Is This Proof that Oswald was Not in Clinton, Louisiana?

Hat Tip: Jerry Shinley.

Back in 2000, researcher Jerry Shinley found a description of a voter registration drive in Clinton, Louisiana in the CORE papers which matched a statement of Clinton witness Henry Palmer.

Here is a a field report of a registration event from October 10, 1963:

Early this morning we had 14 people at the house ready to go to the registrars office at 8:00 A.M. The[y] walked from Mama Jo's [Josephine Holmes] house to the registrars office. By the end of the day 24 persons had attempted to register; however, not one of them passed. Complaint forms were made out for all. It was reported that the registrar left his office for a short period.

The entire operation was handled by local CORE people, Verla Bell and Loria Davis were in charge, and did quite a nice job. They are able to run this phase of the program alone from here.

According to this interview with Clinton witness Corrie Collins, Verla Bell was at the drive:

Sciambra wrote her first name as Verna rather than Verla.

In his second report, Collins says that both Verla Bell and Laura [sic] Davis were at the drive:

Shinley notes that this account matches some of Henry Earl Palmer's recollections:

Palmer remembered "a long line of colored people lined up to register ... "

The only other drive in Clinton was on August 23, 1963.

Here is Verla Bell's report of a event on August 23, 1963:

Shinley notes that "this doesn't match the description of a long line of people waiting when the registrar's office opened."

And, of course, Oswald could not have been in Clinton on October 10, 1963, as he was already back in Dallas from his trip to Mexico City.

There certainly might additional information in CORE archives beyond what is online.

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Previous Relevant Blog Posts on the Clinton Witnesses

A Summary of the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses

A summary of the story and links to my 19-part series on Clinton/Jackson

The Witnesses

The Witnesses from Clinton and Jackson, Louisiana 

Part One: The witnesses testify at the trial of Clay Shaw.

Clay Shaw's Attorneys Rebut the Clinton Witnesses 

Part Two: A response to the allegations made by the Clinton/Jackson witnesses.

Why Did the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses Not Come Forward?

Part Five: None of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses came forward in 1963-1964.

Did Reeves Morgan Contact the FBI? 

Part Eleven: Reeves Morgan claimed he called the FBI right after the JFK assassination. But did he really?

The Local Environment

A Backgrounder to East Feliciana Parish and the Politics of the Early 1960s 

Part Three: A look at racism and the politics of the early 1960s.

The Clinton/Jackson Witnesses and the Ku Klux Klan 

Part Four: Many of the witnesses were either members of the KKK or sympathizers.

The Origin of the Stories

The Origin of the Clinton/Jackson Stories 

Part Six: Just where did the Clinton/Jackson witnesses come from?

Was there a story about the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses in 1966? 

Part Nine: Lee McGehee, the barber in Jackson, claimed that the racist newspaper The Councilor wrote about the Clinton/Jackson witnesses in 1966. No one has been able to find the article.

The Garrison Investigation

Who was Anne Dischler? 

Part Seven: Dischler was an investigator for Garrison who was teamed up with Lt. Francis Fruge of the Louisiana State Police.

Was David Ferrie in Clinton? 

Part Eight: The evidence that David Ferrie was in Clinton is poor.

The Missing Evidence of Clinton/Jackson

Part Thirteen: All the physical evidence that could corroborate the Clinton/Jackson witnesses has vanished. I wonder why.

What Ever Happened to Estus Morgan and Winslow Foster?

Part Fifteen: Corrie Collins identified Estus Morgan as one of the people who exited the black Cadillac to go and register. Winslow Foster might have been the other person in the car.

Inconsistencies in the Story

Corrie Collins -- A Very Pliable Witness 

Part Ten: Corrie Collins continually changed his story about what happened in Clinton.

Did Lee Harvey Oswald Live with a Doctor in Jackson? 

Part Twelve: Henry Earl Palmer told a ridiculous story about Oswald claiming he was living with a doctor in Jackson.

Henry Earl Palmer and Judge John Rarick

Part Fourteen: Henry Earl Palmer told Andrew Sciambra that Judge John Rarick was there when the black Cadillac visited Clinton. Author Don Carpentered emailed Rarick in 2007 to ask him. His answer is revealing.

Additional Inconsistencies in the Clinton/Jackson Story

Part Sixteen: Some witnesses saw other people in Clinton that day; Manchester's poor memory; and a look at whether the Cadillac's registration was checked in Baton Rouge.

The HSCA

The HSCA and the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses, Part One

Part Seventeen: The HSCA investigation of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses was poor and incomplete. The HSCA never even figured out that Anne Dischler was the Garrison investigator that did most of the work in Clinton. She was not called to testify and the HSCA never examined her notes.

The HSCA and the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses, Part Two

Part Eighteen: Corrie Collins was interviewed by the HSCA but was asked very few questions. He was not asked about Estus Morgan, Winslow Foster, and why his story continually changed during the initial investigation.

Did Lt. Francis Fruge Put the Story Together?

The Secrets of Anne Dischler

Part Nineteen: Anne Dischler held many secrets about Lt. Francis Fruge