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(Testimony of Mrs. Lillian Murret Resumed)
Mr. Jenner.
Did this boy come over to visit you occasionally when they were living in Exchange Alley?
Mrs. Murret.
Yes; he did. Before he got the job with Tujague's, he liked seafood, you see, and he used to come over from school on a Friday afternoon to get his Friday dinner, because he knew I always cooked seafood on Friday, so he always came on Friday, and then he would come again on Saturday morning and I would give him money to rent a bike at City Park, and you know, he thought that was one of the greatest things he could do, and he was very happy riding a bike up in City Park. My children had a bike, but it seemed like he wanted to go up in the park rather than ride their bicycles, and sometimes I would have to get my children back or something, and I would have to give him more money so that he could keep his bike another hour.
Now, when he was going to Beauregard, Joyce, one of my daughters who lives in Beaumont----
Mr. Jenner.
Beaumont, Tex.?
Mrs. Murret.
Yes, sir; well, I don't think Joyce was married then. I can't think whether she was or not, but anyway, we went to the store and we bought Lee a lot of clothes that we thought he might need so he would look presentable to go to school, you know, whatever a boy needs, and when we gave them to him, he said, "Well, why are you all doing this for me?" And we said, "Well, Lee, for one thing, we love you, and another thing we want you to look nice when you go to school, like the other children." So that was that.
Mr. Jenner.
Did he wear this clothing to school?
Mrs. Murret.
Oh, yes; he wore the clothing that we bought him.
Mr. Jenner.
Did he say anything else with regard to your purchasing this clothing for him?
Mrs. Murret.
No; he never would discuss anything. He was very independent. Like one time I remember asking him a question about something, and he said, "I don't need anything from anybody," and that's when I told him, I said, "Now listen, Lee, don't you get so independent that you don't think you need anyone, because we all need somebody at one time or other," I said, "so don't you ever get that independent, that you should feel that you don't need anybody, because you do need somebody, sometime you will."
Mr. Jenner.
Do you think that a little of this independence might have rubbed off from his mother, in the light of your experiences with your sister?
Mrs. Murret.
Well, she was independent herself all right. She didn't think she needed anybody either, so I guess he sort of got that from her, but I know that there are times when we always need somebody, and if you don't have somebody to turn to, then you don't know what to do sometimes. I would hate to feel that I never needed anybody.
Mr. Jenner.
Did Lee seem to have that propensity, that when you did things for him, that he didn't seem to want you doing anything for him?
Mrs. Murret.
I don't think he seemed to be very appreciative for anything you did for him. Now, I will say this, at the time he was receiving something, like these clothes, he seemed to be very happy about it, but it didn't last any time, and he never would put it in words at least anyway. We were probably the only people that he knew as relatives. I don't think he knew anyone else in the family.
Mr. Jenner.
In the Oswald family, do you mean?
Mrs. Murret.
In the Oswald family or any other family. I mean, we were the only ones he knew, and I got to know him pretty well since I took care of him while she had the other two boys in this place, after she gave birth to Lee, but along with him I had these five children of my own to take care of, and I had a colored girl working for me. When John was born, I had a child that was just a few months older than John Edward, but I gave her my girl for weeks, and I was struggling along with my five, and a baby the same age as she had, you know. I tried to do all I could to help her.
Mr. Jenner.
Would you recognize Lee's handwriting if you saw it?
Mrs. Murret.
I don't say that I would. I may. I may have expressed it before, but I thought he had a very childish handwriting.
Mr. Jenner.
Did you see his handwriting often?
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