So then when you first talked to Fleming, he was not able to tell you whether he could get it?
Chief BATCHELOR. Well, he said he thought he could, but he was going to have to call his people and get some drivers down there, because they were closed up on Sunday, and he said, "As soon as I get hold of them, I will call you."
He called me twice. He called me back later and said he had the drivers and he had two trucks, one a large Overland truck which would accommodate people sitting on each side of the truck on benches, and one a smaller truck.
He recommended the larger truck because the smaller truck would only accommodate one person in the back, and of course there would be need for guards.
So then the question arose as to whether or not this truck could be backed into the basement in front of the door leading out of the jail, because there is a low point in the ramp at that point.
So he asked me if I would check and see how high that was. And I checked with Chief Lumpkin, and he told me that it was 7'5". This was not tall enough to accommodate the truck.

Mr. Hubert.

Then what happened?
Chief BATCHELOR. Then I called Mr. Fleming and told him the height and suggested that we would back the truck in on Commerce Street and not take it clear to the bottom.

Mr. Hubert.

Then you ordered the larger one only?
Chief BATCHELOR. No; he sent two. He said, "I will send you both, and you can make a determination when we get there; take the one you like."

Mr. Hubert.

That second conversation was about 10:30 or so?
Chief BATCHELOR. Yes; as I recall, it must have been around 10:30. It was actually after 11 before the trucks finally got there.

Mr. Hubert.

It was after what, sir?
Chief BATCHELOR. I believe it was a little after 11 when the trucks finally got there; yes.

Mr. Hubert.

Do you have any way of fixing that time as to when the trucks actually got there?
Chief BATCHELOR. Well, the way I fix that in my mind is the lapse of time from the time the trucks arrived until Oswald finally was brought out in the basement, and this was not very long.
We backed the truck in, and I believe it was Lieutenant Smart and I got in the truck and searched it, and got some bottles, a couple of Coke bottles, and a bolt that we found laying there, and took that out of the truck.
The truck had benches on each side with cushions on the benches. This was all that was in the truck. And it was only a short time after that until they actually brought him out. Probably not more than 20 or 30 minutes after the arrival of the trucks that they brought him down.

Mr. Hubert.

Were you advised of the arrival of the trucks?
Chief BATCHELOR. I was in the basement when they came, and somebody came down the ramp and told me they were out there, and I went out there and looked at them.

Mr. Hubert.

And you directed that they be backed in?
Chief BATCHELOR. That the big truck. And he backed it in and got the back wheels over the sidewalk and down the ramp, and it is a fairly steep ramp. The driver suggested that he not take it clear to the bottom.

Mr. Hubert.

Did he say why?
Chief BATCHELOR. Yes; he was afraid that he would stall the truck in coming out. It was a heavy truck and they had just taken it off of their lot. It had been sitting there all night and the motor was cold and he was afraid if he got it down the ramp and started out that he might stall, and he didn't want to do that.
I looked the truck over. That is, I looked at the truck in relation to the walls of the ramp and found that it was so wide that there was only about a foot of space left on one side, and about 2 feet on the other.

Mr. Hubert.

Do you remember which had I foot and which had 2 feet?
Chief BATCHELOR. Yes, sir; the side of the truck next to the west wall--

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