European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 22, 1969, Darmstadt, Hesse On the Trail of James Earl Ray ii # 4 stars and stripes Magazine Eric starve gait editor s note this Isth second of a four part series on James Earl Ray the Man accused of murdering or. Martin Luther King. By Bernard Gavzer a staff writer Ith the death of Martin Luther King Memphis police began tracking Back for theman who fired the fatal shot. They had things to work with an abandoned Rifle and a pair of binoculars. The receipt forthe binoculars gave a place and a Date the Day 3, 1968in the afternoon some time a Man entered the right Side door of York arms co. At 162 s. Main St., Memphis and was waited on by Ralph Carpenter 34."he wanted a pair of binoculars says Carpenter. Showed him a pair of Bushnell 7x35. As binoculars go it was inexpensive around $40. Good ones run to $200 or More. Or Youcan get one for $79.95 that s pretty toted the Bill on the Grey yellow Black Box in which Bushnell binoculars do 408664, were contained. It included a binocular Case and strap. Carpen Ter collected $41.05 in Cash put the binocular set in a Grey Blue paper bag and thanked his Cus Tomer. Whether i could say that the binoculars the police have Are the exact same ones i just Don t know carpenters id. I did t write Down any serial number on the Sale. But might be Able to say it is the same As the one i sold. That Sall. I could t say How they were Carpenter identify the Man who made the Purchase he would t say. Earlier that Day april 3, Aman driving a White 1966 mus Tang arrived at the new rebel motor hotel at 3466 Lamar ave., which is near the inter change for . 78 and inter state 240. This would be one of the possible main Highway approaches from Birmingham,Ala., a distance of 250 Miles along . 78. A Man coming from Atlanta could go West on . 78 and interstate 20, to Bir Mingham which would make it a trip of 385 Man signed in As Eric s. Gait. Miss Henrietta Hagerman Ter the receptionist said he was Given room 34. She remembered him clearly and later signed an affidavit that he was actually a Man identified in Fri photographs As James Earlray. He was driving a White Mustang. But where did he come from the Rifle provided that clue. It was a Remington 760 pump action Rifle 30-06 Caliper serial no. 461476, fitted with a telescopic sight no. A17350. It was traced to the Aero Marine supplyco., which is on Airport High Way just outside the birding Ham Ala., Airport. & a � i " re Onald Wood jr., was be the counter of the shop an that weapon to a Harvey Lomyer saturday March 30,1968. Lie remembered the Cus Tomer because the Man had come in the Day before and first bought a .243 Remington Rifle which is the same As the Remington 769, except that it has smaller Caliper. On March 30, when Low myer returned there was an other customer in was John Deshazer of Mont Gomery Ala. He said the Man related that he was going Hunt ing in Wisconsin with his brother or brother in Law. He now wanted a 30-06, the . A Rifle expert explains the difference the .243 is Fine for Deer and varmints but a 30-06,especially with 220 Grain bullets is Fine for Bear and Large .243 Bullet hitting a Man 200 feet away would probably have made a clean Hole and gone through. But a 30-06, especially one that had been Cut with an x on the nose to make it Adum Dum would have spread. It might make a half Inch entry Hole and go in a Quarter of an Inch or so and become the size of a Aero Marine fitted the telescopic sight to the weapon and tested it. Explains the Rifle expert Rifle like that is zeroed in for 100 Yards. If you fired it at a target200 feet away say at a Man s heart or Chest you might be High hitting him in the Deshazer s account was enough to give the Federal Bureau of investigation an immediate Legal justification to get into the investigation because i described a possible conspiracy since the purchaser spoke of an other person. A conspiracy to deprive a person of his civil rights is a violation of title 18, Section 241, of the United state code. Federal offences such As this Are under the jurisdiction of the Fri. Could Wood identify the Man would he be Able to say that Harvey Lomyer was indeed James Earl Ray Wood a fair haired Young Man Shook his head. I can t say anything to ii Fri released photo of gait left Eric St. V. Gait said he had no idea How Ray picked name. The press he Way did the Man go on leaving Aero Marine did he stay in the Birmingham area did he go on to Memphis Orcas he somewhere else Alto Gether he went to Atlanta a 155-Miletrip on interstate 20 and . 78. Eric starve gait he called himself. He was Here on sunday March 31," says the proprietor of a Rooming House in the North East sector of Atlanta. The Man i d not want his name publicized explaining i had teams of Fri men Grill me like i waste one that did this Fella who called himself Eric gait came Here on 3 and 24 March 24 the Man said. Repaid me $10.50 for the week. He had no baggage with him but left and came Back driving a Little White car. I did not know then it was a Mustang because 1 Haven t paid any mind to car for a Long time especially them Little the lodger was Given a Rooming an adjoining Section of the Rooming House one that had Only two other lodgers there. It was a narrow room because the prior property owner had converted the House into a doctor clinic. They were Little bitty rooms said the Man so the doctor could run from one to an other examining could Wood identify the Man would he he Able to say that Harvey lowmyer9 was indeed James Earl Kay Wood. Shook his head. Can t say anything to the press 9 99 using that week on March 27 or 28, 1968, the operator saw Ait briefly. I was Over to fix it up for renting and we just exchanged hellos and that was about All. Did t see him again until sunday on 3 and 31," said the Man. He said to me i May Aswell pay you now for another week and that paid him up to 4and 7 april 7. That was the last time i saw a three mile arc drawn fro the Rooming House would sweep through an area of atlant touching the Home of the Rev. Martin Luther King or. At 342sunset ave. And the Ebenezer Baptist Church where he preached at 406 Auburn ave and the office of the Southern Christian leadership Confer ence at 330 Auburn. The minis Ter had come Back from the tumult of Memphis and was spending time at Home and with the Church and the Sulc. It was sunday March 31, and he was at Home. On the evening of april 4,when police located the Rooming House bathroom from which the sniper fired his single round there was Only one name to work with John soon they added Eric starve Gall was to be added later mos Likely on april 10. The names were different but the descriptions and other evidence indicated they All described one contents of the abandoned Blue travel bag the one that was dropped outside of Guy Canipe s establishment at 424 St. In Memphis were meticulously examined. The under Wear had laundry Marks. These were tied to machinery made by a new York firm. It said it had sold such machines in the los Angeles area. A pair of pliers also played a part in turning the investigation toward the agents fanned through los Angeles. They had a sketched version of the hunted Man a Sharp nosed fellow who seemed to be in his thirties. In Shelby county or. Jerry Francisco the county medical examiner conducted an autopsy and recovered a battered Lead this missile the autopsy report said killed or. King. Marked and identified it was placed in the hands of the Fri crime Laboratory experts. A ballistics specialist reported that the slug was of the Type fired Bya Remington 760 game master. H wednesday january 22, 1969 the stars and stripes and it been fired by the Rifle recovered from the front of Guy Canipe s place to the exclusion of All other rifles that s a secret so far. The expert s answer is under the tight Security placed on All such matter. Another Fri specialist fingerprint expert George j. Bone Brake of Washington d.c.,carefully went Over the Rifle and scope and the binoculars. He found a left thumb print on the Rifle a right Finger print on the sight and a left thumb print on the binoculars. Then began the overwhelming search of the Fri s overwhelm ing fingerprint file. There is nomadic to Speed the process nor lightning computer operation that can take such prints and unerringly find their the hundreds of millions tin1 Fri narrowed the search to continued of Page is Page u
