(Testimony of Paul Morgan Stombaugh)
Mr. Stombaugh.
saying they appeared fresh, to the fact that the other fibers I removed from this gun were greasy, mashed, and broken, where these were fairly good long fibers. They were not dirty, with the exception of a little bit of fingerprint powder on them which I cleaned off, and the color was good. They were in good shape, not fragmented. They could conceivably have been put on 10 years ago and then the gun put aside and remain the same. Dust would have settled on them, would have changed their color a little bit, but as far as when they got on the gun, I wouldn't be able to say. This would just be speculation on my part.
Mr. Eisenberg.
In other words, you concluded they were fresh--well, you said you thought they were fresh, Mr. Stombaugh, and I don't quite understand now whether you seem to be backing off a little from that?
Mr. Stombaugh.
No; I am not trying to do that. I am trying to avoid a specific time element, since there are other factors which may enter couldn't--this is something that I won't even attempt to do, just say this was on here for 1 hour or 10 minutes, something like that.
But I would say these fibers were put on there in the recent past for this reason. If they had been put on there say 3, 4, 5 weeks or so ago, and the gun used every day, these fibers would have come off. Am I making myself a little more clear?
Mr. Eisenberg.
Yes; you are making yourself clear; yes.
Now, looking at Exhibit 139, the weapon, and Exhibit 140, the blanket, do you think it is possible that the bulge you described before, which you marked "C," might have been caused by some component part of 139, the rifle?
Mr. Stombaugh.
Yes. At the time I found the hump in the blanket which I believed you have marked point C.
Mr. Eisenberg.
That is point C on the replica piece of paper you have folded up, marked Exhibit 663?
Mr. Stombaugh.
I checked the telescopic sight on Exhibit 139, and noted that the approximate length and general shape of the scope----
Mr. Dulles.
Exhibit 139 being the blanket?
Mr. Eisenberg.
Being the rifle.
Mr. Stombaugh.
Were approximately the same so far as length and shape went, and at the time I thought to myself it is quite possible the hump in the blanket could have been made by that telescopic sight.
Mr. Eisenberg.
Did you attempt to match up the rifle into the blanket to see if that could be true?
Mr. Stombaugh.
No; I didn't want to handle the rifle any more than possible. I took a ruler and measured the scope and then compared the measurement with the hump in the blanket and it was approximately the same.
Mr. Eisenberg.
What about the relationship, the spatial relationship of the scope to the end of the gun, as compared with the spatial relationship of the hump in the blanket to the end of the blanket? Were those matching?
Mr. Stombaugh.
From the way the blanket was folded at the time, and from measuring this, and not using the gun itself and putting it in contact with the blanket, just from measurements, I determined it is possible that the scope could have made the hump. In other words, the gun could have fitted in there. But I couldn't be absolutely certain on any of this. This is just from measurements.
Mr. Eisenberg.
And visual comparison?
Mr. Stombaugh.
And visual comparison; yes.
Mr. Eisenberg.
Is there any further information you would like to give us concerning your examinations of the paper bag, the rifle, the blanket, or the shirt which we have discussed this morning?
Mr. Stombaugh.
Just the fibers I removed.
Mr. Dulles.
Are you going to go into the relationship of the fibers that were found in the jagged edge?
Mr. Eisenberg.
Yes. Mr. Stombaugh, did you attempt to determine the origin of the fibers which were caught in the butt plate of the rifle?
Mr. Stombaugh.
Yes, sir; I did. I tried to match these fibers with the fibers in the blanket, and found that they had not originated from the blanket, because the cotton fibers were of entirely different colors. So I happened to think of the shirt and I made a known sample of the shirt fibers.
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