Glen Sample, Loy Factor and Mark Collom

Loy Factor

Loy Factor was a Chickasaw Indian who served a 44 year sentence for murder. Just before he died he confessed to the murder of John F. Kennedy. Factor told Mark Collum and Glen Sample that he was one of three gunmen in the Texas School Book Depository. Lee Harvey Oswald, Malcolm Wallace and Ruth Ann, a Hispanic woman, also took part in the assassination.

Ruth Ann carried a walkie-talkie with which she communicated with other unknown individuals. The account was first published in the book The Men on the Sixth Floor (1995). The authors explained: "Loy stammered through an unconvincing explanation of how he merely assisted the group, that the woman was the radio operator, Oswald and the man who hired Loy were the shooters and that he had been nothing more than some sort of back up. He reaffirmed the story of Sam Rayburn's funeral, and his chance meeting with the stranger, the target practice incident, and his being picked up and driven to Dallas two days before the assassination. He told of the little house that served as the base of operation, the individuals at the house, including the appearance of Jack Ruby and Lee Oswald. He stated that after the shots were fired, everyone but Oswald escaped out the back door of the book building, he and the young woman leading the way."

Glen Sample, Loy Factor and Mark Collom
Glen Sample, Loy Factor and Mark Collom

Primary Sources

(1) Mark Collum and Glen Sample, The Men on the Sixth Floor (1995)

Loy's reluctance to elaborate was understandable. Confined to a hospital bed, two strangers and one barely recognizable old friend barge in, asking probing questions about his sordid past. Furthermore, the Indian was sedated. Nonetheless, his memory was still sharp enough to recall many details of the past.

"What did they pay you the $10,000 to do?"

Loy stammered through an unconvincing explanation of how he merely assisted the group, that the woman was the radio operator, Oswald and the man who hired Loy were the shooters and that he had been nothing more than some sort of back up.

He reaffirmed the story of Sam Rayburn's funeral, and his chance meeting with the stranger, the target practice incident, and his being picked up and driven to Dallas two days before the assassination. He told of the little house that served as the base of operation, the individuals at the house, including the appearance of Jack Ruby and Lee Oswald.

He stated that after the shots were fired, everyone but Oswald escaped out the back door of the book building, he and the young woman leading the way. Larry Howard prodded Mark to ask the Indian about the elevator.

"Did you use the elevators or the stairs?" Mark asked.

"We went by stairs."

"So you went out the back of the building?"

"Yeah, back towards the north side." (the back door did face north. Loy was very exact when it came to directions.)

Larry, excitedly joined in the questioning.

"What did the back look like when you went out...when you

went out the back, north?"

"It was kind of empty-like. It looked like some kind of dock."

"Dock?"

"Yeah, dock."

"Like a loading dock?"

"Yeah."

"Was it concrete?"

"No, like a porch, kinda like a porch."

The three men looked at each other, and then at Loy. Larry was impressed with this small detail that the man had just related. How did this Indian know that in 1963 the Texas School Book Depository Building had on it's north side a loading dock? (It was later removed)

"This guy knows what he's talking about," Mark whispered to Larry. Loy added that when he went out the back no one was there, since everyone was out in front, watching the motorcade. Loy and the young woman got into a car and drove away from the scene. Loy was dropped off at the bus depot.

"The bus depot is where Oswald went after the shooting," Larry informed Mark.

Loy was getting very tired at this point, and so the interviewers decided to cut it short, and come back the next day, to which Loy agreed. At this point, before leaving, Mark exorted Loy to allow us to write a book about his involvement with the assassins, the truth about his wife's murder, and his life story. Loy consented, but insisted that if any story was written, it must contain the truth. Mark assured him that finding the truth was the very reason he had come all the way to Oklahoma.

The next morning the trio arrived at the hospital prepared to ask more questions, but were informed by the nursing staff that Factor no longer wished to see the visitors. Mark was disappointed, but was heartened when Larry reminded him that the Indian's reaction was quite normal, under the circumstances. He had probably pondered overnight about what he had told his three visitors, and had become afraid. We decided to give it a rest for a few weeks, then write a letter to him, requesting another interview. Under the circumstances, that was all we could do.

Weeks later, to our delight, Loy responded favorably to our request. He had been released from the hospital and was back home again. With Loy's fragile health temporarily in our favor, we made immediate plans to fly to Oklahoma!

(2) Dave Perry, A Few Good Men? (2003)

Question 1 - Here we have three shooters spaced at known (each is at an open window) intervals on the sixth floor. At least two have been adjusting their rifle scopes. Take time to look at the photographs of the sixth floor shortly after the assassination. See the rows of pallets full of book boxes. Carefully observe the "sniper's nest." Now determine where Ruth Ann had to be located to be seen waiving her arms in the effort to coordinate the shooting? Somewhere near the ceiling I suspect.

Question 2 - How could three shooters lining up Kennedy in their rifle scopes observe Ruth Ann waving her arms? No matter which eye the rifleman used to site the target, how far would the other eye need to be rotated to observe Ruth Ann?

Question 3 - Since all three fired upon Ruth Ann's third down stroke, why doesn't any ear witness describe three simultaneous shots or one loud concurrent blast?

Question 4 - How did the rifle carrying duo of Factor and Wallace enter the Depository? How did Factor and Wallace, transporting weapons, as well as, Ruth Ann exit the building unobserved?

Question 5 - Ruth Ann and Factor leave together by car while Oswald and Wallace leave "in different directions." How does Wallace get to Ruth Ann's vehicle for the trip to pick up Factor at the bus depot? Why does Wallace return to Ruth Ann's vehicle but Oswald doesn't?

Question 6 - "But in a short while Ruth Ann and Wallace both returned to the depot to pick up Factor and drive him out of town. (Probably because Oswald had been captured.)" Unless I'm mistaken the assassination occurred at 12:30 PM and Oswald's capture around 1:50 PM. Notice of Oswald's apprehension was not broadcast until "within an hour of Oswald's arrest." (15H55) Are we to assume Ruth Ann and Wallace cruised around downtown for almost two hours before returning to the bus depot? Would you consider two hours a "short while?"

Question 7 - As additional corroboration of Factor's truthfulness we are reminded of the table saw the gunman observed. To make the point we are introduced to former Depository employee, Harold Norman (now deceased). Norman correctly indicates the floor was rotten in some spots and plywood was being put down as a replacement. Norman then sifts through the mists of thirty years to say he remembers that "there was a table saw, near the eastern end of the sixth floor." Now there is absolute confirmation for you. Has anybody seen any photograph showing a table saw on the sixth floor?

Question 8 - If Factor is telling the truth then what can one say about others who have named different individuals as being on the sixth floor? Are they lying? Are they those shadowy disinformation specialists we hear so much about? Maybe Henry Hurt should again interview Robert Easterling who placed Manuel Rivera on the sixth floor. (See page 356 of Hurt's Reasonable Doubt) What about Ricky White's "Lebanon" or Prensa Latina's Lenny Patrick? Could there be six shooters and Ruth Ann roaming around up there?

What if the Warren Commission used similar investigation, evidence and proof to conclude Oswald was not only a co-conspirator but a shooter. Do you think Marina Oswald or her two daughters would quietly slip into the shadows. I can hear Marina now, "Thank heavens for Loy Factor . Here I thought Lee was a victim of the scurrilous government. Boy was I wrong."

It has been often stated by pro-conspiracy advocates like myself that somewhere between seventy to eighty percent of the American public doesn't believe in the conclusions of the Warren Commission. That may be true but here's the real question:

With all of the conflicting theories, poor or nonexistent research, phony death threat fables, fake mysterious death stories, contradictory book conclusions and lawsuits, just what percentage of the American public believes us?