Mr. Griffin. Is the room that you are talking about now, was that the jail office?
Mr. Pappas. No; this was the area immediately outside of the lineup room. The jail office is a much smaller area, and it is enclosed. And this was a wider, broader room.
Mr. Griffin. And the telephones were located in that particular room that you are talking about?
Mr. Pappas. Yes; they were on a counter-like affair.
Mr. Griffin. Did you have to go into the room to use the telephones, or could you stand in the hallway next to the counter?
Mr. Pappas. Well, as I recall it, when you stepped out of the lineup room, you were in the other room. And the phones were right there on the counter. In other words, the thing that marked off the room, or the beginning of the room, apparently, was the counter. And on the counter were the telephones.
Mr. Griffin. All right. Tell us what you did then, at that point. You picked up a telephone, or what happened?
Mr. Pappas. Henry Wade was on the phone to other radio stations, I imagine, or to other newsrooms, because he was being asked a question, and he was answering into a telephone. This is a technique that we use. I felt that it would be more expeditious for me to do it that way. And I picked up a phone, after Henry Wade had gotten toward the end of his interview—I picked up a phone and dialed New York, and I asked him, “Could you do this interview with me?” and he said, “Yes, but I have another phone call over there.” And he pointed across the room. Somebody had said, “Come over here.” I don’t know whether he recognized him or what. But he left my telephone, and I don’t know whether I hung up, or whether I had them wait in New York for me to get him back. But at any rate, this disturbed me, because it was long distance, and I had promised them this interview, and I wasn’t coming through with it immediately, and this is always frustrating.
It was at this point that I ran into Ruby—the first time that I recall. He came up to me as I was waiting for Wade and he said, “Where are you from?” I said, “New York.” He said, “Are you a reporter?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “How long are you going to be in town?” And I said, “I will be here as long as it takes to do this story.” And he reached into his pocket, and he pulled out a card. It said the Carousel Club on it. And I was amazed. I didn’t know who he was or what he was. My immediate impression of him was that he was a detective. He was well dressed, nattily dressed, I imagine.
Mr. Griffin. Do you recall his clothing?