Interview with Nancy Hamilton on Jack Ruby

We're at the Lewiston Raceway in Lewiston, Maine,

with Mrs. Nancy Hamilton, owner of the Hamilton Stables.

Mrs. Hamilton, did you testify as a witness before the

Warren Commission?

Yes, I did, on June 2nd, 1964. I have

been a freelance investigator for various police departments,

district attorney's offices, such as the Sacramento District Attorney's

Office,

Suffolk County, Massachusetts District Attorney's Office,

Boston Police

Department,

and various, uh,

private detectives.

And before that, were you employed by Jack Ruby?

Yes, I was. This was in 1961

in Dallas at his club, The Carousel, and I was bartender,

waitress, and

rather the manager there.

How did you get that job?

I had gone into Dallas not knowing anyone, and of course, the first

place I went was the police department,

and, uh, they were very kind and got me the job there.

They got you the job by Jack Ruby?

Yes, they did.

Did they know Ruby?

Personally, oh, yes, very well. Vouched for him, wonderful person,

great man.

Well-known by the Dallas Police Department.

What were your duties there?

Well, general bar duties such as setting up the

liquor, getting the bar ready for

the evening trade, uh, waiting tables if he was

short-handed. Otherwise, I'd be behind the bar serving the drinks.

Uh, did you ever serve drinks to Dallas police

officers?

Oh, yes. In fact, the Dallas police officers

were the special boys,

shall we say. We even had a private stock for them.

Private stock?

Oh, yes. They wouldn't, uh... Bar liquor wasn't for them.

We had, uh, names such as Haig and Haig or,

uh, Black Label, the very, very high-priced drinks on the

house, of course. You'd never... And that was a gross,

uh, oversight if you ever charged a Dallas

police officer or

any official of the City of Dallas or Tarrant County.

Well, other than the Dallas police officers,

what officials did frequent, uh,

Ruby's establishment?

Oh, such as your

district attorney, which would be Mr. Wade.

Did you know Ruby before this?

No, sir.

Did you receive any specific instructions from Jack Ruby about, uh,

serving drinks for the Dallas police officers?

Yes. In fact, uh, Jack told me point-blank, he said, "Nancy,

if you ever,"

he said, "intentionally or unintentionally charge a Dallas police

officer,"

he said, "you might as well go look for another

job."

He said, "Don't offend them. Cater to them.

Talk with them, even if you ignore the other customers.

Bend over backwards to be nice to them."

Did Ruby, uh, perform any other favors for the Dallas

police officers?

Well, ye- well, favors, well, if you call them favors, uh,

I suppose so. He provided girls, gambling, and booze.

How many Dallas police officers would you estimate Jack

Ruby knew on a personal basis?

At least half, and probably two-thirds.

There were almost 1,200 police officers in Dallas in

1963. Would you say Ruby knew

600 of them?

Oh, easily.

A great deal has been written about the, uh,

relationship of the Dallas Police Department with Jack Ruby.

We have 1,200 men in our department, and we, uh, had each man to

submit a report regarding his knowledge or acquaintance with Jack

Ruby. Less than 50 men even knew Jack Ruby.

You see, Jack Ruby was a man who wanted to be noticed,

wanted to be

known,

and he used to frequent the Dallas Police Department, and he used to brag, uh, "Oh,

I can get this fixed for you. I can get that fixed for you."

Did the Dallas Police Department or District Attorney's Office ever do any

favors for Jack Ruby?

Uh, several that I could probably name, such as, uh, serving drinks a little

late.

You mean, Ruby was permitted to serve drinks after

hours?

They did, and no one ever interfered.

And of course, it was common knowledge that he ran girls

and gambling, and I've

never seen him any kind of a pickup on it.

Did you serve, uh, mixed drinks to police officers?

Yes.

Is it against the law in Dallas to serve mixed drinks?

Oh, yes, definitely, except in a private club.

This, of course, was not a private club.

No. Open club.

So that every time you served a drink to a police officer, it was a violation of

the law.

Yes, and that's why I broke the law

a few hundred times in doing so.

And of course, the police were witnesses-

Well, I-

... to the violation.

Up to a point, they was witnesses. After that,

I guess they probably didn't care.

Mr. Johnson, when did you first meet Jack Ruby?

I met Jack Ruby in, uh, 1952

on Ervay Street, a place called the Silver Spur.

I went to work for Jack Ruby in 1956,

and, uh, the club was the Vegas Club.

I worked, uh, for him for about almost six years.

Did Ruby know many Dallas police officers?

Well, yes, uh, he did.

I'd say he knew, uh, probably half of the people on the force.

There were about 1,200 police officers on the force.

Yes, well, I'm sure he knew about, uh, half of them.

Good.

And he was very nice to them.

We have 1,200 men in our department, and we, uh, had each man to

submit a report regarding his knowledge or acquaintance with Jack

Ruby. Less than 50 men even knew Jack Ruby,

and less than a dozen had ever been in his place of business.

Most of these that had been in his place of business had been in there because they

were sent there on investigations or had answered a

call for, uh, police service. Um,

I believe there was four men in our department that we

were able to determine had

been there socially, that is, off-duty, in the presence,

uh, uh, and were present in his nightclub.

Did you see police officers drop into the Vegas Club during the six years

you worked there?

Oh, very definitely. They would come in there all the time,

off-duty, on-duty,

and so forth, and-

How, how were they treated?

They were treated, uh,

royally.

You testified before the Warren Commission, didn't you?

Yes, I did.

Uh, did they ask you how many police officers

Jack

Ruby knew?

No, they didn't ask me that question.

I've just read your testimony, and as, I r- as I recall, they

asked you one question about a police officer.

They asked you if you knew a policeman named Harry Olsen.

Mm-hmm.

And you said you didn't remember the name.

Uh, that name didn't register with me.

But that was the only question they asked you about policemen.

About policemen, yes.

They asked me numerous questions, but nothing about, uh,

police other than that one, just name.