Mr. Herndon. In other words, other than your being the owner of a nightclub, which because of the type of customers you occasionally have, you would have to use some force, perhaps hit a customer or hit someone in your club?
Mr. Ruby. Yes.
Mr. Herndon. Have you ever been involved in any other situation where you actually struck at somebody with a weapon? “Weapon” here I’m referring to as a gun, club, or knife or anything that would be other than just a normal fist-fight.
Mr. Ruby. Yes; that happened, but that was before I got in this trouble. This man threatened to kill me and was going to go for his gun, and I was nice enough to have him stay at my place and he was causing a nuisance in the vicinity of the club, causing brawls and all that and I tried to reprimand him, and a little boy of Italian descent and very gracious, somehow he got very belligerent with me, and I knew he had a car and he said, “I’m going to get my pistol,” and there’s a funny reaction about that. Once they get you cowered to that extent, then you’re doomed, and there’s a funny feeling, when I was with him, that you have with them. So, I got my pistol and I cornered him and I called him by his name and I called him a name, and I said, “You’re going to kill me, you so-and-so?” Finally he said, “I was only kidding, I was only kidding,” and there’s a certain reaction you have and I can’t explain it. That’s the only time any crime of that sort has ever happened outside of my business.
Mr. Herndon. Outside of your business?
Mr. Ruby. Yes, sir.
Mr. Herndon. Then, if I asked you whether or not you told me you ever hit anyone with any kind of weapon, unless something else comes up to your mind, you would answer that “Yes”?
Mr. Ruby. Yes, like if I was a goon or something.
Mr. Herndon. Yes, a union goon.
Mr. Ruby. A union goon. Right. I haven’t been a slugger or anything like that.