</s>JN 157-9586 2 KEN CRAWFORD and wife 29 Orchard Drive Cullman, Alabama Mr. and Mrs. MARTIN BERSANO Cullmann, Alabama 513 Terry Street Longmont, Colorado Georgia license ID25131, Falcon Mr. & Mrs. CARL CRUISE 601 Southeast 5th Avenue Pompano Beach, Florida Florida License 10-61837, Rambler JONATHAN PUGH 221 Cedar Park Sarasota, Florida Illinois license 254-545, Continental A. B. COLLINS, Jr. 2847 Osborne Road, Northeast Atlanta, Georgia 30319 W. S. BLOUNT 3496 Lenardo Drive, Southwest Atlanta,Georgia DWIGHT K. ROBINSON Fort Gordon, Georgia (Civil Affairs School) Mr. K. and MRS. WAYNE SCRIBNER 214 South Crea Street Decatur, Illinois WALTER LIMRICK Galatia, Illinois TOM CLARK 504 Barton Street Newton, Illinois 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents detail an FBI investigation into James Earl Ray’s movements and associations during the period surrounding Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968. Key focus areas include Ray’s alleged motel registrations in Birmingham, Memphis, and Corinth, Mississippi, between March 29 and April 3, 1969. The FBI requested records from motels such as the Travelodge Motel at Five Points, Birmingham; the Rebel Motel in Memphis; and locations near Florence, Alabama, and Corinth, Mississippi, to identify individuals linked to Ray. References include Ray’s purchase of a rifle from A.C. Smith Supply Company in Birmingham on March 29–50 (likely a date error), and court actions related to Judge Battle’s death on March 31, 1969. The documents also mention an article by William Bradford Hute in *Lock* magazine dated April 15, 1969, though it was circulated earlier.  

Key People:  
- James Earl Ray (suspect in MLK Jr.’s assassination)  
- William Bradford Hute (author of referenced articles in *Lock* magazine)  
- Judge Battle (died on March 31, 1969; mentioned in court-related actions)  
- Glen M. Swicegood, P.C. McGinnis (individuals listed with addresses and dates in Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi)  

Key Locations:  
- Travelodge Motel, Five Points, Birmingham, Alabama  
- Rebel Motel, Memphis, Tennessee  
- Corinth, Mississippi  
- Florence, Alabama  
- A.C. Smith Supply Company, Birmingham, Alabama  

Key Events:  
- FBI investigation into James Earl Ray’s movements and associations (March 29–April 3, 1969)  
- Request for motel registration records to identify individuals linked to Ray  
- Purchase of a rifle by Ray from A.C. Smith Supply Company (date discrepancies noted)  
- Court actions following Judge Battle’s death on March 31, 1969  
- Circulation of William Bradford Hute’s article in *Lock* magazine (April 15, 1969, but dated April 1, 1968)  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Special Agents in Charge (SACs) for Birmingham, Jackson, and Memphis offices

MLK Declassified Files

44-ls-947_sec_005_ser_345-380-part_6_of_7.pdf

Document Summary

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