Mr. Griffin. Did any of his employees ever complain to you about Jack having physically abused them?
Mr. Palmer. Yes.
Mr. Griffin. Which employees, or which employee?
Mr. Palmer. Well, it was not what would constitute a complaint against the employer, so I couldn’t follow it up from an AGVA or union standpoint. But I know that he did strike Earl Norman on occasion and call him a drunk and was detrimental to his career by calling other establishments where Earl was employed, and indicating that he was an inebriate.
Mr. Griffin. Did Earl tell you this?
Mr. Palmer. Earl told me this, and our booking agent, Pappy Dolson, indicated that he was having difficulty booking Earl because of things that were being said, and he didn’t say that Jack had said them. Later Jack admitted to me that he was the one that had said these things, and he said he was sorry for them. And I believe at later date he did take Earl back to work for him.
Mr. Griffin. Was this instance sometime before the President came to Dallas?
Mr. Palmer. Yes. I think he struck Jada on occasion, or as she put it, “shoved me around.”
Several of the other girls had been manhandled by Jack for various reasons. I am not certain what they all are. Jack has a tendency to be frugal to a point of not always being honest on occasion. The girls would draw money in advance, and sometimes his bookkeeping was too much in his favor for a very small amount. On the other hand, he was quick to give them money if they needed it for anything. To buy a radio, he would give them $40, but come payday, it might be $42 he thought he gave, and it would take moments of understanding before he coughed up the other $2.
Mr. Griffin. Do you remember the circumstances under which Jada quit working for Jack?