(Testimony of W. E. Barnes)
Mr. Barnes.
knew what I was trying to do, and that I was wasting my time, that he didn't know anything about what we were accusing him of.
Mr. Belin.
Did Lee Harvey Oswald leave Captain Fritz' office at that time or did he stay there?
Mr. Barnes.
I didn't go back, I couldn't tell you.
Mr. Belin.
He didn't come out with you, did he?
Mr. Barnes.
No.
Mr. Belin.
Were any remarks of any kind made to you by any of the people in the hallway, nonpolice officers, as you left the office? Questions or remarks or what have you?
Mr. Barnes.
Yes.
Mr. Belin.
What did they say?
Mr. Barnes.
They kept storming questions at me, "What have you got in that sack, what have you got in that sack, you owe it to the news media to give it to us, what have you got in that sack?"
Mr. Belin.
Would this just come from one person?
Mr. Barnes.
All of them.
Mr. Belin.
About how many of them were there at that time?
Mr. Barnes.
They had the hallways blocked.
Mr. Belin.
Did you reply to them at all or not?
Mr. Barnes.
I didn't answer.
Mr. Belin.
You then went up to the fourth floor to the lab, is that correct?
Mr. Barnes.
That is true.
Mr. Belin.
What did you do then?
Mr. Barnes.
I initialed the cast, sealed them, and placed them in our locked evidence room.
Mr. Belin.
Where did they go after that?
Mr. Barnes.
They go to our city-county laboratory for analysis.
Mr. Belin.
Where is that city-county laboratory?
Mr. Barnes.
At Parkland Hospital.
Mr. Belin.
Do you know when they went there?
Mr. Barnes.
The following morning.
Mr. Belin.
Did you get the results from this analysis at all?
Mr. Barnes.
The results were obtained by our bureau. I didn't get the results.
Mr. Belin.
Do you know what these results were?
Mr. Barnes.
I understand--I haven't seen them personally--but I understand they are positive, the ones of his hands.
Mr. Belin.
By positive, you mean they showed the presence of nitrates?
Mr. Barnes.
They showed the presence of nitrates.
Mr. Belin.
What about the one on the cheek?
Mr. Barnes.
The one of his cheek was negative.
Mr. Belin.
Were any conclusions made because of either the positive results from the test on his hands or the negative result on the test of the cheek?
Mr. Barnes.
In my own mind, I didn't expect any positive report from the cheek to start with. But to cut down criticism and to satisfy the public and to show the world that we tried to cover it very well, we did it for possibly any future I don't know how to word it--any complaints that might come later on.
Mr. Belin.
By complaints, you mean people that might----
Mr. Barnes.
Might question why you did or why you didn't do it on something this big. We felt like the public should know that we done the best that we knew how.
Mr. Belin.
Even though you didn't expect to have results?
Mr. Barnes.
I didn't personally, and I am the one that made it.
From my experience with paraffin casts and from my experience in shooting rifles, common sense will tell you that a man firing a rifle has got very little chance of getting powder residue on his cheek.
Mr. Belin.
Have you ever made a paraffin cast of your cheek after you fired a rifle?
Mr. Barnes.
No; I have not.
Mr. Belin.
Have you ever made a paraffin test of anyone else's cheek after that person fired a rifle?
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