Anne Dischler was an investigator for Jim Garrison who worked with Louisiana State policeman Lt. Francis Fruge on the Clinton/Jackson witnesses.
No one knew that Anne Dischler was involved in the Garrison investigation until Joan Mellen and Patricia Lambert interviewed her for their respective books. She is not mentioned in Jim Garrison's book, On the Trail of the Assassins.
The HSCA never figured out that Dischler was an investigator for Garrison and she was never contacted. Not one Clinton/Jackson witness mentioned her name, and Jonathan Blackmer, the HSCA attorney who worked on this part of the case, never knew she had vital information. The HSCA did not examine her notebooks.
In March 2020, I was fortunate to examine the papers of Patricia Lambert at the Sixth Floor Museum. Here are some pictures from her files:
Patricia Lambert (on the left) with Anne Dischler.
Dischler with Lambert.
Anne's inscription on the back of the photograph.
Anne's Four Seasons, Eunice, Louisiana.
Anne's inscription on the back of the photograph.
Signs outside of Anne's in Eunice, Louisiana.
Anne H. Dischler was born in 1932 and ultimately had seven children -- she had her first child when she was 16. She worked for the Louisiana State Revenue Department and was an investigator for the State Sovereignty Commission. She also worked temporarily as a deputy sheriff (narcotics), and she spent a lot of time as a jail minister.
Dischler was teamed up with Louisiana State Policeman Francis Fruge in February 1967 to investigate the Rose Cherami story as well as allegations that Oswald was seen in Lafayette, Louisiana.
First page of Anne Dischler's steno pad.
In an earlier post, I noted that on May 18, 1967, she received information from Fred Dent, Jr. of the State Sovereignty Commission. He had gotten a tip from Jack Rogers, and that led Dischler and Fruge to investigate the Clinton/Jackson witnesses.
Ultimately, Anne Dischler was pulled off the investigation in mid-October 1967. Here are two paragraphs from notes that Patricia Lambert made from a telephone conversation with Anne Dischler on February 2, 1994.
She turned in her steno pads to Garrison's office, which were copied, and then returned. Fortunately, she held on to them, and now they are available:
One of Anne Dischler's steno pads.
After Dischler left the Garrison investigation, she worked with Fruge on a murder case.
Unfortunately, after she was taken off the case, Dischler (as well as Fruge) had her expense reporting questioned:
New Orleans States-Item, April 29, 1968
There was a lot of confusion over just who was working for Jim Garrison:
New Orleans States-Item, April 30, 1968
Here is a note that Pat Lambert wrote about a conversation with Dischler about the start of the Shaw trial:
Dischler had some strange views on the assassination. She told Lambert:
She explained what she believes to be the force behind the assassination: the five families that have all the money; the illuminati; bringing about the new world order too soon: one government controlled by these five families -- setting up the world for the anti-Christ. The Kennedy and the Bouvier families were too powerful and threatened the control of the five families because the Kennedy and Bouvier families threatened to create a sixth family.
Dischler was also a jail minister. She learned to play guitar because she couldn't bring her piano to prisons. She started at the Crowley Parish jail and then worked at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola; the Landry Parish Prison; and the Saint Gabriel Parish Prison for Women.
Opelousas Daily World, May 8, 1964
Anne Hundley Dischler
BORN: January 25, 1932
DIED: November 6, 2018
Eunice, Louisiana
With sorrowful, yet grateful hearts, the family wishes to announce the eternal home going of Anne Hundley Dischler, age 86, on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 while residing at her home in Eunice, La. Pastor Dennis Gotreaux will conduct the services at 11am on Friday November 8, 2018 at Quirk’s Funeral Home in Eunice with burial to follow at St. Louis Cemetery.
Anne enjoyed life as a wife for 65 years from 1948-2014 to Donald Ray Dischler, Sr. (deceased), mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother. Later in life she was an ordained Minister of Evangelism and owner operator of Anne’s Fabrics in Eunice. She worked four years as an investigator for Louisiana State Police. Anne loved her family and loved counseling others for many years and also loved sewing and designing clothes for family and customers.
Survivors include three daughters, Sylvia Dischler Martello Stanford (Button) & husband Julien of Crowley, LA, Sharon Dischler Sullivan & husband Gary of Norwood, LA, and Janice Dischler Moon of Eunice; four sons, Mr. & Mrs. Donald Dischler Jr. of Cypress, TX, Mark Dischler & wife Vanessa of Lake Charles, LA, Karl Dischler & wife Jeanne of Eunice, LA, and Bruce Dischler & wife Wendy of Eunice, LA; 28 grandchildren; 56 great grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents Hillman and Janice Williams Hundley, husband Donald Ray Dischler Sr.; sister, Carolyn Hundley Gilfillian; brother Samuel Hundley; son-in-law, Cosimo .J. Martello I and great granddaughter, Jana Michelle Zannini.
Pall bearers will be Mark Dischler, Jay Martello, Sam Martello, Justin Stanford, Jacob Moon, David Dischler and Gerald Dischler.
The Series on the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses
Part One: The witnesses testify at the trial of Clay Shaw.
Part Two: A response to the allegations made by the Clinton/Jackson witnesses.
Part Three: A look at racism and the politics of the early 1960s.
Part Four: Many of the witnesses were either members of the KKK or sympathizers.
Part Five: None of the Clinton/Jackson witnesses came forward in 1963-1964.
Part Six: Just where did the Clinton/Jackson witnesses come from?
Previous Relevant Blog Posts on the Clinton/Jackson Witnesses
Three case studies on how Garrison was less than inquisitive, including the possible check of the Cadillac in Clinton.
Why didn't Garrison check out whether the Trade Mart in New Orleans had leased a Cadillac?
An interview with Weisberg in which he discusses the Clinton witnesses.
Two of the Clinton witnesses claimed they were intimidated. But were they really?
Some background material on Clinton.
William Dunn initially said that Thomas Beckham was with Shaw and Oswald.
Andrew Dunn said Jack Ruby was in Clinton.
None of Garrison's witnesses, including the witnesses from Clinton/Jackson, came forward in 1963 -1964.