff?
Captain FRITZ. No, sir; under the authority of the constable. That is the usual procedure. But it is not unusual in major cases where we think that certain precautions should be used, for us to make the transfer. In fact, I transferred Ruby.
Mr. Hubert.
Why is it that you do it rather than the sheriff?
Captain FRITZ. It is just a matter of safety. It wouldn't make a bit of difference with us who transferred him, just so that he was transferred safely and carefully. We don't care. The sheriff sometimes transfers them. If I call him; when I think a man is a little bit unruly, the sheriff often handles the transfer.
I started to tell you, after they are filed on, they become the sheriffs prisoner I couldn't tell you about the rules of transfer, why the constable transfers the other prisoners instead of the sheriff, but that is the usual thing.
Mr. Hubert.
Would it have been possible for you to have made the investigation and the interrogation of Oswald that was made on Saturday and Sunday morning at the county jail rather than in the homicide office?
Captain FRITZ. No, sir; that wouldn't have been good at all.
Mr. Hubert.
Can you tell us why?
Captain FRITZ. Well, there are many reasons. First our records wouldn't be there, would be one thing, and we wouldn't have the witnesses at the county jail for the lineups and would be out of contact with the office for incoming information. The city hall would be quite a distance from us. There are certain other things that might interfere with questioning at the county jail. It was bad enough where we were.
Mr. Hubert.
As a matter of fact, where you were was a pretty bad situation for it?
Captain FRITZ. Ordinarily it wouldn't be such a bad situation. It was a bad situation because of all that news media that had turned into a mob.
Mr. Hubert.
That is what I was getting at, whether or not any consideration was given to moving Oswald to the county jail actually to get away from the crowd and conduct the investigation under the conditions that wouldn't involve the crowd?
Captain FRITZ. No, sir; I don't think that would have been good at all. That would be completely away from the office and the records and the some 15 or 20 officers that were required to conduct the investigation, and we would have to move our entire organization to the county jail, which would have been impossible.
Mr. Hubert.
Now did you tell Chief Curry that you were concerned about the mass of people on the third floor?
Captain FRITZ. No. I am not sure that I spoke to him about this. I did speak to some of the officers about giving us some help in the hall, because the
« Previous | Next »

Found a Typo?

Click here
Copyright by www.jfk-assassination.comLast Update: Wed, 3 Aug 2016 21:56:32 CET