William Smith

TESTIMONY OF WILLIAM ARTHUR SMITH beginning at 7H82...

The testimony of William Arthur Smith was taken at 4:25 p.m., on April 2, 1964, in the office of the U.S. attorney, 301 Post Office Building, Bryan and Ervay Streets, Dallas, Tex. by Mr. Joseph A. Ball, assistant counsel of the President's Commission.
Mr. BALL. Mr. Smith, stand up and raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear that the evidence you are about to give before the Commission shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Sit down.
Mr. BALL. State your name, please.
Mr. SMITH. William Arthur Smith.
Mr. BALL. And where do you live?
Mr. SMITH. 328 1/2 East Davis.
Mr. BALL. What is your age?
Mr. SMITH. Twenty.
Mr. BALL. You live with whom? Whom do you live with?
Mr. SMITH. My mother.
Mr. BALL. At this address?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Tell me something about yourself, where you were born and where you went to school.
Mr. SMITH. I was born in Pine Bluff, Ark., and went to school Wason Chapel.
Mr. BALL. How far through school did you go?
Mr. SMITH. Three months into the 12th grade.

Mr. BALL. Three months into the 12th grade?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. What did you do after that?
Mr. SMITH. Been working ever since, most of the time.
Mr. BALL. What kind of work do you do? Have you done?
Mr. SMITH. Corrugated box.
Mr. BALL. Beg your pardon?
Mr. SMITH. Corrugated box.
Mr. BALL. That is where you are working now?
Mr SMITH. No, sir; working at a metal shop.
Mr. BALL. Any metal shop?
Mr. SMITH. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Have you ever been in trouble with the police?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. What kind of trouble did you get in?
Mr. SMITH. Auto theft.
Mr. BALL. You're on probation now, aren't you?
Mr. SMITH. Two years.
Mr. BALL. Two years? Ever have any other trouble?
Mr. SMITH. Tickets.
Mr. BALL. Just tickets? Traffic tickets?
Mr. SMITH. Two right now.
Mr. BALL. You ever have any trouble as a juvenile?
Mr. SMITH. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Now, on November 22, 1963, were you working any place?
Mr. SMITH. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Didn't have a job?
Mr. SMITH. No, sir,
Mr. BALL. Where did you spend the day that day?
Mr. SMITH. 505 East 10th.
Mr. BALL. Why were you there?
Mr. SMITH. Visiting a friend.
Mr. BALL. What is his name?
Mr. SMITH. Jimmy Burt.
Mr. BALL. When did you go over there that day?
Mr. SMITH. In the morning. In the morning.
Mr. BALL. In the morning?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL What time did you leave there that day?
Mr. SMITH. In the evening.
Mr. BALL. So, you spent the whole day there?
Mr. SMITH. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Did something happen a little after 1 o'clock there that day that you noticed?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir; policeman got shot.
Mr. BALL. Now, at the time the policeman was shot, where were you?
Mr. SMITH. In the front yard, at 505 East 10th.
Mr. BALL. Who was with you?
Mr. SMITH. Jimmy Burt.
Mr. BALL. That was about how far from where the policeman got shot?
Mr. SMITH. One block.
Mr. BALL. That would be about a block east, wouldn't it?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Policeman was shot in the 400 block?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. And you were in the 500 block?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. What called your attention to this incident?
Mr. SMITH. I heard some shots.
Mr. BALL And what? You looked down that way?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. What did you see?

Mr. SMITH. Saw Oswald running and policeman falling.
Mr. BALL. Did you see his face, or just his back?
Mr. SMITH. Saw the side of him, the side and back of him when he was running.
Mr. BALL. Did you see him before he ran?
Mr. SMITH. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Saw the side of his face?
Mr. SMITH. Yes.
Mr. BALL. And he ran in what direction?
Mr. SMITH. West.
Mr. BALL. Did you follow him?
Mr. SMITH. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Did you go down to where the policeman was shot?
Mr. SMITH. Yes.
Mr. BALL. What did you see?
Mr. SMITH. Saw the policeman lying on the ground. I mean on the street.
Mr. BALL. And did a crowd gather around there?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. How long did you stay there?
Mr. SMITH. About 45 minutes.
Mr. BALL. Did you give your name to the police?
Mr. SMITH. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Why?
Mr. SMITH. Because I was on probation. I thought it might hurt my probation record.
Mr. BALL. All right; you did tell someone you had seen it, didn't you?
Mr. SMITH. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Who?
Mr. SMITH. This boy I ran around with.
Mr. BALL. What's his name?
Mr. SMITH. James Markham.
Mr. BALL. Is he the son of Helen Markham?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Did you talk to her?
Mr. SMITH. No, sir; she talks to me.
Mr. BALL. Mrs. Markham talked to you?
Mr. SMITH. Yes.
Mr. BALL. And did you tell Mrs. Markham?
Mr. SMITH. I told her what I saw and that is the reason I am here, I a----
Mr. BALL. Did the police come out and see you?
Mr. SMITH. The FBI.
Mr. BALL. The FBI did? Did you tell them the same story you told me?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Now, did you see Oswald on television?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. On the night of the shooting?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Did it appear to you to be the same man you had seen?
Mr. SMITH. He had lighter hair than he did when I saw him.
Mr. BALL. Well, now, wait a minute. You mean the man you saw on television----
Mr. SMITH. Had lighter hair.
Mr. BALL. Mr. Smith--than the man you saw running away?
Mr. SMITH. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Is that right?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. What color hair did the man have that you saw running away?
Mr. SMITH. Brown, brownish-black. It was dark.
Mr. BALL. How did the hair appear on television?
Mr. SMITH. Looked blond.
Mr. BALL. Were you later shown a picture of Oswald?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.

Mr. BALL. By whom?
Mr. SMITH. FBI agent.
Mr. BALL. What was the color of the hair in the picture?
Mr. SMITH. Brown.
Mr. BALL. What did you see? What did you tell the FBI agent about the appearance of the man in the picture?
Mr. SMITH. I said it looked more like him than it did on television.
Mr. BALL. And did you think when he showed you the picture that it looked anything like the man you had seen running away?
Mr. SMITH. What I saw of him; yes.
Mr. BALL. First time you ever saw this man was after you heard these shots?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Is that right? You had never seen him walking?
Mr. SMITH. No.
Mr. BALL. You hadn't seen him walking in front of the house?
Mr. SMITH. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Where you were standing?
Mr. SMITH. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. What kind of clothes did he have on when he shot the officer?
Mr. SMITH. He had on dark pants--just a minute. He had on dark pants and a sport coat of some kind. I can't really remember very well.
Mr. BALL. I will show you a coat----
Mr. SMITH. This looks like it.
Mr. BALL. This is Commission's Exhibit 162, a grey, zippered jacket. Have you ever seen this before?
Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir; that looks like what he had on. A jacket.
Mr. BALL. That is the jacket he had on?
Mr. SMITH. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Now, when the deposition is completed it will be written up and you will have a right to look it over and sign it, or if you want to you can waive your signature. They will accept your waiver and send it on to the Commission without it. Do you have any choice on that?
Mr. SMITH. I will sign it. It don't make any difference to me.
Mr. BALL. Would you just as leave waive your signature?
Mr. SMITH. Ever what that means.
Mr. BALL. That means you don't have to sign it.
Mr. SMITH. I Will sign it.
Mr. BALL. Do you want to sign it?
Mr. SMITH. Yes; I will sign it.
Mr. BALL. Okay. Do you have a telephone number?
Mr. SMITH. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Well, the young lady will notify you when you can come in and sign it.
I thank you very much.