COUNTY OF DALLAS
SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
SUPPLEMENTARY INVESTIGATION REPORT
REF: ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY
FROM: HARRY WEATHERFORD, Deputy Sheriff
Date: November 23, 1963
On Friday, November 22, 1963, at about 12:30 PM, I was standing in front of the Sheriff's Office watching the Presidential Motorcade. The President's car had passed my location a couple of minutes when I heard a loud report which I thought was a railroad torpedo, as it sounded as if it came from the railroad yard. Thinking, this was a heck of a time for one to go off, then I heard a 2nd report which had more of an echo report and thought to myself, that this was a rifle and I started toward the corner when I heard the 3rd report. By this time I was running towards the railroad yards where the sound seemed to come from. I got with Deputy Allan Sweatt and was searching the tracks and cars, etc, then someone said the shots came from above. I then went to the Elm Street loading gates of the Texas School Book Depository where I met Deputies Ralph Walters, Luke Mooney, Eugene Boone and Sam Webster. We all went into the building and proceeded to the first floor by way of the stairs. I jumped out of the first window onto the roof of the adjoining covered loading dock. I then searched the roof for any expended shell cases, as at the time we were trying to find just where the shots came from and if they were fired from the west side of the building they possibly could have fallen onto this roof. Finding no shells, I then climbed into the window and started searching the first floor, with an unknown DPD detective. Then learning other officers were searching this first floor, I went to the top floor to start down with each floor. Looking over the 7th floor to no avail, I came down to the 6th floor and while searching this floor, Deputy Luke Mooney said, "here are some shells". I went over to where he was and saw 3 expended rifle shells, and a sack on the floor and a partially eaten piece of chicken on top of one of the cartons which was used as a sort of barracade, advising Mooney to preserve the scene for the Crime Lab. I then proceeded to look for the rifle as it was possible it was still on this floor. After several minutes passed, I was about 10 feet from Deputy Boone when he found the rifle with a light he was using. This was also preserved for the Crime Lab.
I then left the building and went to the Sheriff's office to contact Sheriff Decker and report our findings. While we were standing in the hall talking, Sheriff Decker gave me a piece of paper with an address of 2515 W. 5th Street, Irving. He said to get Deputies E. R. Buddy Walthers and J.L. Oxford and go see what we could find at this location as this man that shot the officer in Oak Cliff by the name of Oswald supposedly live at this location and further that we were to meet some of Capt. Fritz's officers at this address. Upon arrival at the address, we saw a DPD plain clothes car about 1/2 block from the address. In this car were Detectives Rose and Adamcik and another officer whom I did not know. We went to the door and knocked and a Mrs. Payne came to the door. I showed her my ID and told her we were from the Sheriff's office and she invited us in. She also asked if it pertained to the shooting and we told her yes. She introduced us to Mrs. Marina Oswald and advised us that she could talk only a very few words in English, that she was Russian, and that she would interpret anything we wanted to know. We told Mrs. Payne we wanted to search her home and she told us to go ahead, that she understood.
I stayed with Mrs. Oswald and Mrs. Payne while the rest of the men searched the house. They found some literature on Cuban Freedom affairs and some small files and a blanket which looked to have been wrapped around a rifle.
While standing near the phone bar, I saw a black telephone address book which I picked up and thumbed through, finding in the "O's" the name of Lee Oswald. Texas School Book Depository and the telephone number. Then another phone number, which I believe was written in pencil. I asked what this number was, pointing to this pencil number, and Mrs. Payne said that is the phone number where Lee is living. I gave this number to Deputy Buddy Walthers and told him to call the Sheriff and advise him of our findings. That this was all fitting in together with the assassination of President Kennedy.
We then loaded all of our findings into our car and brought them and Mr. Michael Payne, taking him and findings to the Dallas Police Station to the Homicide Division. Mr. Payne walked up to the house in Irving about 15 minutes after we first arrived. He told us that he was separated from his wife and was working for Bell Helicopter in Hurst. When he heard on the radio about the shooting, etc, he said he thought he had better come there.
After delivering the evidence and subject to Capt. Fritz, we then returned to the Sheriff's office.
HARRY WEATHERFORD