03-10-2018, 02:18 AM
Perhaps all accounts of Tippit's gun movements involve Scoggins (unless to deny it altogether), and he was on Leavelle's list of eyewitnesses after belatedly backing into that role. Leavelle's Supplementary Offense Report devotes a long paragraph to Callaway, Markham & Guinyard as eyewitnesses followed by Benavides as a non-eyewitness, the quartet united by their presence at DPD HQ on 11/22. Next paragraph talks about Scoggins:
Finally:
The last reference to Callaway is echoed in Callaway's 11/22 DPD affidavit, likewise terse.
This role remains almost unchallenged despite evidence to the contrary (previously discussed) and lack of corroboration, unless Benavides' quip to WC about Ted's ignorance of the escape route qualifies as such, but I don't think so. Instead Benavides was saying that Callaway was the wrong man.
Leavelle was curiously lax about Scoggins, not taking an affidavit until the 23rd, garbling the information received over the phone on the 22nd, and never confirming the identity of his passenger, the man who commandeered the cab, purportedly the same who worked across the street from Scoggins' club. Why so soft?
Because Callaway was not the passenger, and it was necessary to conceal the true identity of the man who commandeered the cab, a cop in need of a quick exit from the scene. Hill & Olsen were both in the area at the right time.
Scoggins is a fit for the former's 1:26 radio transmission ("I'm at 12th and Beckley now - have a man in the car with me that can identify the suspect if anybody gets him, the one."). Russell was taken into a squad car but never left the scene, and nobody else mentioned anything similar until Scoggins testified as follows to WC questioning:
This clears up two things. One, it establishes the identity of Hill's eyewitness. Two, it eliminates Hill from consideration as the man who commandeered the cab.
Harry stands alone, the man who lied about everything including his address on his marriage license. He's there but so elusive as to be almost ethereal. Very strong Ruby ties and resident at 321 N. Ewing where Scoggins took a fare before breaking for lunch, a point rubbed into his WC testimony three times. Scoggins never said where he drove but came closest in the 12/2/63 SS statement:
Going north to look for the fugitive cop-killer made no sense at all, but is the obvious route back to Olsen's apartment -- north on Patton then a right on 8th to N. Ewing, less than a mile. An easy trip, although Olsen in the next seat imposing injunctions at the point of a gun may not have been pleasant company. It didn't last long, a quick return and he was off to 12th and Beckley with Hill.
There is another witness who has not viewed this suspect, who I have talked to on the phone, who stated that he was driving Oak Cliff Cab, Number 213, and he was parked about 20 feet away at the time shooting took place, that the suspect ran past him in a matter of a few feet, that he heard the man mumble, "The poor dumb cop" about twice. He will be able to identify this man. The witness's name is W. W. Scoggins, 3138 Alaska, FR 4-2955.
Finally:
All of the above witnesses, with the exception of Scoggins, made affidavits. Witness Callaway took the officer's pistol and got in the cab with Scoggins and persued [sic] suspect, but was unable to catch him.
The last reference to Callaway is echoed in Callaway's 11/22 DPD affidavit, likewise terse.
I got the officer's gun and hollered at a cab driver to come on, We might catch the man. We got into his cab, number 213 and drove up Patton to Jefferson and looked all around, but did not see him.
This role remains almost unchallenged despite evidence to the contrary (previously discussed) and lack of corroboration, unless Benavides' quip to WC about Ted's ignorance of the escape route qualifies as such, but I don't think so. Instead Benavides was saying that Callaway was the wrong man.
Leavelle was curiously lax about Scoggins, not taking an affidavit until the 23rd, garbling the information received over the phone on the 22nd, and never confirming the identity of his passenger, the man who commandeered the cab, purportedly the same who worked across the street from Scoggins' club. Why so soft?
Because Callaway was not the passenger, and it was necessary to conceal the true identity of the man who commandeered the cab, a cop in need of a quick exit from the scene. Hill & Olsen were both in the area at the right time.
Scoggins is a fit for the former's 1:26 radio transmission ("I'm at 12th and Beckley now - have a man in the car with me that can identify the suspect if anybody gets him, the one."). Russell was taken into a squad car but never left the scene, and nobody else mentioned anything similar until Scoggins testified as follows to WC questioning:
After I had got in the car and toured the neighborhood and then the policemen came along and I left my cab setting down there and got in a car with them and left the scene.
IIIp337
This clears up two things. One, it establishes the identity of Hill's eyewitness. Two, it eliminates Hill from consideration as the man who commandeered the cab.
Harry stands alone, the man who lied about everything including his address on his marriage license. He's there but so elusive as to be almost ethereal. Very strong Ruby ties and resident at 321 N. Ewing where Scoggins took a fare before breaking for lunch, a point rubbed into his WC testimony three times. Scoggins never said where he drove but came closest in the 12/2/63 SS statement:
We proceeded north on Patton and possibly turned west on 10th. We cruised an area north of 10th street looking for the man I had seen, but we did not see him. When we left the intersection of 10th and Patton we did not go to Patton and Jefferson, but went in a northerly direction which would be opposite from the intersection of Patton and Jefferson streets.
Going north to look for the fugitive cop-killer made no sense at all, but is the obvious route back to Olsen's apartment -- north on Patton then a right on 8th to N. Ewing, less than a mile. An easy trip, although Olsen in the next seat imposing injunctions at the point of a gun may not have been pleasant company. It didn't last long, a quick return and he was off to 12th and Beckley with Hill.