(At this point Mr. Howlett proceeded to play the tape recording of the telephone conversation heretofore referred to and when the witness, Mrs. Markham, began to indicate reactions to the recorded conversation, the reporter resumed recording same as hereinafter shown and the record here begins with the question and answer at the time Mrs. Markham began indicating her reactions.)
"Mr. LANE. I wonder if you would be good enough to tell me--I have your affidavit which you gave the police on that date.
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes, sir.
"Mr. LANE. And I have read that, of course, and I wonder if you would be good enough to talk to me?"
Mr. LIEBELER. You are shaking your head, as you listen to this tape recorder, Mrs. Markham.
John Joe, let's stop the recorder for a moment. What do you mean to indicate by that?
Mrs. MARKHAM. I never talked to that man.
Mr. LIEBELER. Is that not your voice on the tape?
Mrs. MARKHAM. I can't tell about my voice, but that man--I never talked to no woman or no man like that.
Mr. LIEBELER. Well, we will play the recording some more, and are you following it along, Mrs. Markham?
Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes; I am right here.
Mr. LIEBELER. And does this memorandum appear to be an accurate and exact transcript of the recording?
Mrs. MARKHAM. That man--whoever that man is--I don't know, but it says, "Mark Lane." No, sir--I'll tell the truth (raising right hand) and those words that he's saying--that's nothing like the telephone call I got--nothing.
Mr. LIEBELER. Let's continue with the recording and see if you recognize your voice here on the tape.
"Mr. LANE. Tell me the description of the man whom you saw.
"Mrs. MARKHAM. This is an office business phone and I just can't tell you that. I don't have the time to.
"Mr. LANE. Well, could you just give me one moment and tell me--I read where you told some of the reporters that he was short and stocky and had bushy hair.
"Mrs. MARKHAM. No, no; I did not say that.
"Mr. LANE. You did not say that?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. No, sir.
"Mr. LANE. Would you say that he was stocky?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. He was short.
"Mr. LANE. He was short?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes.
"Mr. LANE. And was he a little on the heavy side?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Not too heavy.
"Mr. LANE. Not too heavy, but slightly heavy?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Well, he was--no--he didn't look too heavy.
"Mr. LANE. He wasn't too heavy and would you say that he had a rather bushy kind of hair?
Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes; that's my voice.
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes; just a little bit bushy.
"Mr. LANE. It was a little bit bushy?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes.
"Mr. LANE. Yes. Was there anybody else around when you saw this happen?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. No, sir; I didn't see anyone.
"Mr. LANE. There was no one else there. Did you ever have a chance to see Mr. Oswald when he was alive, I mean after he was arrested, did they bring you down to look at him?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. I saw him on the lineup.
"Mr. LANE. Yes. Did he look anything like the man who shot Oswald?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. I identified him.
"Mr. LANE. You identified him as the man who did shoot him. Did anyone point him out to you at that time as the man?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. In the lineup?
"Mr. LANE. Yes.
"Mrs. MARKHAM. No; they did not.
"Mr. LANE. Did they tell you who it might be?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. They didn't tell me one thing.
"Mr. LANE. No. Do you recall what the gentleman was wearing who shot Officer Tippit?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes, sir.
"Mr. LANE. How was he dressed?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. He had on a light gray looking jacket.
"Mr. LANE. Yes.
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Kind of dark trousers.
"Mr. LANE. Dark trousers?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Uh-huh.
"Mr. LANE. And did you see what color shirt?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. No; I could not.
"Mr. LANE. The jacket was open or closed?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes, sir; it was zipped up a little bit--the neck was closed--pretty close too.
"Mr. LANE. Well, as I said, I have read your affidavit and it indicates the police car stopped and then this man walked over to it and leaned on it and placed his arms up against the car.
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Up in the window.
"Mr. LANE. In the window?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes.
"Mr. LANE. You didn't see the police officer call him over, did you?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes; I seen the police car stop--I seen it all.
"Mr. LANE. I beg your pardon?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes, sir; I seen the police car stop.
"Mr. LANE. You heard the police car stop?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. I seen it.
"Mr. LANE. You saw it stop and then Oswald or this gentleman, whoever it was, walked over to the car?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes, sir; he walked over to the car.
"Mr. LANE. You didn't see the officer call him over, though, did you?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. He rolled down the window.
"Mr. LANE. He did what?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. He rolled down his window.
"Mr. LANE. The officer rolled down the window?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes; uh-huh.
"Mr. LANE. Of course, you didn't put that in your affidavit.
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Sir?
"Mr. LANE. That was not in your affidavit.
"Mrs. MARKHAM. It should have been.
"Mr. LANE. It should have been--you told that to the officers?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes, sir; he had to have the window rolled down, because, you see, he leaned over in the window.
"Mr. LANE. I see. Now, did you tell the officers at the police station when they questioned you, the description of the man who shot Tippit?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. I told them that at the scene of the murder.
"Mr. LANE. You told the officers the description?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes, sir.
"Mr. LANE. Did you say that he was short and a little bit on the heavy side and had slightly bushy hair?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. No; I did not. They didn't ask me that.
"Mr. LANE. They never asked you his description?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes; they asked what he was wearing.
"Mr. LANE. Just what he was wearing?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes, sir.
"Mr. LANE. But they never asked you how he was built or anything like that?
"Mrs. MARKHAM. No, sir.
"Mr. LANE. Well, you went to the police station where they took your affidavit, right?
" Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes."
Mr. LIEBELER. Now, you are shaking your head at this point. Miss Reporter, you are taking the transcript down.
The REPORTER. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Now, at this point you were shaking your head, what do you mean by that?
Mrs. MARKHAM. This man--I have never talked with. This lady was never on the telephone. This man that called me like I told you, he told me he was from the city hall, the police department, the police department of the city hall.
Mr. LIEBELER. Well, now, do you remember having this conversation with somebody?
Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes; I do, but he told me he was from the police department of city hall and he had to get some information, a little more information from me. That was my boss that told me the one that said, "Wait a minute," that was my boss, Mr. Sam Gambolus.
Mr. LIEBELER. And you received this call at the place where you work?
Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you remember specifically that when the telephone calls started, that this man told you he was from the city hall of the police department?
Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes, sir; yes, sir; right. Because you see--- I had got a call from a man, but it was--I found out later, because the lady had called me back, it was from Mr. Tippit's sister, and I had told them that I couldn't talk, you know, I was busy on my job and this man told me that he was from the police department of the city hall and he had to get a little more information and it wouldn't take much of my time, and so I got permission from this boss, Mr. Gambolus, to talk with this man. Now, he told me that.
Mr. LIEBELER. Now, did he tell you he was from the police department?
Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. Now, on this tape recording right here, this man is asking you what the police did.
Mrs. MARKHAM. I know it.
Mr. LIEBELER. And he said they--the police took you and took your affidavit.
Mrs. MARKHAM. That man--I have never talked to that man. I talked to a man that was supposed to have been from the police department of the city hall.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you recognize this as the voice of the man you talked to?
Mrs. MARKHAM. No; it is not.
Mr. LIEBELER. This is not the same voice?
Mrs. MARKHAM. No.
Mr. LIEBELER. How do you explain the fact that the woman's voice on this tape recording is your voice?
Mrs. MARKHAM. I never heard that.
Mr. LIEBELER. You never heard the man's voice before?
Mrs. MARKHAM. And I never heard this lady's voice before--this is the first time.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you have any doubt in your mind at all that the lady's voice on the tape now is your voice?
Mrs. MARKHAM. It is my voice, but this man told me he was from the city police.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did it occur to you as you were talking to him--when he said for example, on the tape here just a few minutes ago, did you tell the officers--you told this person you were talking to on this tape that you-saw the police car stop and that this man walked over to the car and that the officer had rolled the window down and this man's voice said you did not put in the affidavit that you had seen the officer roll the window down.
Mrs. MARKHAM. Man, I have never heard such a thing as this.
Mr. LIEBELER. At the bottom of page 6 he says, "I see. Now, did you tell the officers at the police station, when they questioned you, the description of the man who shot Tippit?"
You couldn't have thought was from the police department if he was asking you what you were telling the police before---do you agree with me?
Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes; but he told me he was from the police department and he had to get some information from me and I wanted to get back to my work.
Mr. LIEBELER. So, it is your testimony that even though you engaged in this conversation here, the man--when he started out, he told you that he was from the police department; is that right?
Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes, sir; I wouldn't have never talked to this man. Just like if I get a telephone call I say, "You know where I am at, come down to see me." He told me he was from the police department and this lady never talked to me.
Mr. LIEBELER. Which lady is that?
Mrs. MARKHAM. On this tape.
Mr. LIEBELER. Which lady on the tape?
Mrs. MARKHAM. It was a woman talking.
Mr. LIEBELER. The lady's voice that was talking on the tape here?
Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. I thought that was your voice?
Mrs. MARKHAM. Not at the first there.
Mr. LIEBELER. Not at the first--you mean the telephone operator, the one that was the telephone operator? The tape here indicates that the long-distance telephone operator or some telephone operator called you to the telephone and a man answered the telephone.
Mrs. MARKHAM. No; my boss called me to the telephone.
Mr. LIEBELER. So, when you came to the telephone it was this man on the telephone and he told you that he was from the police department?
Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. And then you engaged in this telephone conversation?
Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes; he certainly did.
Mr. LIEBELER. So that, in fact, your testimony is that you had never had anybody introduce themselves to you as Mark Lane?
Mrs. MARKHAM. No, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. And you haven't talked to him over the telephone?
Mrs. MARKHAM. No, sir; and so help me [raising right hand] I did not.
Mr. LIEBELER. You don't have any doubt, however, that you did engage in this particular conversation, except that you are having trouble at the beginning and end of it because you said that the man told you that he was from the police department when he called?
Mrs. MARKHAM. Yes, sir ; he certainly did. I know he did.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you ever tell anybody that this man who shot Officer Tippit was short and stocky and had bushy hair?
Mrs. MARKHAM. No. [Handed instruments to Mr. Liebeler.]
Mr. LIEBELER. You have brought a couple of pieces of paper here that you want me to look at?
Mrs. MARKHAM. Please--this here doesn't make sense and let me show you--I don't know what to think about it, but I got this, but my daughter wouldn't let me have it because I was very upset at the time and I don't know what it even means.
Mr. LIEBELER. Let the record show that the witness has handed me a piece of paper, a single sheet of paper enclosed in an envelope of the Statler-Hilton Hotel in Dallas and postmarked Dallas, Tex., July 11, 1964, and addressed to Mrs. Helen Markham at 328 East Ninth Street in Dallas, and the letter has a return address of P.O. Box 2897, Dallas 21, Tex. It is dated July 10, 1964, and it is addressed to Mrs. Markham and it says, "At your convenience, would you kindly call me Saturday or any weekday morning between 9 a.m. and 12 noon. I would like the opportunity of discussing a matter which I believe will be mutually profitable. Sincerely, James Kerr."
We will mark the envelope and the letter as Markham Deposition Exhibit No. 2. I have marked the letter as indicated and I have put my initials on it and would you put your initials on it, Mrs. Markham, so we don't have any trouble identifying it in the future.
Mrs. MARKHAM. Just my initials?
Mr. LIEBELER. Yes; just your initials.