Now, before we continue, let me say this---you led me into this deposition without any preliminary discussion. I noticed though in the request to appear that it made mention of the fact that my testimony would be taken and, then allowed for me to read and correct and approve right?

Mr. Griffin.

Yes.

Mr. Rossi.

So, that answers that question there, because inasmuch as this took place when the incident took place I Was down in the valley in Brownsville and talked to the news reporter there they have I guess because of space and one thing or another taken it out of context--your conversation and they use what they want and at times when you are expanding on something which you don't necessarily feel like that that is what he is going to print, or, you are just voicing a casual opinion, he might pick that up and make that the important part of his text, and the part that you wanted to say he didn't, and as much as one of the things I did mention to him, and they took this writeup and it didn't appear, was to me important in the sense that I said, "I'm sure that the people of Dallas were more and even greater shocked than anybody else anywhere and that the Dallas people for the many years that I have lived there have all been fine, good people, and all, and this is a thing that happened in my estimation just out of a clear blue sky."
The reason I mentioned it to them--at this point, was the fact that already I could see the attitudes and the feeling of the people all around, but he made no mention of that fact in the paper.

Mr. Griffin.

Where did that appear--in the Brownsville paper?

Mr. Rossi.

Yes. Another thing I want to get in here, and I want to set this in the record before any other testimony that I give, and that is, that what I say is without prejudice against Dallas or anybody or anything. There is a certain attitude that I feel was wrong and has been somewhat corrected as this all took place. Emotionally everybody was pretty well upset and all and what I am describing here, took place before anybody else in the country, or anyone had interviewed Ruby, and, important thing that I want to state now is that I knew Ruby--that Jack Ruby was capable of doing what he did regarding Oswald, even prior to my knowing that Jack Ruby actually did it.

Mr. Griffin.

How did you know that?

Mr. Rossi.

Well, to clarify it, let me say this: We had just broken up or finished a meeting that the real estate brokers on the island were having regarding the Padre Island development and promotion, when someone came in from the hotel lobby--we were at the Island Hotel or Motel, and said that they had just shot Harvey or Lee Oswald--somebody had just shot him. One thing led to another--they were going to reshow it, at least we didn't see the actual first film of the shooting, so to speak, but they were going to reshow it, so a number of us went out to the lobby of the motel to see the TV showing of it, and while standing there we saw the event take place and then the announcement came through that the one who murdered or shot Harvey Lee Oswald was Jack Ludi. There was a Jack Lodi or Ludi or something like that and standing next to me was Mr. John O'Sorio, who is an attorney, and also the counsel for the company down there, and one of the participants and he turned to me and he asked me he says, "Joe, you are pretty well known in Dallas, at least you know quite a number of people in Dallas, do you know Jack Lodi," and I replied, "No, I don't know any Jack Ledi or Jack Luby or Jack Lucas"--whatever it might have been that he said, but I said, "If they had said or made mention of the fact that it was Jack Ruby who had shot Oswald," I says, "I wouldn't be too much surprised."
Then, he asked me why and I says, "Well, he just happens to be that type of a person. He is impulsive and emotional and everything and he probably felt like he was doing something that--a favor or something."

Mr. Griffin.

What experiences had you had with Jack Ruby before then that led you to that conclusion?

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