Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

The Move to Dallas

Before opening the Singapore, Eva Grant sold metal products and met Paul Roland Jones, who had been convicted of attempting to bribe the Dallas sheriff. After Jones’ narcotics arrest in October 1947, Jack and Hyman Rubenstein were interrogated by the Bureau of Narcotics; they admitted knowing Jones but denied awareness of his narcotics activities. Intensive investigation concluded Ruby was probably not involved in narcotics violations, as Bureau files showed no prosecution of the brothers, and Jones’ coconspirators did not implicate them. Former sheriff Steve Guthrie alleged that Chicago criminals mentioned Ruby would operate a “fabulous” restaurant as a gambling front, but the Commission found this difficult to accept: Lieutenant George Butler, who witnessed the Jones-Guthrie conversations, said Ruby was not involved, and 22 recordings of the conversations never mentioned Ruby, indicating Jones’ only planned confederate was not to be Jewish.

KAPITEL II. With the assistance of Agent in Charge Sorrels of the

This chapter traces Jack Ruby’s transition from Jacob Rubenstein to “Jack L. Ruby” and documents his principal activities in Dallas from 1947 until the assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald in November 1963. It covers the name change, the operation of a succession of nightclubs and dance halls (the Singapore Supper Club, Silver Spur Club, Bob Wills Ranch House, Vegas Club, Sovereign Club, and Carousel Club), Ruby’s often turbulent relationships with his employees and entertainers, his chronic financial and tax difficulties (including a roughly $40,000 federal excise tax liability and persistent income tax arrears), and a variety of unsuccessful side ventures in which Ruby engaged alongside his nightclub work.

The Change of Name

The Change of Name Sometime in 1947, Jack Ruby’s brothers Earl and Sam, pursuant to a joint understanding, legally changed their surname from Rubenstein to Ruby. Earl testified that he made the change because everyone already called him Ruby and because a former employer advised that a “Jewish name” was disadvantageous for mail orders in Earl Products. On December 30, 1947, Jack secured a decree from the 68th Judicial District Court of Dallas changing his name to Jack L. Ruby, asserting that Rubenstein was misunderstood, was too long, and that he was “well known” as Jack L. Ruby. A Bureau of Narcotics report indicates Jack was already known as Ruby by October 29, 1947, although several Dallas associates still knew him as Rubenstein.

Nightclub Operations

Nightclub Operations Except for a brief period around 1953, when he managed the Ervay Theater, Ruby’s primary occupation and interest was running nightclubs and dance halls. Arriving in Dallas in 1947, he and Eva Grant jointly managed the Singapore Supper Club; he later renamed it the Silver Spur Club. In 1952, borrowing $3,700 from Ralph Paul, he acquired a half interest in the Bob Wills Ranch House with Martin Gimpel, a former Spartan Novelty Co. associate. Financial reverses in 1952 led him to abandon the Ranch House and transfer the Silver Spur to Gimpel and Willie Epstein. After a period of depression and a six-week stay in Chicago, Ruby reacquired the Silver Spur. In 1953, he obtained an interest in the Vegas Club, which he operated with Joe Bonds, and which Ruby still owned at the time of his arrest; Eva Grant assumed management of the Vegas in 1959. In late 1959, Ruby partnered with Joe Slatin to establish the Sovereign Club, a private club selling liquor to members, but Slatin withdrew in early 1960. Ruby obtained additional capital from Ralph Paul and, after a disagreement over the club’s operating model, renamed the Sovereign the Carousel Club, featuring striptease shows. The Carousel became one of three downtown Dallas burlesque clubs, serving champagne, beer, setups, and pizza, with net receipts averaging about $5,000 per month.

Employee Relationships

Employee Relationships Ruby’s employees reacted in widely varying ways to his management style. Long-term employees who became accustomed to his violent temper and constant threats of discharge generally described him sympathetically and reported genuine interest in their welfare, but considerable evidence also showed that he dominated his employees, sometimes resorted to violence, publicly embarrassed them, attempted to cheat them of pay, and delayed salaries. Numerous violent incidents are documented: in 1950, Ruby struck an employee with a blackjack; in 1951, a scuffle with guitarist Willis Dickerson led to the amputation of the top half of Ruby’s left index finger; in approximately 1955, he beat a musician with brass knuckles; in 1960, he struck Joe Peterson and knocked out a tooth; in September 1962, he severely beat handyman Frank Ferraro; and in March 1963, he threatened to throw a cigarette girl down the Carousel’s stairs. Ruby also had a long-running dispute with the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) over its “amateur” stripper policy, which he believed his competitors were exploiting. He enlisted acquaintances, including known criminals, to pressure AGVA on his behalf. In June 1963, he obtained the stripper “Jada” in New Orleans, but contract disputes, absenteeism, and concerns about her deliberately provocative performances culminated in her firing at the end of October 1963.