It’s one of the most haunting sets of images from November 22, 1963. While the world was reeling from the shots fired at Dealey Plaza, three men were being marched past the Texas School Book Depository by Dallas police. They looked out of place. One was tall, another was short and older, and the third had a slight smirk that seemed chillingly casual for a man being arrested at the scene of the century’s biggest crime.
For decades, they were just the three tramps.
They became a blank canvas for every JFK conspiracy theory you can imagine. People swore they were CIA hitmen. Others were convinced they were Watergate burglars in disguise. Honestly, if you spent any time in the 1970s or 80s looking at assassination lore, you’ve probably seen the grainy overlays comparing their faces to some of the shadiest characters in American history. But the truth, which finally surfaced in the early 90s, is actually much more human—and maybe a little bit sadder—than the spy novels people wrote about them.
Who Were the Three Tramps?
Basically, they were exactly what they looked like. They were transients.
For years, the Dallas Police Department claimed they couldn’t find the arrest records for these men. That "lost" paperwork was gasoline for the fire. If there’s no record, they must be spooks, right? That was the logic. But in 1989, the DPD finally released a massive batch of records, and in 1992, researchers Ray and Mary La Fontaine did the legwork that the FBI seemingly ignored for thirty years. They found the booking slips.
The men weren't CIA. They were:
- Harold Doyle (the tall one)
- John Gedney (the one in the middle)
- Gus Abrams (the older man in the back)
They had been pulled off a boxcar in the railroad yards right behind the Grassy Knoll shortly after the shooting. The police were sweeping the area for anything suspicious, and three guys hiding in a train car definitely fit the bill. They were held for four days as "investigative prisoners" and then released when it became clear they were just hobos passing through town.
The Wildest Identities Ever Proposed
Before the La Fontaines found the real names, things got pretty weird. You’ve got to remember the context of the 70s—the Church Committee was exposing CIA plots, and the Watergate scandal was fresh. People were ready to believe the government was capable of anything.
The Watergate Connection
The most famous theory involved E. Howard Hunt and Frank Sturgis. Hunt was a career CIA officer, and Sturgis was a mercenary; both were later caught in the Watergate break-in. In 1974, researchers Alan J. Weberman and Michael Canfield used "anthropometric" analysis to claim the tramps were Hunt and Sturgis.
It looked convincing to a layman. Even Hunt’s own kids eventually got caught up in the drama, with his son Saint John Hunt later claiming his father made a deathbed confession about being involved in the JFK plot. However, the Rockefeller Commission looked into this back in 1975. The FBI’s top photo experts concluded that the facial structures just didn't match.
The Hitman and the Actor's Father
Then there’s the Charles Harrelson theory. If that name sounds familiar, it should. He was a professional hitman and the father of actor Woody Harrelson.
In 1980, during a six-hour standoff with police while high on cocaine, Charles Harrelson actually claimed he killed JFK. Later, he recanted, saying it was just a "tactic" to prolong his life during the standoff. Conspiracy theorists pointed to the "tall tramp" and said the resemblance was uncanny. But again, the 1992 records debunked this. Harrelson was a dangerous man, but he wasn't the guy in the boxcar that day.
Why They Looked So "Clean"
One of the biggest arguments for a conspiracy was that these men looked "too clean" to be tramps.
They had relatively fresh haircuts. Their clothes weren't tattered. One of them was wearing a fedora. Critics asked: "Since when do hobos look like they just walked out of a barbershop?"
The answer is actually pretty mundane. Harold Doyle later gave an interview to A Current Affair in 1992. He explained that they had spent the night before the assassination at a local homeless shelter in Dallas. They had showered, shaved, and been given clean, donated clothes. It wasn't a "CIA disguise." It was just a lucky break from the mission that morning.
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Doyle seemed genuinely terrified that people thought he was an assassin. He told the reporters, "I am a plain guy, a simple country boy... I wouldn't be a celebrity for $10 million." He had stayed quiet for years simply because he didn't want the trouble. Can you blame him?
The Lingering Mystery of the Missing Records
While we know who they were, the way the Dallas Police handled them is still a bit of a mess.
Why did it take until 1989 for the records to surface? The DPD had told the Warren Commission and the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) that the records were gone. It’s this kind of bureaucratic incompetence that feeds the "deep state" narratives.
- 1963: Men arrested, photographed, and released.
- 1964: Warren Commission never mentions them.
- 1975: Rockefeller Commission says they aren't Hunt or Sturgis.
- 1989: Records are released to the Dallas Municipal Archives.
- 1992: Identities are confirmed by journalists.
Honestly, the "cover-up" was likely just a bunch of cops who didn't want to admit they'd arrested three random guys for no reason and then lost the paperwork in a basement.
What This Tells Us About JFK Theories
The story of the three tramps is a masterclass in how a lack of information creates a vacuum that "experts" fill with fantasy.
When you look at the photos now, knowing they are Doyle, Gedney, and Abrams, the "menacing" smirk on the lead tramp’s face looks more like the awkward grin of a guy who's embarrassed to be caught by the cops. The "Secret Service" shoes people obsessed over were just sturdy work boots.
It’s a reminder that in history, the boring explanation is usually the right one.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs
If you’re researching JFK or any historical mystery, here’s how to avoid the "Tramp Trap":
- Check the Primary Source First: Don't rely on a 1970s documentary. Go to the Mary Ferrell Foundation website or the National Archives. Most of the 1992 DPD releases are digitized now.
- Beware of "Photo-Overlay" Evidence: Humans are wired for pattern recognition. We see faces in clouds and CIA agents in hobos. Unless it’s modern forensic mapping, take "he looks just like him" with a grain of salt.
- Context Matters: The fact that they were clean-shaven seemed like a "gotcha" for years, until someone bothered to check if there was a shelter nearby with a shower. Always look for the simplest logistical reason.
The case of the three tramps is officially closed. They weren't part of a hit team; they were just three guys in the wrong boxcar at the worst possible moment in American history.
To continue your research, you should examine the original Dallas Police Department booking sheets for November 22, 1963, which are now held at the Dallas Municipal Archives. Comparing these to the 1992 interviews with Harold Doyle provides a complete picture of how their identities were verified. You might also want to look into the 1975 Rockefeller Commission report to see how early photo analysis was conducted before the records were found.