</s>SL: 44-775 ERNEST SUMTER GALT 6/ 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents contain personnel records, investigative reports, and employment histories related to individuals with ties to St. Louis, Missouri, during the 1950s–1960s. Ernest Sumter Gault’s records detail his criminal arrests for burglary, grand larceny, assault, and petit larceny in Arkansas and Michigan between 1939 and 1948, along with military service in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (1942–1946) and later reserve status. His family members, residences, and civilian occupations as a deckhand and roofer helper are noted. A separate section includes Jerome Wallis-Vernon’s Air Force service records, disciplinary actions, mental health evaluations, and civilian associations, including suspected desertion and a suicide attempt. James Earl Ray’s background is detailed through federal investigations in 1968, including his 1955 conviction for postal money order fraud, military service with the U.S. Army (1946–1948), and probation records from St. Louis. Charles E. Ray’s employment history as a cook’s helper at Glen Echo Country Club (August 1958) and subsequent arrest for an armed robbery at a baking company store on Ohio Avenue, St. Louis (October 10, 1959), are documented, along with involvement of law enforcement agencies like the St. Louis Police Department. No direct connection to Martin Luther King Jr., the assassination investigation, or related events is present in the text.  

Key People:  
- Ernest Sumter Gault (suspect; arrested for burglary, assault, etc.)  
- James C. Gault (brother of Ernest Gault)  
- Florence H. Gault (wife of Ernest Gault)  
- Lula Gault (mother of Ernest Gault)  
- Jerome Wallis-Vernon (Air Force service records; suspected desertion and suicide attempt)  
- James Earl Ray (subject of 1968 investigation; convicted for postal fraud in 1955)  
- Charles E. Ray (arrested for armed robbery at bakery store, 1959)  
- Edward Stanis (Bakers Union #4, AFL-CIO)  
- Donald Schaffer (manager of bakery store involved in robbery)  
- Ralph King, Edward McGrath, James Owens, James Barlow (St. Louis Police Department officers)  
- Mrs. Lucille Ryan (Ray’s aunt; contact in St. Louis)  
- Jerry Raynes/Raynes family (mentioned in Ewing, Missouri)  
- Walter Terry Riff (co-defendant in 1955 postal fraud case)  
- Catherine Buskirk (listed as associate of Ray)  
- John L. Brennan (Chief, United States Probation Officer, St. Louis)  

Key Locations:  
- St. Louis, Missouri (central focus; residences, employment, and arrests)  
- North Little Rock, Arkansas  
- Little Rock, Arkansas  
- Saginaw, Michigan  
- Las Vegas, Nevada  
- Sacramento, California  
- Ewing, Missouri (Raynes family residence during Depression era)  
- Quincy, Illinois (Ray’s 1940s residence; Park Hotel referenced)  
- Hannibal, Missouri (Ray’s 1955 arrest and interactions)  
- Kellerville, Illinois (site of 1955 postal money order burglary)  
- Glen Echo Country Club (St. Louis County, Missouri)  
- North 18th Street, St. Louis (bakery addresses)  
- 3417 Ohio Avenue, St. Louis (robbery location)  
- 2017 Park Avenue, St. Louis (arrest site)  

Key Events:  
- Arrests for burglary, grand larceny, and assault (1939–1948)  
- Employment with Veterans Administration Hospital, Federal Barge Lines, National Maritime Union, Kroger Bakery Company, and American Bakeries Company  
- Military service in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (1942–1946) and Air Force (1950s–1960s)  
- 1955 conviction for postal money order fraud (sentenced to three years)  
- Robbery at a baking company store on Ohio Avenue, St. Louis (October 10, 1959)  
- Arrest of Charles E. Ray following the robbery, involving multiple law enforcement agencies  
- Probation records indicating Ray’s conditional release from federal custody in 1958  
- Air Force disciplinary actions and mental health evaluations for Jerome Wallis-Vernon  
- Suspected desertion and suicide attempt by Jerome Wallis-Vernon  

Key Organizations:  
- Veterans Administration Hospital  
- Federal Barge Lines  
- National Maritime Union  
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers  
- U.S. Army (Ray’s military service records)  
- United States Postal Inspection Service (investigated Ray’s postal fraud)  
- United States Probation Office (monitored Ray’s post-release activities)  
- Bakers Union #4, AFL-CIO (St. Louis, Missouri)  
- Kroger Bakery Company (St. Louis, Missouri)  
- St. Louis Police Department (Third District, Seventh District)  
- Commercial bakeries in St. Louis (e.g., American Bakeries Company, Found Bakery Company)

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_10-04-part_3_of_5.pdf

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