Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-11-23
Mrs. Kennedy
Spends Night
AT Hospital
By WILLIAM GRIGG
star staff Writer

star Gta4I Mriter
President Kennedy's body
was examined and prepared
for burial last night and early
today at Bethesda Naval Hos
pital.
Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy
rode in an ambulance beside
the casket to the hospital, re-
manned there during the. nine
hour wait, and again rode be-
side the casket in the rear of
the same ambulance that bore
1t to the White House, where
the body win repose today.
When the ambulance ar
rived at the hospital at 6:53
pm. from Andrews Air Force
Base, Mrs. Kennedy and the
Presidents brother, Attorney
General Robert Kennedy, were
in the rear beside the plain.
bronze coffin
She was helped from the
ambulance by the Attorney
General and a nurse and was
Immediately joined by Comdr.
Robert E. Brengartner, senior
Catholic chaplain at the hos
pital.
The Presidents widow wore
the slight, crushed smile OF the
bereaved.
Many at Hospital
She started UP the walkway
toward the front entrance OF
the hospital, then paused and
turned back toward the ambu-
lance. Then after a moment.
she continued on into the hos
pital and, still smiling family,
entered an elevator to ascend
to the 18th floor to the presi-
Dental suite.
Montgomery County police
and Navy personnel had at
tempted to block the entrances
to the hospital grounds. But
many hundreds of people
climbed over a low fence and
crowded around the hospital
building.
Motorcycle policemen, pre-
ceding the ambulance. scat
tered crowds Of onlookers in
the driveway. But hundreds Of
persons formed a partial cir
Gle around the ambulance when
it stopped.
For at least IL minutes after
Mrs. Kennedy entered the hos
pital, the ambulance remained
in the driveway. Many specta-
tors could see the simple casket
within.
Military officials, leaning on
the open front door Of the
vehicle, apparently we're moi
sure where the body should be
taken.
Relatives See Mrs. Kennedy
When word finally came. the
crowds were pushed back anc
the ambulance took the PreSi.
dents body to an entrance al
the far rear Of the hospital.
Among those joining Mrs
Kennedy at the hospital werI
the Attorney Generals wife
Ethel; Mrs. Eunice Shriver. on
of the late Presidents sisters
Secretary of Defense McNa
mara and several members o
the White House staff. includ
ing Mrs. Evelyn N. Lincoln
personal secretary to the latt
President, and Miss Panels
Turnure. Mrs. Kennedy's sec.
rotary.
Hospital spokesman refused
to discuss the examination Of
the body or the activities Of
Mrs. Kennedy during the in.
terval. An informed source
said, however, that Comdr. j
j. Humes. chief of pathology
at the hospital, conducted thu
examination of the body.
The body was prepared BY
Joseph Gawler II. of the local
undertaking firm of Joseph
Gawler's Sons. Inc. William
Gawler, of the firm, said the
embalming and other funera.
preparations were being made
at the hospital.
The Gawler firm also per-
formed funeral services foi
Presidents Wilson, Franklin D
Roosevelt. and Taft.
Visit to Chapel
A hospital official said he
believed Mrs. Kennedy fell
asleep about midnight in the
presidential suite. Shortly after
that. Mrs. Robert Kennedy
came down to the Catholic
chapel on the second floor
where she recited a rosary in a
rear pew.
The Attorney General came
to the chapel a few minutes
later. knelt for a while at the
altar rail, and returned to the
18th floor. Then his wife also
left the chapel.
At about 3 am. it was re-
ported that the Presidents
widow had awakened and said
she wished to ride next to the
casket to the White House.
A Gawler hearse with a sim
pie, mahogany casket had beer
brought up to the morgue en-
trance but was then taken away
The gray NAVY ambulance that