Mr. BALL - And when you did look down there between the cartons, was the gun----
Mr. MOONEY - It was sitting in that position. The scope was up.
Mr. BALL - As shown in 514?
Mr. MOONEY - Yes, sir. That is the way it was laying, in that position.
Senator COOPER - It was lying on the floor?
Mr. MOONEY - Yes, sir.
Senator COOPER - With the scope on the upper side?
Mr. MOONEY - The scope in upright position. The stock was back to the east. In other words, the gun was pointed west.
Later addition:
Tom Alyea reports that Day slid the rifle out from under the boxes before he picked it up.
Day sliding it out wasn't filmed.
Day picking it up is the film we see
Tom Alyea reports that Day slid the rifle out from under the boxes before he picked it up. Well, when the Alyea fillm is scurtinized.... Day's action of picking up the carcano could be described as "sliding the rifle out"
And I was about 10 or 15 steps at the most from Officer Boone when he hollered, "Here is the gun."
Mr. BALL - Did you go over there?
Mr. MOONEY - I stepped over there.
Mr. BALL - What did you see?
Mr. MOONEY - I had to look twice before I actually saw the gun laying in there. I had to get around to the right angle before I could see it. And there the gun lay, stuck between these cartons in an upright position. The scope was up.
Mr. BALL - Well, now, will show you a picture, 514.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 514, for identification.)
Senator COOPER - Did you smell any powder?
Mr. MOONEY - No, sir; not to my knowledge. Of course it was musty odor, with all those cartons and books there.
Mr. BALL - Do you see the picture which is 514? Does it look like anything like that?
Mr. MOONEY - Yes, sir; with the exception there was more cartons around it than that. In other words, the way it looked to me, when I walked over there of course
these may have been disturbed at a later date.Mr. BALL - It looks like there are more cartons?
Mr. MOONEY -
No; there is less cartons around it right now. Of course that is looking straight down. Now, there are some more boxes here.
Mr. BALL - I show you a picture which we will mark as 515.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 515 for identification.)
Mr. MOONEY - But that is in the position the gun was laying.
Mr. BALL - That is about the position of the gun?
Mr. MOONEY - Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL - Now, here is a picture of that marked stairway. Can you orient yourself from that picture?
Mr. MOONEY - Let's see. Here is the staircase right in here.
If I remember right, the gun was either in this crack or this one here. I don't remember which.Mr. BALL - Does that show you about the number of cartons around?
Mr. MOONEY - Yes, sir; that is the way it looked; sure did, because
I had to stand up back here, before I could see over off in there.Mr. BALL - And when you did look down there between the cartons, was the gun----
Mr. MOONEY - It was sitting in that position. The scope was up.
Mr. BALL - As shown in 514?
Mr. MOONEY - Yes, sir. That is the way it was laying, in that position.
Senator COOPER - It was lying on the floor?
Mr. MOONEY - Yes, sir.
Senator COOPER - With the scope on the upper side?
Mr. MOONEY - The scope in upright position.
The stock was back to the east. In other words, the gun was pointed west.Mr. BALL - Did a photographer come up and take pictures when you were there?
Mr. MOONEY - There was a number of photographers up there shooting pictures. Who they were or who they represented--I assume it was the press.
Mr. BALL - How long were they there?
Mr. MOONEY - They were there when all these officers and everybody was up there.