Mr. Montgomery. Probably was a year and a half. My partner—after I gave that to the agent there, this partner advised me that one night we were driving down Commerce Street and Jack pulled up beside of us and spoke to us in his car. I don’t recall seeing him, but my partner told me he—that we had seen him there. That shouldn’t have been too long before all this happened. I guess two or three——
Mr. Griffin. Who was your partner that told you that?
Mr. Montgomery. It was Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Griffin. What’s his first name?
Mr. Montgomery. Marvin Johnson, but I don’t recall seeing Ruby then, at that time.
Mr. Griffin. You stated in here, I think it is 5006—at least it’s reported that as you “brought Oswald down into the jail area the two officers with Oswald between them and Montgomery hesitated before going into this corridor while Capt. J. W. Fritz checked with Chief——to see if the area was clear.” Agent Bookhout hasn’t indicated here what chief that was. Are you able to fill in that blank?
Mr. Montgomery. Well, actually what that was was I told him, “Chief,” say who did the captain talk to when he stepped out that door. I couldn’t see. I just told him I thought it was the chief. I didn’t know. I didn’t—maybe it wasn’t even a chief that he talked to. It was some lieutenant out there that told him, that is why I say at that particular time I was hesitant on this. This “chief” business then.
Mr. Griffin. Do you have anything else that you want to tell us that we haven’t already covered that you think might be of use to the Commission?
Mr. Montgomery. Oh, well, I don’t know of anything. Looks like you all have covered it pretty well, and, of course, these reports here have it, too. One thing they say is not in here either. It is not—I haven’t told you yet, is when we had Ruby down on the floor inside the jail office there, that while we had him down and was holding him on the floor there he said he hoped he killed the s.o.b.
Mr. Griffin. You heard him say that?