/internal/media/dispatcher/58849/fullT05 Transcript of State vs. Ruby: Motion for a Change of Venue, Volume 302/12/1964 - 02/14/196411 1/8 × 8 5/8 × 1 1/4 in. (28.3 × 21.9 × 3.2 cm)PaperLoaned Courtesy the Dallas County District Attorney's Office/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey PlazaL2017.1.3390Transcript of The State of Texas vs. Jack Rubenstein alias Jack Ruby, Hearing on Defendant's Motion for a Change of Venue, Volume Three. Appearing as witnesses in Volume 3: Sam R. Bloom, John McKee, Barefoot Sanders, W. M. Beavers, Jack Etheridge, Harold Berman, Jack Beers, R. S. Walker, Stanley Kaufman, Robert O'Donnell, Randolph Scott, Laurel Bates, T. K. Irwin, Walter Schumach, James Buchanan II, A. C. Lewis, Howard B. Law, Searcy Ferguson and Carl Freund.
Melvin Belli, Joe Tonahill, Phil Burleson and others spoke for Ruby; Henry Wade, Dallas County District Attorney, was the prosecutor, assisted by Jim Bowie and Bill Alexander. The presiding judge was Judge Joe B. Brown.
The defense examines multiple witnesses who are local lawyers, residents or representatives of Dallas newspapers, television and radio stations, in an effort to prove how difficult it would be to have a fair trial for Ruby in Dallas. Witnesses Robert O'Donnell, Randolph Scott, Walter Schumach, and Howard Law were direct examined on the stand by Ruby attorney Tom Howard. Some witnesses testify to the bad feeling in Dallas and how the city's reputation has suffered since the Oswald shooting. The state cross-examines the same witnesses, attempting to prove that it would be just as difficult to have any trial anywhere, since so much of the Ruby story has been nationally publicized. At the end, the judge states that he will not rule on change of venue until after the jurors have been examined.
Retains both original covers; typed pages 442 - 788 of very thin onionskin paper. Each page has a printed footer that reads, "James J. Muleady, Dallas, Texas" or "Shirley M. Stinebaugh \ Official Court Reporter \ RI 2-8274 \ Dallas, Texas".
The cover has a black printed box with the following text typed within it:
"No. E 4010-J
In the Criminal District Court
No. 3 in Dallas County, Texas.
January term, A. D. 1964.
----------
The State of Texas
vs.
Jack Rubenstein,
Alias Jack Ruby.
-----------
Statement of Facts
Hearing on Defendant's Motion
For a Change of Venue.
-----------
Volume Three
February 12 - 13, 14 - [handwritten above date] 1964, Pages 442 - 788
(COPY)"
In a small box at the bottom it names James J. Muleady the official court reporter and gives his contact information. That text is as follows:
"James J. Muleady
Official Court Reporter
Phone Davis 1-5882
Dallas, Texas"
A faded blue stamp beneath the black box is as follows:
"Henry Wade
District Attorney
Records Building
Dallas 2, Texas".
This object was originally part of the case file collected by the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, specifically prosecutors Henry Wade and Bill Alexander, during the legal proceedings leading to the Jack Ruby trial for the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald and following hearings and trials that were part of the appeal process.
Transcript in ok condition. Onionskin pages are in better condition than front and reverse covers; pages yellowed - some more than others. Covers are slightly discolored and have small stains; edges have tears and fold creases. Edges of three-hole punches have been worn with small tears. Deep vertical crease on front cover just to right of holes. (JM 12/02/2019)Documents6576421.907543815128.257556515166756Transcript3.1750063500Transcript of The State of Texas vs. Jack Rubenstein alias Jack Ruby, Hearing on Defendant's Motion for a Change of Venue, Volume Three.
Melvin Belli, Joe Tonahill, Phil Burleson and others spoke for Ruby; Henry Wade, Dallas County District Attorney, was the prosecutor, assisted by Jim Bowie and Bill Alexander. The presiding judge was Judge Joe B. Brown.
Appearing as witnesses in Volume 3: Sam R. Bloom, John McKee, Barefoot Sanders, W. M. Beavers, Jack Etheridge, Harold Berman, Jack Beers, R. S. Walker, Stanley Kaufman, Robert O'Donnell, Randolph Scott, Laurel Bates, T. K. Irwin, Walter Schumach, James Buchanan II, A. C. Lewis, Howard B. Law, Searcy Ferguson and Carl Freund.
The defense examined multiple witnesses who were local lawyers, residents or representatives of Dallas newspapers, television and radio stations, in an effort to prove how difficult it would be to have a fair trial for Ruby in Dallas. Some witnesses testified to the bad feeling in Dallas and how the city's reputation had suffered since the Oswald shooting. The state cross-examined the same witnesses, attempting to prove that it would be just as difficult to have the trial anywhere, since so much of the Ruby story was nationally publicized. At the end, the judge stated that he would not rule on change of venue until after the jurors have been examined.
Retains both original covers; typed pages 442 - 788 of very thin onionskin paper.
Text on the cover:
"No. E 4010-J
In the Criminal District Court
No. 3 in Dallas County, Texas.
January term, A. D. 1964.
----------
The State of Texas
vs.
Jack Rubenstein,
Alias Jack Ruby.
-----------
Statement of Facts
Hearing on Defendant's Motion
For a Change of Venue.
-----------
Volume Three
February 12 - 13 - 14, 1964, Pages 442 - 788"
In a small box at the bottom it names James J. Muleady the official court reporter and gives his contact information. A blue stamp says, "Henry Wade, District Attorney".Jack Ruby trialEvidenceDA's Ruby fileTrialsPressCourt recordsTranscriptsHearingWitnessesJuryRuby, JackBelli, MelvinTonahill, Joe H.Burleson, PhilWade, Henry M.Alexander, William F.Brown, Judge Joe B.Bloom, SamSanders, BarefootMcKee, JohnMuleady, James J.Stinebaugh, Shirley M.Bowie, JimBeers, JackKaufman, StanleyFreund, CarlBeavers, W. M.Etheridge, JackBerman, HaroldWalker, R. S.Scott, RandolphBates, LaurelO'Donnell, RobertIrwin, T. K.Schumach, WalterBuchanan, James, IILaw, Howard B.Ferguson, SearcyLewis, A. C.Howard, TomDallas County District Attorney's OfficeState of TexasDallas County Criminal Courts BuildingCriminal District Court No. 3DallasThe Museum recorded oral histories with the following individuals named in this document: U.S. Attorney Barefoot Sanders, Dallas attorney Harold Berman, defense attorneys Joe Tonahill and Phil Burleson and Dallas County D.A. Henry Wade. In addition, Robert Bloom, son of the late Sam Bloom, recorded an oral history with the Museum. - Stephen Fagin, CuratorIn the 1964 book, Dallas Justice: The Real Story of Jack Ruby and His Trial, written by Melvin Belli with journalist Maurice "Mickey" Carroll, Chapter 9, "Conscience of a City," is devoted to this change-of-venue hearing. Belli and Carroll wrote that, in private, the vast majority of the Dallas residents that Belli encountered "confessed [that] they shared our doubts that this grievously wounded community, defensively self-conscious even before the tragic November weekend, now worried sick about its economic destiny, could possibly give Jack Ruby a fair trial." The problem was, in Belli's opinion, that few wanted to vocalize such concerns on the witness stand. The authors cite Neiman-Marcus president, Stanley Marcus, as one of the few who agreed publicly that the trial should be moved elsewhere. Reflecting on the moment that Judge Joe B. Brown announced that the trial would remain in Dallas, Belli and Carroll wrote: "Dallas braced to welcome still another horde of newspaper people. Nine hundred county citizens got ready to report for jury duty Monday morning. We prepared to show that it was impossible to find a fair jury in Dallas." - Stephen Fagin, CuratorWhen Judge Brown refused to hand down a ruling on the application for a Change of Venue at the end of these proceedings, he in effect rendered the upcoming jury-selection proceedings to have double significance: the jury would be selected and, based on an assessment of the jurors' impartiality, the judge would then rule both on the official empanelment of the jury and on the success or failure of the Change of Venue application. Empanelment is the process of selecting the members of a jury that will hear a case from amongst a pool of persons summoned for jury duty. - Lindsey Richardson, Curator of Collections