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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. VII - Page 46« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of Gerald Lynn Hill)

Mr. Hill.
Walked in the front door of the Book Depository and turned to the right. Took the passenger elevator. We did not take the freight elevator. The freight elevator goes all the way, I believe.
Mr. Belin.
You took a passenger elevator?
Mr. Hill.
Yes.
Mr. Belin.
When you got off the passenger elevator, what did you do?
Mr. Hill.
We asked them where the stairway was to the top floor, and if this was on the fifth, we walked through---there is a little office section near the elevator. We walked over past it and through a large room to the stairway, and then went all the way as high as the stairway would take us, which would have been on seven.
In the middle of the floor on the seventh floor there was a ladder leading up into an area they called the penthouse, which was used mainly for storage.
Westphal went up this ladder, I know, and the uniformed officer went up it.
The rest of us were checking around the boxes and books.
So on file we verified that there was not anyone on the seventh floor, and we didn't find any indication that the shots had been fired from there.
Mr. Belin.
Then what did you do?
Mr. Hill.
Left the uniformed officer there, and these two deputies and I went down to sixth. I started to the right side of the building.
Mr. Belin.
When you say the right side, you mean----
Mr. Hill.
Well, it would have been the west side.
Mr. Belin.
All right, they moved over to the east side?
Mr. Hill.
We hadn't been there but a minute until someone yelled, "Here it is," or words to that effect.
I moved over and found they had found an area where the boxes had been stacked in sort of a triangle shape with three sides over near the window.
Two small boxes with Roller books on the side of the carton were stacked near the east side of the window.
Mr. Belin.
Let's talk about which window now, sir. First of all, what side of the building? Was it on the north, east, south, or west?
Mr. Hill.
It would have been on the south side near the east wall. It would have been the window on the southeast corner of the building facing south.
Mr. Belin.
Would it have been the first window next to the east wall or the second window, or what, if you remember?
Mr. Hill.
As near as I can remember, it was the first window next to the east wall, but here again it is--I stayed up there such a short time that--yes, that is the one I am going to have to say it was, because as near as I can remember, that is the one it was.
Mr. Belin.
What did you see over there?
Mr. Hill.
There was the boxes. The boxes were stacked in sort of a three-sided shield.
That would have concealed from general view, unless somebody specifically walked up and looked over them, anyone who was in a sitting or crouched position between them and the window. In front of this window and to the left or east corner of the window, there were two boxes, cardboard boxes that had the words "Roller books," on them.
On top of the larger stack of boxes that would have been used for concealment. there was a chicken leg bone and a paper sack which appeared to have been about the size normally used for a lunch sack. I wouldn't know what the sizes were. It was a sack, I would say extended, it would probably be 12 inches high, 10 inches long, and about 4 inches thick.
Then, on the floor near the baseboard or against the baseboard of the south wall of the building, in front of the second window, in front of the, well, we would have to say second window from the east corner, were three spent shells.
This is actually the jacket that holds the powder and not the slug. At this point, I asked the deputy sheriff to guard the scene, not to let anybody touch anything, and I went over still further west to another window about the middle of the building on the south side and yelled down to the street for them to send us the crime lab. Not knowing or not getting any indication from the street
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