DescriptionThis is the cash register used at Jack Ruby's Carousel Club in 1963. It measures 17" H x 17 1/4" W x 16 1/4' D. The cash register is extremely heavy and is made primarily of metal. A small counter made of porcelain is attached directly on top of the cash drawer. The cash register was manufactured by The National Cash Register Company of Dayton, Ohio, as is identified by a metal plaque underneath the cash drawer. The metal buttons of the register identify common amounts of currency including "$5," "$4," "$3," "$2," and "$1" as well as denominations of cents in increments of $0.01 from ".01" to ".10" and then increments of $0.10 through ".90." The final button indicates "No Sale." A corresponding metal sign tied to each button would pop up in the glass-enclosed top potion of the cash register that would indicate to the customer the amount of the transaction. These buttons would thus allow a user to complete a sale of any amount. Once the appropriate buttons were depressed, the corresponding metal signs in the glass-enclosed section would raise up, and then the cash drawer would open, allowing the sale to be complete. The serial or model number of the cash register is "1961392 / 730," which is identified by a metal plaque on the top of the cash register. This type of cash register did not have an attached method of printing receipts, although many similar styles from the time did.
Curatorial Commentary
This cash register from Jack Ruby’s Carousel Club has a very interesting history. Following the Kennedy assassination, the cash register was stored along with other fixtures and furniture from the Carousel Club at a Dallas storage rental. Due to nonpayment of the rental fee, everything was forfeited to the owner of the warehouse, who in turn sold the property to L. G. Ware, co-owner of Athens Transfer and Storage Co. in Athens, Texas. All of the Carousel Club fixtures and furniture were auctioned at the company's warehouse on April 29, 1972. The auction included everything from tables and chairs to the kitchen grease trap and a vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately for Ware, the centerpiece of the auction – an 800-pound steel safe that was allegedly last opened by Ruby himself – was allegedly stolen days prior to the auction.
This cash register is specifically referenced in the Warren Commission Report. Larry Crafard, who lived for about one month at the Carousel Club doing cleaning and odd jobs for Ruby, testified that, with Ruby's permission, he took $5 from the cash register on Saturday, November 23, before leaving the club for good and hitchhiking to Michigan. The Commission's Report also stated that Jack Ruby rarely employed bank accounts, "operated his clubs on a cash basis," and typically "carried his cash with him, paying the bulk of his expenses and debts directly out of club receipts." This suggests that Ruby likely took most or all of the cash out of this register on a nightly basis. At the time of the Oswald shooting, Ruby had more than $2,000 in cash on his person, with another $1,000 in the trunk of his car. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator
The National Cash Register Company was founded in 1884 by John Henry Patterson. After a slow start, the company eventually formed a monopoloy on cash register manufacturing. As a result, it was convicted in the mid-1910s of breaking the Sherman Anti-Trust law. Despite this setback, the company continued to thrive. By the 1950s and 60s, it had branched out into the emerging world of computers, and by 1974, it had changed names to "NCR Corporation," which still exists today selling specialized office equipment including modern Point of Sale (POS) systems.
