Helen Markham

[Dealey Joe]

Helen Markham, the daughter of a farmer, was born in Dallas. When she was six years old her mother died and went to with her aunt. She married young but the marriage was not a success. After he divorce she became a waitress in Dallas.On 22nd November, 1963, Markham was in the Oak Cliff area when she saw Officer J. D. Tippit killed. She later described the killer as being short and somewhat on the heavy side, with slightly bushy hair." Later, Markham identified Lee Harvey Oswald in a police lineup, but this was after she had seen his photograph on television.Although considered the star witness, her testimony was full of mistakes. She said he was alive when the ambulance arrived, but the other witnesses say he died immediately. She also falsely claimed that for the first twenty minutes she was the only person to attend the body. Once again, the other witnesses disagreed with her.

[kenmurray]

Mark Lane talks about the "Reliable" witness Mrs Helen Markham in 1964:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFBehXGP-bM

[kenmurray]

The Utter Screwball:http://thejfkconspiracy.com/research/jd ... criptions/

[kenmurray]

The first lineup was convened less than three and a half hours after the murder of Patrolman J D Tippit. Its purpose was to give 47-year old Dallas waitress Mrs Helen Louise Markham the opportunity to pick out the man she claimed to have seen shoot the officer. I will point out here that there are problems establishing the exact times of all these lineups. In each case, I will use the time given in the official DPD investigation file 15. According to that document, this lineup was held at 4.35pm.As on all three lineups on Friday 22nd, Oswald selected the no. 2 position in the four-man lineup and was handcuffed to the man on either side of him. His companions were Acting Detective Perry (no.1), Detective Clark (no. 3) and Jail Clerk Don Ables (no.4).When Mrs Markham had been brought in and was in position on the other side of the one-way nylon screen, each man was asked to step forward and state his name and place of employment. Perhaps significantly, only Oswald was truthful here. The three DPD employees (by their own admission in their later sworn testimony), each gave fictitious answers. Oswald was the only one of the four with facial injuries; he had been named and shown on TV that afternoon and it had also been broadcast that his place of employment was believed to be the source of the attack on Kennedy. In view of those facts, it cannot be claimed that everything was being arranged with scrupulous fairness to the suspect!As for the witness, she was hardly in a fit state to undertake the responsible task of identifying (or not identifying, as the case may be) the killer of Patrolman Tippit. Homicide Detective L. C. Graves, one of those organising the lineup, said that she was "quite hysterical" and "crying and upset" 16 and there was even talk of her being sent to hospital. In his testimony, Captain Fritz stated: "We were trying to get that showup as soon as we could because she was beginning to faint and getting sick. In fact I had to leave the office and carry some ammonia across the hall, they were about to send her to the hospital or something and we needed that identification real quickly, and she got to feeling all right after using this ammonia." 17.According to the Warren Report, Mrs Markham "identified Lee Harvey Oswald as the man who shot the policeman" 18. The Report also stated that "in testimony before the Commission, Mrs Markham confirmed her positive identification of Lee Harvey Oswald as the man she saw kill Officer Tippit" 19.Sylvia Meagher, in Accessories After the Fact, argued that the testimony of this alleged eyewitness to the shooting of Tippit by Oswald, lacks any semblance of credibility 20. Several members of the Warren Commission staff have subsequently voiced their opinions of Mrs Markham's value as a witness. Assistant Counsel Liebeler has described her testimony as "contradictory and worthless" 21, whilst Assistant Counsel Ball described her as "an utter screwball" 22.Norman Redlich, another Warren Commission staff member, is quoted as saying "The Commission wants to believe Mrs Markham and that's all there is to it." 23. I think this remark is very important since Mrs Markham was the only witness who ever claimed to have actually seen Tippit being shot. Like it or not, the investigators were stuck with her! If she had announced that the Earth was flat, they would have been hard-pressed not to believe her!

[Dealey Joe]

http://youtu.be/yMpCeAfrE1sii I am finding some disturbing information on Helen Markham.It seems Markham came from a notorious family by the name of Hamilton.The Hamilton family was loaded with criminals of which at least two were public enemy #1Raymond Hamilton ran with Bonnie and Clyde along with another brother Floyd Hamilton.It also appears Mrs. Markham had a son who also died in the notorious Huntsville Prison.Raymond died in the electric chain in 1934, Floyd served about 20 years in Federal Prisons, one being Alcatraz.Sheriff Bill Decker was involved with getting LBJ to pardon him and he lived out his life in Dallas interesting enough working for W.O.Bankstona big car dealer. Madelynn Duncan Brown mentions W.O. in her life story.Now remember this is just in the beginning stages so tying Helen to all this is going to take some work.If you know of any information on this please let me know.

[Holly]

Raymond Hamilton was executed May 10, 1935. Only eleven days away from his 21st or 22nd birthday (some records have him born in 1913, some in 1914). Here's his findagrave link: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg ... f=acomHere is his brother Floyd's findagrave link:http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg ... 8285964The family's criminal ways continued with Floyd's daughter, Betty Joyce:http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg ... 286347Here is Helen Louise Hamilton Markham Grant's findagrave link. I have been unable to find her death certificate online. If anyone has it, I would love you forever if you shared it! In fact there is little information about her on ancestry.com. I found a little at familysearch.org. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg ... f=acomHere is her son's findagrave link. On this link, he is listed as James Alfred Markham Jr. I don't know if the person who made this memorial is related to them or where they got their information but everything that I have found online points to his father being Arthur Lewis Markham so I am not sure where the Jr. comes from If anybody can straighten that out, I'd appreciate it too He died in prison and is buried in Huntsville.http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg ... d=36482057

[Dealey Joe]

We are getting closer to a positive ID that Helen Markham was in fact a Hamilton and a sibling of the outlaws Raymond and Floyd Hamilton,I ran across an article in Mrs. Oswald's files where she contacted Mark Lane about some legal help for a son of Helen that was being harassed by police? and we have found that he was sent to Prison for burglary commited in 1962 for a 5 year sentence. So there was pressure being applied to Helen in the JD Tippit/Oswald matter no doubt. Axtually he evidently died in Prison as he is buried in the prison cemetary

[Dealey Joe]

Hellen Markhams background is as mysterious as James Files or maybe even more so.

[Dealey Joe]

I am still digging into the Helen Markham story, I know few are interested in her and the goings on in Oak Cliff.But it is my passion and i believe much more of importance happened there, When I began to learn of the relationship of Helen Markham to the West Dallas crime families I was led to the families of Bonnie Parker, Clyde Barrow, Buck Barrow, Raymond Hamilton and Floyd Hamilton just to mantion a few.Helen's WC testimony is all over the place and seems to be hiding things that her nor the authorities want known.In a fairly small community where it was possible for people to know most others in the area I feel confident that the Markham's were well known by J.D. Tippit, If for no other reason that her son was in big trouble with the law. This made Helen controllable and susceptible to being led about what story to tell. another family in the area was Mary Bledsow and her son Porter Bledsow, who ended up being part of the David Farrie CAP unit, if in fact it was CAP. I'm sure all these people were aware of and had some knowledge of Lee H. Oswald, and Tipit knew them all too.Virtually all information about Helen Hamilton is non existent? She told the warren commission she had 5 kids, all we can find is one, and I remember seeing a note from Marguerite Oswald to Mark Lane telling Mark that Helen had a son who was being harassed by police and needed a lawyer? Seems like she called him Billie?Maybe Billie saw more than they wanted him to see?

[Bob]

When Joe writes about people like Helen Markham (Hamilton?) in Oak Cliff, you better read it and read it well. Joe knows Oak Cliff like I know Green Bay. Bottom line, Joe is one hell of a researcher, just in case some folks here don't know. Especially when it comes to the Oak Cliff area.