Originator: HSCA
From: NICHOLS, ALICE
Document date: 1978-05-03 00:00:00
Document type: SUMMARY

# DOCID-32248510

## Page 1

JFK Assassination System

Identification Form

Agency Information

Date:

9/21/201

AGENCY :

RECORD NUMBER :

HSCA

180-10080-10068

RECORD SERIES:

NUMBERED FILES

AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

008579

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: HSCA

FROM:

NICHOLS, ALICE

TO:

TITLE :

66000 Date: 11-04-2021

DATE:

PAGES:

SUBJECTS :

05/03/1978

9

MC WILLIE, LEWIS

NICHOLS, ALICE; INTERVIEW

RUBY, JACK; BACKGROUND; ASSOCIATES AND RELATIVES

PAUL, RALPH

PATRICK, LENNY

DOCUMENT TYPE: SUMMARY

CLASSIFICATION:

Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS:

Open in Full

CURRENT STATUS :

Redact

DATE OF LAST RE VIEW:

11/19/1993

OPENING CRITERIA:

COMMENTS :

Box 156.

NW 66000 Docld:32248510 Page 1

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## Page 2

KENNEDY

008574

INVESTIGATION INTERVIEW SCHEDULE

11.

Identifying Information:

Name ALICE NICHOLS

Address 8707 REDONDO

City/State DALLAS, TEXAS

Date of Birth 2-1-15

Social security 457-09-1407

2, Physical Description:

Height 5-6

Weight_

Ethnic GrOUP AMERiCAN

Date_ 5-3-78

: 8:30PM

Place RESIDENCE

Telephone 214/321-3687

MOrS DiVORCED

Spouse Lit

Children DAUGHTER

Color Eyes

Hair

Special Characteristics

3.

Personal History:

Present Employment: SOUTHLAND LIFE INSURANCE CO.

Address SOUTHLAND CENTER

Telephone 214/258-1001

b. Criminal Record

1. Arrests

2. Convictions

Additional Personal Information:

a. Relative(s) : Name

Address

b. Area frequented:

c. Remarks:

Investigator JRATEL A. MaKarel

Date

5-3-78

Form #4-B

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## Page 3

KENNEDY

SELECT COMMITTEE ON ASSASSINATIONS

Name Alice Nichols

Address

8707 Redondo

Dallas, Texas

Date 5-3-78

Place

Time

8: 30

p.m.

Residence

214/321-3687

Interview: Staff Investigators Joseph J. Basteri and Albert

Maxwell conducted this interview at the home of Ms. Alice Nichols.

She has been residing at this address since 1943.

She had been

married but was divorced back in 1947. Her former husband, George,

died in 1961. Ms. Nichols has been employed for the past thirty

years as a legal secretary for the Southland Life Insurance Com-

pany. She has one child, a daughter from her previous marriage

to George.

The first time Ms. Nichols saw Jack Ruby was back in

1948 while shopping for her mother. She noticed him looking at

her. Ms. Nichols did not see him again until several months later

while having lunch at the B&B Restaurant. Ruby came over to her,

introduced himself, and after learning she was not married ob-

tained her phone number. Ruby called her several times

and their first date was in September of 1949. He had informed

her that he recently came from Chicago to help his sister run a

nightclub that she owned on Ervay Street called the Silver Spur.

Ms. Nichols believes that Ruby had taken over the club as his

sister, Eva, was not doing topywest.

Interviewer Signature sephy fishen

Typed Signature Joe Basteri and Al Maxwell

the silver spur

Keill

Date transcribed Rife 5-17-78

BY:

Form

#4-A

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Alice Nichols Interview

page

2 .

began doing very well so Ruby then purchased the Bob Willis

Ranch House. She does not know from whom Ruby bought this

club. Ms. Nichols does know that Ruby had no partners in this

business

venture although he had a man named Hy Farber who was

working for him. The Ranch House was not doing too well and

Ruby began concentrating his efforts on this club and neglect-

ing the silver spur, resulting in both clubs doing poorly. The

business at the Ranch House was so bad that Hy Farber just took

it over as Ruby could not meet his obligations. Ms. Nichols then

recalls that someone else took over the Silver Spur, leaving

Ruby without any clubs. Ms. Nichols remarked that it was quite

apparent that Ruby had no funds as he even sold his auto. She

puts this period around 1952. Ruby appeared extremely worried.

He looked around for something to do when he decided to return

to Chicago. He was gone from two to six months and when he

returned Ruby still appeared to be low on funds. Ms. Nichols

made this observation because Ruby still had no car and would

take her to clubs owned by his friend and in this way he would

receive no check. He then went to work for a man named Marty

Gimble who had taken over the Silver Spur. Eventually Ruby

again took over the Silver Spur. About a year after returning

from Chicago he purchased the Vegas Club from Abe Weinstein.

Ms. Nichols did not know how much Ruby paid for the club. The

Vegas Club began doing very well after Ruby featured Ed Burnett's

jazz combo and Latin music. There were no female entertainers

at this place.

Ms. Nichols had no knowledge from whom Ruby had

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Alice Nichols Interview

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obtained the funds to purchase this business from Abe Weinstein.

Ms. Nichols could not determine how close Ruby and Weinstein

were but she estimated that they were only acquaintances. The

Vegas Club was located on Lemmon and Oak Lawn.

Ms. Nichols stated that she did know a Joe Bonds but

was never too close to him as she only knew him for a few

years. She would only see him when Ruby would take her to Joe

Bonds' place which was called the Sky Club. They would visit

it about once every six weeks. It was located across the

street from Pappy Dawson's place on Fort Worth Avenue. The Sky

Club was a very popular place, featuring dance music and catering

mostly to a younger crowd. Ms. Nichols' description of the Club

was that it was quiet and conservative. She knew very little

about Joe Bonds as she only knew him for a few years. She did

not know how long Ruby and Bonds knew one another.

Another club ruby owned during that time was the Hernando's

Hideaway. It was a small club with less than fifty tables and

featured music from a juke box. Ruby had owned this club for

less than a year. This place never did very well. She had only

visited

the Hernando's Hideaway once or twice.

Ms. Nichols said she knew very little about Eva Grant

or any of other members of Ruby's family. She thought Eva came

to Dallas from Chicago to open a club. She is not familiar with

any of Eva's business ventures. Ms. Nichols recalls that Earl

Ruby was in business in Chicago and saw Earl and Sam Ruby while

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Alice Nichols Interview

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they were in Dallas.

Ruby appeared very fond of Earl as well

as every member of his family. She does not remember Ruby tel-

ling her that Earl had loaned him any money. Ms. Nichols fur-

ther stated that Ruby had never asked her for any loans nor

had she ever suggested loaning him

any money.

In the Spring of 1959, she and Ruby mutually agreed that

they should cease dating one another. Ruby's reason was that

he was not making any money and owed money to Ralph Paul and

the Internal Revenue Service. Ms. Nichols' reason was that she

was not too anxious to marry anyone connected with nightclubs.

She next

heard from Ruby when he had opened the Sovereign

Club and she accepted his invitation to the opening night. That

was the only time she visited this club. He later transformed

it into a strip joint and called it the Carousel Club.

During

the period she was dating Ruby, he had done

very little traveling. On occasions he would go to Chicago to

visit his family and stay a week or two. Ms. Nichols never tra-

veled with him. In September of 1959 Ruby called her and in-

formed her that he was going alone to Cuba on vacation. He

was away either one week or two. He did not ask her to go along.

While in Cuba, Ms. Nichols received a postcard from him dated

September 8, 1959. The postcard shows a photo of the Nacional

Hotel in Havana, Cuba and in the card Ruby indicates that he is

staying at this hotel with McWillie. Ms. Nichols saw him a week

after he returned from Cuba and was told that McWillie was work-

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Alice Nichols Interview

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ing at the Tropicana Hotel. He never explained to her as to

the type of work McWillie performed at the hotel. Ms. Nichols

did acknowledge knowing McWillie, having first met him in Abe

Weinstein's Colony Club. She denied knowing what he did for a

living

and

she never

inquired as to his occupation.

Ms. Nichols had never seen Ruby gambling and as far as

she knew he never did gamble. They would visit the Artist Club

which was owned by a man she only knew as Harris. They would

have a drink or two and at no time did she ever witness anyone

gambling at this club. She did not know how close an association

Ruby had with Harris. When asked if gamblers frequented the

Vegas Club, she replied that

she had never seen gamblers there.

She did know a lony zoppi by seeing him frequently at different

clubs. She knew him as a reporter and did read his column in

the Dallas Times Herald.

As to Ruby's relationship with the Dallas Police Depart-

ment, Ms. Nichols reported that he appeared to know many Dallas

Police officers and would always greet them in the street.

Ruby

never mentioned

that he had to or gave police officers any money

or information.

The following is a list of different residences that

Ruby had resided in during the period that she knew him:

1. YMCA

2. Cotton Bowl Hotel - located on Haskell Street

3. Rear of Silver

spur

4. An apartment on Hawthorne Street

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Alice Nichols Interview

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5. An apartment complex on Homer Street off Fitz Hugh

6. An apartment on North Central Expressway

The reason Ms. Nichols gave for Ruby moving so frequently

was

that whenever he made money he would move to a better loca-

tion.

She does

not recall Ruby living on Turtle Creek.

One of the last contacts Ms. Nichols had with Ruby was

on Thursday, November 22, 1963 after President Kennedy was killed.

Ruby had called but she was out to lunch. When she returned

from lunch she returned Ruby's call. He had called her about

the President's death and he sounded shocked and despondent.

The conversation was what was generally spoken by all people in

regard to the President's death. He was not crying on the phone.

She had never seen him cry. That night Ruby called her on the

phone to express his grief and to inform her that he was going to

the synagogue. That was the last time they spoke to one another.

Ms. Nichols described Ruby as having a quick temper

but not being too emotional. Ruby would "fly off the handle"

and then would

get over it quickly. She did not think he was

very politically mindedand did not know if he was a Republican

or a Democrat. Ms. Nichols remarked that Ruby frequently did

not even vote during an election year. Ms. Nichols never had the

impression that Ruby was associated with any criminal element.

She further classified him as a gentleman who always treated

her as a lady. Ms. Nichols stated that she was shocked to read

accounts of Ruby being connected with criminals.

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Alice Nichols Interview

Page

7.

Ms. Nichols was then asked about the following

asso-

ciates of Ruby and whether she knew them:

1. R. D. Matthews - No, but name sounded familiar

2. Irving

Weiner - NO

3. Lewis McWillie - Met him a few times

4. Leonard Meyers - No

5. Lenny Patrick - No

6. John Henry Dolan - No

7. Barney Baker - No

8. Harry Hall - No

9. Alex Gruber - No

10. James R. Todd - No

11. Thomas McKenner - No

12. George Senator - No, saw name in papers

13. Ralph Paul - Knew him for several years

14. Joe Campisi - Never met him but ate in the Egyptian

Room a number of times

15. Sam Campisi - Met Sam and wife in a nightclub

Ms. Nichols stated that in 1963 she had been questioned

by the FBI and later by the Warren Commission.

The following are additional facts gathered during the

course of interviewing Alice Nichols:

1. She believes Jack Ruby never kept a diary.

2. Ms. Nichols

never saw LHO nor did his name ever come

up in conversation with Ruby.

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i i.

Alice Nichols Interview

Page 3

3. Ms. Nichols was of the opinion that Ruby always

carried a gun but she only saw

it a few times.

She

surmised that he mostly carried his gun for protec-

tion of the money he carried as the gun was always

in the money bag.

4. He never complained to her of ill health.

5. Ms. Nichols never knew for certain if any of Ruby's

clubs were ever closed for violations.

6. She never heard of any defense fund for Ruby's trial

nor did she ever contribute any funds for his defense.

7: Ruby never wrote to her from jail.

8. The last time she saw or heard from Mcwillie was in

1958.

9. Ms. Nichols never recalls Jack Ruby ever being in

New Orleans nor did he ever tell her he had ever been

there.

10. Earl Ruby, during the trial, had called Ms. Nichols

and said he would stop by to speak to

her.. He never

did keep the appointment.

11. Ms. Nichols heard the news of Ruby shooting Oswald

from a co-worker who called and informed her what

had happened.

Ms. Nichols did not have the radio or

T.V. on.

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