The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald: A Novel by William Alsup

Author:William Alsup
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The University of Georgia Press
Published: 2022-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

38 ROY TRULY

IF WADE FUMED INSIDE OVER BRENNAN, HE DIDN’T SHOW IT, Bebe would report, as he called Roy Sansom Truly, his fifth witness. Through the hallway doors Bebe saw a tall man with a crew cut and glasses enter to take the stand. Truly was fifty-three, he told the jury. He’d worked for the Texas School Book Depository, a private firm, since 1934 and was now the superintendent.

“Mr. Truly,” Wade asked, “when did you first hear of Lee Harvey Oswald?”

“I heard the name last October 15, give or take.

“And from whom did you hear the name?”

“I received a phone call from a lady in Irving named Paine.”

“What’d Mrs. Paine say and what’d you say?”

“She said, ‘Mr. Truly, I am just wondering if you can use another man.’ She said, ‘I have a fine young man living here with his wife and baby. His wife is expecting another baby in a few days. He needs work desperately.’ I told Mrs. Paine that—to send him down. So he came in, introduced himself to me as Lee Oswald, so I took him in my office and interviewed him. He seemed to be quiet and well mannered. I gave him an application to fill out, which he did.”

“Did he fill it out in front of you, or not?”

“Yes, he did. He said he’d just served his term in the Marine Corps and had received an honorable discharge. He listed some things of an office nature that he had learned to do in the Marines. He used the word ‘sir,’ you know, which a lot of them don’t do these days. So I told him he could come to work on the next morning which was the beginning of a new pay period.”

Truly explained that Oswald began work the next morning. His hours were 8:00 to 4:45 with a forty-five-minute lunch break. No one punched a clock. Oswald proved a good worker. He seemed to catch on and learn the location of the stock. The main publisher handled by Oswald was Scott, Foresman & Company, most of whose books rested on the sixth floor. Orders came in to the first floor where order fillers, like Oswald, would take order forms and then go fetch the books. Oswald was paid $1.25 an hour. He never missed a day of work.

“Did you ever see,” Wade continued, “whether or not he seemed to strike up any friendship or acquaintanceship with the other employees?”

“No, I never noticed that anywheres.”

“When the motorcade came, where were you?

“From the front door of the Depository, we crossed the Elm Street Extension, then reached the closest curb that runs along the new part of Elm Street. The president was to come toward us on Houston, then turn left onto Elm Street. We stood at the curb to see him.”

“Tell us what you saw.”

“A block away, we saw the motorcycle escort come off of Main, then turn right onto Houston Street coming toward us. The president’s car followed close behind at an average speed of ten or fifteen miles an hour.

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