Robert Perrin: The Dallas-New Orleans Underworld

/ Carter McLellan

Author: Carter McLellan – Date: April 5, 2026

CONTENTS

  1. Who was Robert Perrin?
    1. Dallas to New Orleans, 1961-1962
    2. Nancy Perrin works at the Carousel Club
    3. The Cuba Project Meetings
  2. The Suicide of Robert Perrin, August 28, 1962
  3. Harassment of Nancy Perrin Rich
  4. Dallas-New Orleans Underworld
  5. Notes

Who was Robert Perrin?

On October 11, 1920, Robert Lee Perrin was born in Kerkhoven, Swift County, Minnesota, USA.1 Very little is known about his life. He did apparently serve in the military, on his tombstone is marked “CPL BTRY B 98 FA BN” and WWII BSM.2 He got married in 1941 to Florence B. Moore (1918-1970).3 About five years later he got married to Alice Leona Grover (1914-1974).4 At some point, he had gotten married to an Evelyn Marie Truesdell (1922-1999).5 Currently I don’t have any information about who these four women were, or how they met Robert. In any case, it was his fifth wife who would be linked into the parapolitical events around the JFK assassination. In 1960, Robert got married to Nancy Elaine Matthews Wilson Musachio (1937-).6

Besides having served in the military during WWII and being married at least five times, there is some information easily available regarding Robert’s activities after service. He has variously been described as a construction worker,7 a “self-stylized gun runner”,8 a “one time narcotics smuggler”,9 and a “bodyguard to top hoodlums.”10 More directly, he has been accused of being a “gun-runner to Franco during the Spanish Civil War”11 and a CIA gun-runner in Spain and in Cuba.”12

These reports clearly stem from the June 2, 1964, Warren Commission interview of Nancy Perrin Rich, his fifth wife and later widow, by Leon D. Hubert, Jr.13 In it, she describes the various occupations of her husband Robert Perrin:

“Many things, from a master mechanic, on heavy equipment, cats, et cetera, to a master foundry worker, patternmaker, moulder, to running a foundry. … A writer, contracted by the old Street and Smith Co., … an author, short series [under the pseudonym of Jack Starr]. Anything beyond that, I couldn’t tell you, because I don’t know how much is true of what he told me of his past.“

She then proceeded to delve into the underworld aspect of her husband. “He claimed,” Nancy states, “to have worked for Jack Dragna … [for] income tax evasion. … he did everything form handle Dragna’s call girls to be a heavy [bodyguard] … for Jack Dragna, and various subsequent members, … of the organization that used to come into California. … syndicate, Mafia.” In addition to Jack Dagna, Nancy also mentioned that Robert personally knew Mickey Cohen, Virginia Hill, and Jimmy Gilreath.14 She reiterated that he was involved in “everything from prostitution to illegal gambling to narcotics.“

Nancy further states that Robert “claimed that he ran guns … when Franco was coming into power. I do know this to be a fact, because he spent time in jail there. I do know he fought for both sides, as a professional soldier. … He claimed he ran guns and used to pilot a small boat. … Into Spain, for Franco. … I would say it was in the late thirties, I wouldn’t be sure, late thirties or early forties. It was either just prior to him going into the United States Army or after he was released.“15

All of this seems to indicate that Robert may have been involved in some pretty shady underworld activities during the late 1940’s to early 1960’s, but possibly as early at the late 1930s. Furthermore, as we will discuss, Nancy not only tied Robert into the mob but would also provide a link to Jack Ruby in connection with some shady Cuba operation involving running guns and refugees in and out of Cuba.

Dallas to New Orleans, 1961-1962

As mentioned previously, Robert Perrin married his fifth wife Nancy Perrin in 1960.16 Nancy had been married two times prior. First to a man named Charles G. Wilson, whom she married in 1953 and had two children, the second to Louis Edward Musachio, with home she had one child. She also had a daughter with Robert Perrin.17

In early 1962, Nancy was in New Hampshire with the State Legislature at the time doing public relations, something she had a background in. She obtained a job for her husband and called back to their home in Belmont, Massachusetts, at No. 11 Holden Road, to tell him to come down. However, she got no answer, so she had a feeling that something was wrong. “So, I hightailed it back to Massachusetts,” she recounts, “and there was a note. And the note said that he was going to Dallas. I called and he wasn’t there. I called halfway over the United States, thinking of places he told me he had been, and I couldn’t find him.” Among the places she called were the Dallas Police Department and a foundry he had mentioned in a letter once. She also contacted a Youngblood, someone her husband described as a government agent and who was a friend of a certain Dave Cherry, who will discussed later.18

Unable to locate her husband, she decided to travel to Dallas herself, arriving there around May 1962.19 Robert eventually caught up with here in Dallas, after having written to Nancy’s mother to find out where she was. Nancy later found out that Robert had been in South Bend, Indiana, with her secretary.20

When Nancy arrived in Dallas, she went to the Dallas Police Department where she recalled first meeting Officer J.D. Tippit, whom she had spoken to prior when she had called the DPD.21 Dallas Police Officers Paul Rayburn and a House helped find Nancy a place to stay as well. She lived in two places prior to Robert arriving. She resided at 4903 Junius, and was living at a place on Oak Street when Robert arrived. It was Paul Rayburn who informed Nancy of a bartending job that turned out to be at Jack Ruby’s Carousel Club.22

Nancy worked for Ruby at the Carousel Club for about two months as a bartender.23 She recalled that special customers got mixed drinks and hard liquor. These customers consisted of members of the Dallas Police Department, as well as attorneys in town, such as Sy Victorson. Police Officers were only served free drinks when they came without their wives.24 Nancy recalled meeting Eva Grant, Ruby’s sister and manager of the Vegas Club. Nancy recalled various other persons meeting him, from New York, Chicago and Minneapolis. Nancy was introduced to some of them and asked to go out with some of them.25 She believed that Buddy King would know about Ruby’s operations.

But after about two months, Nancy had a falling out with Jack Ruby. An argument had occurred stemming from the cleanliness of glasses and how fast Nancy was pushing out drinks to customers. This culminated in Ruby throwing Nancy against the bar that put a bruise on her arm. Bud King, an employee at the club, and one of the dancers had to pull Nancy off of Ruby. That night she quit the job. She already had found another job. When she told her husband about it, he went up there but was thrown out of the club by Ruby. At the time, Robert Perrin was working in Dallas, either for Detective Paul Rayburn at his used car lot, or at Al’s Automotive as a mechanic. She recalls Robert had an auto thrill show, “Jack Star’s Spilic and Chills”, and that he worked for Sitton’s Auto Center at 1620 East Main, Grand Prairie, Texas. 26

At some point, Nancy had left her job at the Carousel to work at the Theater Lounge for Barney Weinstein, who wanted to promote her to a stripper. Not wanting this, she quit and tried to go back to the Carousel club.27

Nancy had tried to file a suit of assault and battery against Ruby for the altercation. When she went to the DPD about this, she was told that the suite “would never win” and that she’d be getting herself into more trouble than she bargained for. So she never took it to the DA’s office.28

The Cuba Project Meetings

Nancy and Robert remained in Dallas for a couple more months after she quit working at Ruby’s Carousel Club.29 At some point, someone possibly named Dave Cherry, a bartender at the University Club in Dallas on Commerce Street, came to Robert Perrin with a proposal. Nancy had met him and introduced him to her husband. Nancy later believed that Dave was some kind of front man or recruiter for a mysterious group. Nancy previously recalled a Dick C. as the same person, and also identified him as her contact in a “call girl operation.”30

A map drawn by Nancy of the apartment building where the Cuba meetings took place.31

They were asked to attend a meeting. Dave, along with another girl, drove Nancy and Robert to the meeting location, somewhere in Dallas at night. The exact spot was never identified, but Nancy recalled it was an apartment building, the side facing the street, a hill sloping up, and a path winding around, including flowers and garden, with a little fountain with lights illuminating the garden. The building was brick or stucco. The apartment was possibly on the first floor, a two bedroom, and not well furnished, as the occupants had just moved in. The furniture was Danish modern, there was a lamp on a table.32

Once the group arrived at the location, the girl accompanying Dave possibly remained in the car, while Dave, Robert and Nancy all went into the apartment. Nancy and Robert went under alias of Nancy and Jack Starr. At this first meeting, there was a colonel, or light colonel, either in the Air Force or Army, but possibly the regular Army. He was dressed in summer uniform. The Colonel, who was not acting officially, represented a “group of people.” . At the outset, the Colonel outlined the job, he needed someone to pilot a boat and someone that knew Cuba, to which Robert said he did. Robert wanted to go on the boar with Eddie Brawner, a friend of Dave and someone Robert used to race stock cars with. Nancy and Robert both had a background with boats, and Robert also claimed he and Lee Dell owned a big boat in California. They were going to bring Cuban refugees into Miami, Florida. The Colonel said he would provide the boat, an old picket boat possibly located in Miami, and was able to “obtain various things.” The initial offer was $10,000 by the Colonel. While Nancy remained quiet, she was suspicious about the amount offered. While the first meeting, which lasted about 45 minutes, was for feeling each out, Nancy and Robert agreed to attend a follow up meeting about a week later.33

Nancy and Robert traveled by themselves to the second meeting with Dave alongside them. Present at the apartment was the Colonel, a middle-aged woman described as “mannish”, a man described as a “prizefighter type”, and a couple of other men sitting in a corner, one looking like a Cuban or Latin American. This time there appeared to be a hitch in the plan, to which Nancy asked for a full explanation of what exactly they were getting into. They stated that in addition to bringing Cuban refugees into Miami, they would also be running military supplies and Enfield rifles into Cuba. The Latin American may have made that statement with the Colonel clarifying it. The guns were to come in via Mexico, and the military supplies were coming from a military base.34

At this point, Nancy wanted out, but wanted to play along to see what other information she’d be able to obtain before taking it to authorities. She asked for a sum of $25,000, but Nancy sensed a hitch in obtaining the money. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and according to Nancy, Jack Ruby walked into the apartment. This shocked Nancy, but Ruby seemed overly nervous. Ruby and the Colonel went into another room and Nancy believed that he dropped off money before leaving. Possibly, he was providing funds for the trip to Mexico to obtain the Enfield rifles. This second meeting lasted about 2.5 hours. There was to be a third meeting, but the Colonel needed to discuss the offer of $25k with higher ups.35

Between this second and third meeting, Robert was picked up by police for having an unregistered .45 in his car. Apparently he had been heading to Rayburn while brandishing a pistol saying he was going to kill someone. The attorney Sy Victorson was able to get him out of the charge. Victorson also helped get two charges in Dallas against Nancy dropped.36

About a week later, Dave informed Nancy and Robert about the third meeting. Present at the third meeting was the Colonel, the prizefighter type who supposedly had gone to Mexico and back, the Latin-looking fellow and other one with him, and the woman. There was also another man, introduced as Tony, not seen before who Nancy seemed to recognize as the son of Vito Genovese.37 The Colonel made a counter offer of $15,000, and Nancy interrupted her husband to decline the offer. A phone call came in and a lengthy conversation took place in another room. The Colonel came back and said they were going to call off the project for 3 to 4 months after a change of plans. There was supposed to be a fourth meeting, but Nancy said they didn’t want to take part in this anymore and left. A couple weeks after this third meeting, Nancy and Robert left Dallas for New Orleans. She recalled that there was a gunrunning business contact to be made at the Hotel Nueva Gallina in Guadalajara, Mexico.38

Nancy described why she left Dallas shortly after this meeting:

“I smelled an element that I did not want to have any part of. … Police characters, let’s say. … [after possibly seeing Vito Genovese’s son at the third meeting] I got thinking perhaps the higher-up that the colonel spoke of was perhaps the element I did not want to deal with that was running the guns in, and God knows what else. … That element, if what my husband told me was true, could have involved him a lot deeper than I suspected. And quite frankly I am not stupid enough, shall we say, to believe if I ever went to the authorities and that element was involved that I would ever live to tell a second story.“39

The Suicide of Robert Perrin, August 28, 1962

Nancy recalls phoning Dave Cherry to advise him that she and her husband were moving to New Orleans and she’d be working for the Playboy Club. That job would only last 2-3 nights because she didn’t like it. They lived in the French Quarter at he sister’s place, and various other places, then moved to 1713 Calhoun Street. Nancy was reluctant to discuss what she did for work while in New Orleans. She states to have dealt black jack. However, she also recounts that her husband Robert taught her how to be a prostitute, obtaining dates and the rest, turning her into a call girl or madam. Robert did work for a construction company as a mechanic for heavy equipment out in Jeff Parish for a Dickie Bennett and Mr. McHane.40

Sometime late at night on of Monday or Tuesday, August 27-28, 1962, a police Sergeant Boudreaux recieved a phone call from an unknown male stating, “I need help, please send an ambulance right away. I am at 1713 Calhoun St.” then sounded like the subject had dropped the phone.41 Patrolman John Hamilton of Central Communications Division, LA State Police, contacted Sgt. Gueldner and Patrolman Sanford Krasnoff. At around 1:30 AM, officers from the second district reached the location and could not find anyone, but eventually gained entrance through an unlocked rear door, after they heard groans coming from the front side windows of the apartment. Upon entering Sgt. Gueldner found Robert lying on a bed in the second room, then opened the front door to bring in Officers Krasnoff, J. Olson and T. Parts. Robert’s body was secreting fluid from the rectum and was in a comatose state, and lying nude on the bed.42

There was an odor of ether and they found an empty can of Ethyl Ether lying on the floor, near the bed where Robert was lying. They found a small rubber face mask, attached to an empty Chocolate Nutriment can, which had been made to appear as a cannister, and which was apparently used to poor the ether into for inhaling the fumes. Located on a dresser by the bed was a piece of white paper containing a note written in longhand with a pencil stating:

“DEAREST SLIM: JUST HAD A CALL FROM ART. YOU HAVE OBVIOUSLY GONE TO BATON ROUGE AND YOU AND I ARE FINISHED. I LOVE YOU DEAR AND WON’T LIVE WITHOUT YOU. I ONLY HOPE THAT YOU CAN BE HAPPY WITH YOUR CAPTAIN. GOODBYE AND ALL MY LOVE ALWAYS. ROBBIE“43

The Slim in the note was apparently his wife, Nancy Perrin, who had gone to Baton Rouge, the Central Headquarters of State Police. Robert had called State Police, and a State Police officer was named as Art, apparently named A. E. Wise, in the apparent suicide note.44

The officers summoned Charity Hospital ambulance which conveyed Robert to Charity Hospital, where he died at 6:05 AM. The officers were unable to obtain information about his relatives, and the neighbors questioned knew nothing. The body was eventually identified by A. E. Wise, a friend of Robert and an employee of LA State Police.45

A Pete Schuster was to follow up the investigation. On August 29, 1962, “Det. Nick Chetta” (this is the New Orleans Coroner, Dr. Nicholas Chetta) informed Sgt. Drumm that he found a brown paper bag containing six bottles of various pills and capsules, and an empty can of HUNGO, ethyl ether.46

The autopsy report of Robert Perrin made by the Coroner’s Office of Nicholas Chetta concluded the death was by suicide from arsenic poisoning.47 Nancy was notified of her husband’s death about two days later.48

Nancy obtained the coroner’s report through the Veteran’s Administration Hospital, possibly the one in Denver, Colorado, which also came up with the report that Robert was discharged from service for hysteria, and had a bad history of mental disturbance.49

Harassment of Nancy Perrin Rich

Following the JFK assassination on November 22, 1963, and the assassination of the main suspect Lee Harvey Oswald, on November 24, by Jack Ruby, Nancy came forward to give her testimony. On November 30 and December 3, 1963, while living in California, she provided testimony to the FBI.50 Furthermore, she had gotten more involved in police work. She “worked as needed” with the Boston Police Department, Hayward Police Department, Oakland Police Department, and DA Office of Sacramento. In Oakland she worked on grand theft cases.51

In the week prior to Nancy’s Warren Commission testimony, some highly mysterious things began happening to her. Apparently on the night of Saturday, May 23, 1964, Nancy received a phone call at her home around 10:30 PM. Her brother had just suffered a stroke and she started to receive death threats. In a panic she phoned the Hanover police. Her husband also received a call at his office, North Quincy Taxi Co., and threatened her life to him. Nancy recounts:

“Sometimes they would call and say something, sometimes just hang up, sometimes just giggle. But they directly threatened my life. I thought perhaps it was something to do with various police work I had done, somebody had a grudge or something, or a crank, or anything. The phone calls stopped and they started again.“52

Several days later, she began to be followed. She told the Commission the following:

“Last Thursday I was on way from my home up to North Attleboro. Mass. For approximately 30 miles I was followed, and subsequently, up until last Sunday I have had a tail on me. I notified the Mansfield police. They got the registration number and the name of the fellow following me. And he could give non reason why he was almost 60 or 70 miles from where he lived. … May I also add at this time that due to a personal contact of mine, I will be doing, not for pay but as a favor, a little bit of looking into a few matters for the Mansfield Police Department for Chief D’Alefie, I believe.“

The day she saw Chief D’Alefie was last Thursday, and he testifying before the commission prevented her from meeting with him. The person that tailed her on Thursday was in a black Pontiac with Massachusetts registration, and was apparently a Mr. Alberto from Hyde Park. But she was tailed by someone else in the following three days. Nancy elaborates on the situation:

“Friday and Saturday it was a green, I would say, probably 1961, 1962 Chevrolet. … No ; it was not [the same man]. It was an older man. The fellow following me was probably maybe 21, 23 years old [the first fellow]. [Friday and Saturday was] Middle age ; I didn’t get a real good look at him—I would say probably in his forties.  He rather looked to be a husky-looking fellow.   And Sunday I picked up a tail, and it was a man and a woman. And I thought I recognized the girl, and I cannot be sure. … The vehicle that was on my Sunday was a blue two-door hardtop. And I do not know the make of the car. … [They tailed her] Wherever I went. I would leave the house, and believe me I think I know when I am being tailed. When I pull over to the side of the road and a car pulls up and doesn’t pass me—I will do this two or three times. And when I take a turnoff where nobody else will take, and the car is still there, I think they are tailing me. … The one time the mad did, down on the bridge—the boundary line to our property is a river.   And he sat down there and pretended to be looking in the water.  And then I would see him down by Jordan’s, which is an eating house.   Then he would be cruising around.   And finallyt he would give up and go away.  And in a couple of hours he would be back.  Every time I took the car out, they were there. … [never went out at night] … Saturday I went to Maine—took my daughter down to my mother’s. I had the green car on my tail all the way to Maine and back. … I think it has to do with the names of some bookmakers and a couple of abortionists I turned in to the district attorney in Boston.“53

On Monday, June 1, 1964, Nancy Perrin Rich received a letter to testify before the Warren Commission from J. Lee Rankin and was called by Fahety of the FBI Bureau in Boston. She claimed that her letter was opened by Rob Kennett of Executive Limited in Boston and was apparently telling people that she had been invited to testify. She even requested that the Commission tell Kennett to keep quiet, because of the police work that she was doing. “I would appreciate it, because of some extracurricular work that I d-it is not feasible for anyone to know that I go before any kind of commission, for anything.” Nancy states. Nancy had apparently worked at this place for three months. 54

She was advised by the Secret Service Agent Sweeny and an FBI agent Fahety to tell the Commission about these unusual incidents.55 It is noteworthy that she was dabbling in some kind of police work before and during the time that this occurred, but it is also intriguing that it occurred just prior to her being invited to testify at the Warren Commission. It certainly strikes as odd considering the testimony connecting Ruby to the DPD, mob, and Cuba project, but also the untimely death of her prior husband.

On Tuesday, June 2, 1964, Nancy Perrin Rich was interviewed by the Warren Commission in Washington, D.C. by Burt W. Griffin and Leon D. Hubert, Jr., assistant council of the President’s Commission. She was also later interviewed by Mark Lane. 56

Dallas-New Orleans Underworld

Might be expanded in the future.

Notes

  1. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/149792967/robert_lee-perrin ↩︎
  2. Ibid. ↩︎
  3. Ibid. ↩︎
  4. Ibid. ↩︎
  5. Ibid. ↩︎
  6. Ibid. ↩︎
  7. https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=6761#relPageId=259&search=%22Robert_Perrin%22 ↩︎
  8. https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=104111#relPageId=109&search=%22Robert_Perrin%22 ↩︎
  9. MISC. NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS ↩︎
  10. 62-LA-6614, Volume 1, Serials 1-Open [1 of 2] ↩︎
  11. Ibid. ↩︎
  12. GARRISON AND THE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION. ↩︎
  13. Warren Commission, Volume XIV: Nancy Perrin Rich ↩︎
  14. Ibid. ↩︎
  15. Ibid. ↩︎
  16. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/149792967/robert_lee-perrin ↩︎
  17. https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh14/pdf/WH14_Rich.pdf ↩︎
  18. Ibid. ↩︎
  19. Ibid. ↩︎
  20. Ibid. ↩︎
  21. Ibid. ↩︎
  22. *) Ibid.;
    *) FBI 44-24016 Ruby HQ File, Section 23 ↩︎
  23. https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh14/pdf/WH14_Rich.pdf ↩︎
  24. Ibid. ↩︎
  25. *) Ibid.;
    *) Ruby, Jack – 2-2 – Associates and Relatives, Nov 30, 1963 ↩︎
  26. *) https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh14/pdf/WH14_Rich.pdf;
    *) FBI 44-24016 Ruby HQ File, Section 23 ↩︎
  27. https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh14/pdf/WH14_Rich.pdf ↩︎
  28. Ibid. ↩︎
  29. Ibid. ↩︎
  30. *) Ibid.;
    *) FBI 44-24016 Ruby HQ File, Section 23 ↩︎
  31. 1964, Warren Commission Exhibits, Volume XXI, page 298 ↩︎
  32. https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh14/pdf/WH14_Rich.pdf ↩︎
  33. Ibid. ↩︎
  34. Ibid. ↩︎
  35. Ibid. ↩︎
  36. Ibid. ↩︎
  37. Ibid. ↩︎
  38. Ibid. ↩︎
  39. Ibid. ↩︎
  40. Ibid. ↩︎
  41. https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=233481#relPageId=48&search=%22Robert_Perrin%22 ↩︎
  42. Ibid. ↩︎
  43. Ibid. ↩︎
  44. Ibid. ↩︎
  45. Ibid. ↩︎
  46. Ibid. ↩︎
  47. FBI 44-24016 Ruby HQ File, Section 56 ↩︎
  48. https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh14/pdf/WH14_Rich.pdf ↩︎
  49. Ibid. ↩︎
  50. *) Ruby, Jack – 2-2 – Associates and Relatives, Nov 30, 1963;
    *) FBI 44-24016 Ruby HQ File, Section 23 ↩︎
  51. https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh14/pdf/WH14_Rich.pdf ↩︎
  52. Ibid. ↩︎
  53. Ibid. ↩︎
  54. Ibid. ↩︎
  55. Ibid. ↩︎
  56. *) Ibid.;
    *) Mark Lane interview clip for Rush to Judgment (on YouTube) ↩︎

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