{"object":[{"sourceId":{"label":"Source ID","value":"13257"},"creditline":{"label":"Credit Line","value":"Phil Willis Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza"},"labelText":{"label":"Description","value":"Newspaper clipping of an article titled \"U.S. Jury Sets Value of Zero on Oswald Rifle\" from The Dallas Morning News dated February 25, 1969. The article describes how oilman John King lost his bid to be paid for his ownership claims on Lee Harvey Oswald's Mannlicher-Carcano rifle after a federal jury ruled that Oswald had abandoned the rifle and that King therefore could not have purchased the rifle from Marina Oswald. The suit was filed by King against the U.S. Government after Congress passed a law stating that Oswald's guns were part of the National Archives.\r\n\r\nThe text of the article reads as follows:\r\n\r\nThe Dallas Morning News\r\nTuesday, February 25, 1969\r\n\r\nU.S. Jury Sets Value \r\nOf Zero on Oswald Rifle\r\n\r\nDenver (AP) - Oilman John \r\nKing lost his bid Monday to be \r\npaid for the rifle used to assassi-\r\nnate President Kennedy.\r\n\r\nA federal court jury ruled Lee \r\nHarvey Oswald abandoned the \r\nrifle after the Dallas shooting \r\nand therefore King could not \r\nhave purchased it from Os-\r\nwald's widow.\r\n\r\nThe jury, in a verdict reached \r\nFriday and opened Monday, set \r\nthe value of the Italian mail-or-\r\nder rifle at zero.\r\n\r\nThe panel of three women and \r\nnine men awarded King $350 for \r\nthe .38-caliber pistol used to kill \r\nDallas patrolman J. D. Tippit \r\nfollowing the Kennedy slaying.\r\n\r\nKing had paid Mrs. Marina \r\nOswald $10,000 for the weapons \r\nand the right to exhibit them, \r\nand Mrs. Oswald was to get an-\r\nother $35,000 once King actually \r\ngot possession of the weapons.\r\n\r\nAfter the contract was signed, \r\nCongress passed a law making \r\nthe guns part of the national \r\narchives and specifying owners \r\nof the property would receive \r\n\"just compensation.\"\r\n\r\nKing filed suit, seeking $5 mil-\r\nlion for the two guns. He testi-\r\nfied during the trial last week \r\nthat as a gun collector, he \r\nvalued the rifle at $450,000, al-\r\nthough Oswald paid $21.45 for it.\r\n\r\nThe government contended \r\nOswald abandoned the rifle and \r\ntherefore Mrs. Oswald had no \r\nclaim on it or authority to sell it. \r\nThe jury upheld this view.\r\n\r\nThe award for the pistol was \r\nnot connected with the abandon-\r\nment question, since that gun \r\nwas taken from Oswald when he \r\nwas arrested. He had paid $29.95 \r\nfor it."},"invno":{"label":"Object number","value":"1996.006.0323"},"description":{"label":"Description","value":"Clipping of an article titled \"U.S. Jury Sets Value of Zero on Oswald Rifle\" from The Dallas Morning News, February 25, 1969.  The article describes how John King lost his bid to be paid for his ownership claims on Lee Harvey Oswald's rifle after a federal jury ruled that Oswald had abandoned the rifle and so Marina Oswald (who sold the rifle to King) had no claim on it.\r\n\r\nThe text of the article reads as follows:\r\n\r\nThe Dallas Morning News\r\nTuesday, February 25, 1969\r\n\r\nU.S. Jury Sets Value Of Zero on Oswald Rifle\r\n\r\nDenver (AP) - Oilman John King lost his bid Monday to be paid for the rifle used to assassinate President Kennedy.\r\n\r\nA federal court jury ruled Lee Harvey Oswald abandoned the rifle after the Dallas shooting and therefore King could not have purchased it from Oswald's widow.\r\n\r\nThe jury, in a verdict reached Friday and opened Monday, set the value of the Italian mail-order rifle at zero.\r\n\r\nThe panel of three women and nine men awarded King $350 for the .38-caliber pistol used to kill Dallas patrolman J. D. Tippit following the Kennedy slaying.\r\n\r\nKing had paid Mrs. Narina Oswald $10,000 for the weapons and teh right to exhibit them, and Mrs. Oswald was to get another $35,000 once King actually got possession of the weapons.\r\n\r\nAfter the contract was signed, Congress passed a law making the guns part of the national archives and specifying owners of the property would receive \"just compensation.\"\r\n\r\nKing filed suit, seeking $5 million for the two guns. He testified during the trial last week that as a gun collector, he valued the rifle at $450,000, although Oswald paid $21.45 for it.\r\n\r\nThe government contended Oswald abandoned the rifle and therefore Mrs. Oswald had no claim on it or authority to sell it. The jury upheld this view.\r\n\r\nThe award for the pistol was not connected with the abandonment question, since that gun was taken from Oswald when he was arrested. He had paid $29.95 for it."},"medium":{"label":"Medium","value":"Newsprint"},"onview":{"label":"On View","value":"0"},"media":{"label":"Media","value":[{"mediaURL":"https://emuseum.jfk.org/internal/media/dispatcher/12906/full","displayOrder":"0","mediaType":"Image","mediaId":"12906"}]},"title":{"label":"Title","value":"Oswald rifle newspaper clipping from The Dallas Morning News, 02/25/1969"},"classification":{"label":"Classifications","value":"Newspapers & Magazines"},"primaryMedia":{"label":"PrimaryMedia","value":"/internal/media/dispatcher/12906/full"},"depth":{"label":"Depth","value":["0E-10"]},"thesconcepts":{"label":"Terms","value":["Newspapers","Rifles","Firearms","Mannlicher-Carcano","Lawsuit","King, John J.","Oswald, Marina","The Dallas Morning News","Associated Press (AP)","Dallas"]},"culture":{"label":"Object","value":"Clipping"},"displayDate":{"label":"Date","value":"02/25/1969"},"width":{"label":"Width","value":["9.3345186690"]},"textEntriesTextentries":{"label":"Curatorial Commentary","value":["John J. King was an independent oilman and prominent gun collector in Englewood, Colorado, when he tried to purchase the two weapons that investigators concluded were used to murder President Kennedy and Dallas police officer J.D. Tippit. He told UPI in 1965 that he simply wanted the guns \"for his private collection\" and, at least at that time, had no plans to put them on public display.  \r\nAssistant U.S. Attorney B.H. \"Tim\" Timmins, who presented the government's case in federal court, recorded oral histories with the Museum in 2003 and 2004. He passed away in 2013. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator","This clipping came from page 14A of The Dallas Morning News on Tuesday, February 25, 1969. There were two other news articles on the rifle case published in the Morning News the previous Friday and Saturday. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator"]},"id":{"label":"Id","value":"64064"},"dimensions":{"label":"Dimensions","value":"5 1/2 x 3 11/16 in. (14 x 9.3 cm)"},"height":{"label":"Height","value":["13.9700279401"]}}]}