At that time he asked me about 10 o’clock the next morning, and I told him we thought we could be ready by 10 o’clock the next morning. We went, I believe, an hour overtime with the interrogation, but we tried to finish up by 10 o’clock the next morning.
Mr. Hubert. Is there anything that makes you certain that the decision that the Dallas Police Department would be responsible for the transfer rather than the sheriff’s office, was made on Saturday rather than Sunday?
Captain Fritz. On Saturday rather than Sunday, I am sure that it was, because I had talked to the sheriff one time myself during one of those previous days, and I made some remark to him, something about the transfer, and he told me to bring him on when we were ready; so I can’t tell you exactly what conversation that was, but it was pretty well understood we were to do the transferring.
Mr. Hubert. That was a departure from the usual system?
Captain Fritz. We transferred a great many of the prisoners in major cases. It is not a usual thing. We don’t do it every day, but we often do it in major cases. It isn’t the sheriff’s duty to transfer the prisoner. It is usually done by a constable.
Mr. Hubert. You get a constable under the authority of the sheriff?
Captain Fritz. No, sir; under the authority of the constable. That is the usual procedure. But it is not unusual in major cases where we think that certain precautions should be used, for us to make the transfer. In fact, I transferred Ruby.
Mr. Hubert. Why is it that you do it rather than the sheriff?
Captain Fritz. It is just a matter of safety. It wouldn’t make a bit of difference with us who transferred him, just so that he was transferred safely and carefully. We don’t care. The sheriff sometimes transfers them. If I call him; when I think a man is a little bit unruly, the sheriff often handles the transfer.
I started to tell you, after they are filed on, they become the sheriff’s prisoner. I couldn’t tell you about the rules of transfer, why the constable transfers the other prisoners instead of the sheriff, but that is the usual thing.