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(Testimony of Mrs. Lillian Murret Resumed)
Mrs. Murret.
Well. that was a pretty nice apartment she had there.
Mr. Jenner.
On Exchange Alley?
Mrs. Murret.
Yes; that was a nice apartment that she had. A lot of people would be surprised, because with all those poolrooms and everything down below, it looks like a pretty rough section, but she had a real nice apartment. I know we read in the papers about, you know, condemning that section where the boy lived, and so forth, you know, and all that sort of stuff, but they would be surprised at how nice an apartment that was up there that they had. A lot of people like to live in the French Quarter just because it's the Vieux Carre, and because of that reason rents are pretty high.
Anyway, her rent was considered reasonable. She had her own bedroom, and she had a large living room, and breakfast room and bath. It was a very nice place, and she fixed it up real nice. Lee had the bedroom, and my sister used to sleep on the studio couch and she found the apartment really convenient, being right off of Canal Street and everything. If she wanted to go to the movie, it was just down the block, and if she wanted to go to any other stores, she was right in that area where she could go, so actually it was economical to live that close to Canal Street, so she actually saved money that way, she told me.
Of course, they had these poolrooms and so forth in that section, but I don't think that Lee ever went into those places, because he never was a boy that got into any trouble. For one thing, he never did go out. We all knew that he should have been going out, but he stayed in and read or something. The average teenager who was going to school at Beauregard would have probably been in there shooting pool and things like that, but he didn't do that. His morals were very good. His character seemed to be good, and he was very polite and refined. There was one thing he did: he walked very straight. He always did, and some people thought that was part of his attitude, that he was arrogant or something like that, but of course you can't please everybody.
Mr. Jenner.
But he did have a good opinion of himself, did he not?
Mrs. Murret.
Oh, yes; he did.
Mr. Jenner.
Did you hear from him when he was in Russia?
Mrs. Murret.
One time I heard--it was a postcard, and I think it was the last Christmas that he spent in Russia, and he wrote this postcard, and all he had on it was, "Merry Christmas," and he said on it, "Write to my mother," and he gave me the box number on the card. Now, I wanted to keep this card, but I had the children at the house at the time, and I laid the card on the side, and I didn't copy the address when I did write out a postcard to send to him, and in the meantime Gene----
Mr. Jenner.
That's your son Gene?
Mrs. Murret.
Yes; he was at the seminary, and they were saving foreign stamps in connection with something over at the seminary, so he took that card with him, and after I had written the card to Lee, the children tore it up, so I didn't have the address any more.
When I wrote to Lee I didn't want to write anything in a letter, you know, so I just wrote it on an open card, but the children tore that up and I lost the address, so I couldn't write to him at that point.
Mr. Jenner.
You did write a card, but your children tore it up?
Mrs. Murret.
Well, my grandchildren; it was just a postcard, you know.
Mr. Jenner.
So there wasn't any communication between you or any member of your family and Lee while he was in Russia, is that right?
Mrs. Murret.
That's right. We just got that one card from Lee, and I never answered it because the card was destroyed before I could mail it.
Mr. Jenner.
When next did you hear about Lee? I mean now, before you saw him, when next did you hear about him?
Mrs. Murret.
Well, I just heard that he was over in Russia, that he had defected to that country, but they came to New Orleans after that, and then they went back to Texas.
Mr. Jenner.
You mean Marguerite?
Mrs. Murret.
Yes; they were over here after that.
Mr. Jenner.
Did she live in New Orleans for a while then?
Mrs. Murret.
No.
Mr. Jenner.
She just came for a visit?
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