From the Warren Commission testimony of Billy Lovelady:
"Mr. BALL - What did you hear?
Mr. LOVELADY - I thought it was firecrackers or somebody celebrating the arrival of the President. It didn't occur to me at first what had happened until this Gloria came running up to us and told us the President had been shot.
Mr. BALL - Who was this girl?
Mr. LOVELADY - Gloria Calvary.
Mr. BALL - Gloria Calvary?
Mr. LOVELADY - Yes.
Mr. BALL - Where does she work?
Mr. LOVELADY - Southwestern Publishing Co."
Gloria Calvery was standing with several friends just a few feet away from the Stemmons Freeway sign.
There has been some doubt recently as to whether the woman ID'ed here as CalvEry is the right person. Suffice it to say she actually was down Elm St. a good distance, and did not likely get to the TSBD steps before Officer Baker.
"Mr. BALL - You were standing on which step?
Mr. LOVELADY - It would be your top level.
Mr. BALL - The top step you were standing there?
Mr. LOVELADY - Right.
Mr. BALL - Now, when Gloria came up you were standing near Mr. Shelley?
Mr. LOVELADY - Yeah.
Mr. BALL - When Gloria came up and said the President had been shot, Gloria Calvary, what did you do?
Mr. LOVELADY - Well, I asked who told her. She said he had been shot so we asked her was she for certain or just had she seen the shot hit him or--she said yes, she had been right close to it to see and she had saw the blood and knew he had been hit but didn't know how serious it was and so the crowd had started towards the railroad tracks back, you know, behind our building there and we run towards that little, old island and kind of down there in that little street. We went as far as the first tracks and everybody was hollering and crying and policemen started running out that way and we said we better get back into the building, so we went back into the west entrance on the back dock had that low ramp and went into the back dock back inside the building.
Mr. BALL - First of all, let's get you to tell us whom you left the steps with.
Mr. LOVELADY - Mr. Shelley."
This clearly establishes that Shelley and Lovelady did NOT leave the steps until Gloria Calvery came up to the TSBD steps from her position down near the Stemmons sign. Additional time must be added for her brief Q & A session with Shelley and Lovelady.
Now for the good part.
"Mr. BALL - You went down the dead end on Elm?
Mr. LOVELADY - Yes.
Mr. BALL - And down to the first tracks?
Mr. LOVELADY - Yes.
Mr. BALL - Did you see anything there?
Mr. LOVELADY - No, sir; well, just people running.
Mr. BALL - That's all?
Mr. LOVELADY - And hollerin.
Mr. BALL - How did you happen to go down there?
Mr. LOVELADY - I don't know, because everybody was running from that way and naturally, I guess---
Mr. BALL - They were running from that way or toward that way?
Mr. LOVELADY - Toward that way; everybody thought it was coming from that direction.
Mr. BALL - By the time you left the steps had Mr. Truly entered the building?
Mr. LOVELADY - As we left the steps I would say we were at least 15. maybe 25. steps away from the building. I looked back and I saw him and the policeman running into the building.
Mr. BALL - How many steps?
Mr. LOVELADY - Twenty, 25.
Mr. BALL - Steps away and you looked back and saw him enter the building?
Mr. LOVELADY - Yes."
"Mr. BALL - You heard the shots. And how long after that was it before Gloria Calvary came up?
Mr. LOVELADY - Oh, approximately 3 minutes, I would say.
Mr. BALL - Three minutes is a long time.
Mr. LOVELADY - Yes, it's---I say approximately; I can't say because I don't have a watch; it could.
So, let's see what we have here. After the last shot, Shelley and Lovelady remained on the steps for an estimated three minutes, and did not leave the steps until Gloria Calvery returned from the pergola area with news of the shooting she witnessed. Their departure was not immediate, as they had time to ask her several questions before they left for the rail yard. According to Lovelady, they were 20-25 steps down the Elm St. extension when they looked back and saw Truly and Baker running into the building. (notice Lovelady proffers the info about seeing the policeman running into the building without even being asked. What a good witness! He almost sounds coached!)
Here is corroborating testimony from the Warren Commission testimony of Bill Shelley:
"Mr. BALL - Did you see Truly, Mr. Truly and an officer go into the building?
Mr. SHELLEY - Yeah, we saw them right at the front of the building while we were on the island.
Mr. BALL - While you were out there before you walked to the railroad yards?
Mr. SHELLEY - Yes.
Mr. BALL - Do you have any idea how long it was from the time you heard those three sounds or three noises until you saw Truly and Baker going into the building?
Mr. SHELLEY - It would have to be 3 or 4 minutes I would say because this girl that ran back up there was down near where the car was when the President was hit.
Mr. BALL - She ran back up to the door and you had still remained standing there?
Mr. SHELLEY - Yes.
Mr. BALL - Going to watch the rest of the parade were you?
Mr. SHELLEY - Yes.
Mr. BALL - The Vice President hadn't gone by, had he, by your place?
Mr. SHELLEY - I don't know. I didn't recognize him. I did recognize Mr. Kennedy and his suntan I had been hearing about.
Mr. BALL - How did you happen to see Truly?
Mr. SHELLEY - We ran out on the island while some of the people that were out watching it from our building were walking back and we turned around and we saw an officer and Truly.
Mr. BALL - And Truly?
Mr. SHELLEY - Yes.
Mr. BALL - Did you see them go into the building?
MMr. SHELLEY - No; we didn't watch that long but they were at the first step like they were fixin' to go in.
Mr. BALL - Were they moving at the time, walking or running?
Mr. SHELLEY - Well, they were moving, yes.
Mr. BALL - Were they running?
Mr. SHELLEY - That, I couldn't swear to; there were so many people around."
So, Shelley backs up Lovelady's story, only instead of 3 minutes, he feels they were on the steps for 3-4 minutes following the last shot. He does agree with Lovelady, though, in that they did NOT leave the steps until Gloria Calvery came up from the site of the assassination. Maybe she was a track star? She sure didn't look like it.
Here is her wedding picture from early 1963.
Now that we know what Lovelady and Shelley believe happened, let's compare it to Baker's story. From the Warren Commission testimony of Marrion Baker:
"Mr. BELIN - In any event you heard the first shot, or when you heard this noise did you believe it was a shot or did you believe it was something else?
Mr. BAKER - It hit me all at once that it was a rifle shot because I had just got back from deer hunting and I had heard them pop over there for about a week.
Mr. BELIN - What kind of a weapon did it sound like it was coming from?
Mr. BAKER - It sounded to me like it was a high-powered rifle."
"Mr. BELIN - All right. After the third shot, then, what did you do?
Mr. BAKER - Well, I revved that motorcycle up and I went down to the corner which would be approximately 180 to 200 feet from the point where we had first stated, you know, that we heard the shots.
Mr. BELIN - What distance did you state? What we did on Friday afternoon, we paced off from the point you thought you heard the first shot to the point at which you parked the motorcycle, and this paced off to how much?
Mr. BAKER - From 180 to 200 feet.
Mr. BELIN - That is where you parked the motorcycle?
Mr. BAKER - Yes."
"Mr. BELIN - We then paced off the distance as to approximately how far it was from the place your motorcycle was parked to the doorway of the School Book Depository Building, do you remember doing that, on March 20?
Mr. BAKER - Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN - And it appears on Exhibit 477 that that doorway is recessed, is that correct?
Mr. BAKER - That is correct, sir.
Mr. BELIN - Do you remember how far that was from the place your motorcycle was parked to the doorway?
Mr. BAKER - Approximately 45 feet."
"Mr. BELIN - You then ran into the Building, is that correct?
Mr. BAKER - That is correct, sir.
Mr. BELIN - What did you see and what did you do as you ran into the building?
Mr. BAKER - As I entered this building, there was, it seems to me like there was outside doors and then there is a little lobby.
Mr. BELIN - All right.
Mr. BAKER - And then there are some inner doors and another door you have to go through, a swinging door type.
As I entered this lobby there were people going in as I entered. And I asked, I just spoke out and asked where the stairs or elevator was, and this man, Mr. Truly, spoke up and says, it seems to me like he says, "I am a building manager. Follow me, officer, and I will show you." So we immediately went out through the second set of doors, and we ran into the swinging door.
Mr. BELIN - All right."
"Mr. BAKER - We went back and made two trial runs on that, and---
Mr. BELIN - Was that on Friday, March 20?
Mr. BAKER - Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN - All right.
Mr. BAKER - And the first run we made it was a minute and 30 seconds, and--
Mr. DULLES - Will you say from what time to what time, from the last shot?
Mr. BAKER - From the last shot.
Mr. BELIN - The first shot.
Mr. DULLES - The first shot?
Mr. BAKER - The first shot.
We simulated the shots and by the time we got there, we did everything that I did that day, and this would be the minimum, because I am sure that I, you know. it took me a little longer.
Mr. DULLES - I want to get clear in my mind and for the record, it started at the first shot and when did it terminate, when you saw Oswald?
Mr. BAKER - When we saw Oswald.
Mr. DULLES - When you saw Oswald?
Mr. BAKER - Yes, sir.
Mr. DULLES - And that time is how much?
Mr. BAKER - The first run would be a minute and 30 seconds, and then we did it over, and we did it in a minute and 15 seconds."
Baker's time trials indicated that he was facing Oswald in the second floor lunch room in just over a minute and fifteen seconds from the time of the first shot. Considering the time spent inside the TSBD waiting for the elevator and climbing the stairs to the first floor, it is estimated, from the time of the last shot, twenty seconds elapsed before Baker entered the TSBD. To be fair, we can allot 30 or 40 seconds outside of the TSBD but, that will reduce the time inside of the building to 30 or 40 seconds.
Whatever amount of time we choose for Baker to run up the steps and enter the TSBD, it still clashes horribly with Shelley's and Lovelady's testimony. Remember, they remained on the steps for three minutes, until Gloria Calvery arrived, and likely spent another 30 seconds speaking to her. They then proceeded down the Elm St. extension, and were 20-25 steps away from the stairs before they looked back to see Truly and Baker enter the TSBD. Correction; only Lovelady saw them go up the steps. Shelley only saw them on the first step "like they were fixin' to go in".
In total, four minutes or more may have elapsed from the time of the last shot until Lovelady saw Baker and Truly enter the TSBD, compared to Baker's allotted time of a maximum of 40 seconds. If you really want to go with Lovelady as a reliable witness for Baker, then Baker entered the TSBD LONG after the time he testified to doing so. Maybe that explains why no witnesses on the steps, including Buell Wesley Frazier, could recall seeing the white helmeted Baker entering the TSBD when testifying before the Warren Commission.
Mr. HILL. The right rear portion of his head was missing. It was lying in the rear seat of the car. His brain was exposed. There was blood and bits of brain all over the entire rear portion of the car. Mrs. Kennedy was completely covered with blood. There was so much blood you could not tell if there had been any other wound or not, except for the one large gaping wound in the right rear portion of the head.
Warren Commission testimony of Secret Service Agent Clinton J. Hill, 1964