The Fatty Arbuckle Trial: The Injustice of the Century

This article discusses the Fatty Arbuckle case, an incident in which it is still not known whether or not he caused the death of Virginia Rappe. It discusses the various accounts given of the incident and whether or not some of the witnesses may have purposely lied about events for their own gain. This article is available in Constructing the Past: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol5/iss1/5 The Fatty Arbuckle Trial: The Injustice of the Century By Elizabeth Fischer Courtroom trials are rarely cut and dry. Evidence can be lost, witnesses change their stories, and criminals can lie, making cases very difficult to decide. The Fatty Arbuckle trial was marked by little strong evidence and dominated by unpre­ dictable testimony. When Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was arrested on September 10, 1921 for the murder of Ms. Virginia Rappe, no one knew the bumpy road that lay ahead. Witnesses changed testimony or, worse, vanished, most likely not wanting to be involved in what would become a great scandal with far reaching effects. It was rumored that individuals were being bribed to modify their testimony. Newspapers were reporting the events in a play-by-play fashion but still missing crucial facts. Those who bore witness to the events leading up to Rappe's death had been drinking and had sordid pasts, making them easy to discredit on the wit­ ness stand. The "truth" of what happened during the party at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, California was changed time and time again. Although it is diffi­ cult to sort out what did happen on that lazy Labor Day afternoon, it is likely that Arbuckle was implicated in what really was not a crime at all but rather a long­ term illness that finally caught up with its victim. After three lengthy trials, Arbuckle was acquitted but his career was destroyed. The ever-changing testimony of the witnesses, careless reporting, troubled pasts, and subsequent attempts to get the facts straight make it almost impossible to determine the truth of that day and why Hollywood's favorite funny man stopped laughing. Arbuckle had been working hard the months prior to the party. He made sev­ eral extremely successful comedy films and had just signed a contract with Paramount Pictures that guaranteed payment of one million dollars each year for three years, making him the highest paid celebrity up to that point! Arbuckle and his friends planned to celebrate the holiday by relaxing in a room at the St. Francis Hotel. Several cases of alcohol were sent to up to where they were stay­ ing, despite the fact that drinking was illegal. Many people, including Virginia Rappe, Al Semnacher, and Bambina Maude Delmont, were invited to stop by the party. Rappe was a little known film actress whom Arbuckle had met before but had not seen for several years. Semnacher was Rappe's manager. Delmont was a known blackmailer and was suspected of being involved in prostitution and swin­ dling, among other things. The three settled into the party shortly before lunch and were having a good time by all accounts when things suddenly went awry. It is here that the accounts begin to differ. It is true that at some point during the party, probably around 3:00 pm, Rappe became ill and found her way to Arbuckle's bathroom where she began vomiting. What occurred shortly thereafter remains a mystery. Throughout the trials, though, Arbuckle's statement about the sequence of events was unwavering. The New York Times reported that Arbuckle claimed he had gone to his room to change his clothing, locked the door, went to the bathroom, and found Rappe there doubled over in pain and vomiting. He proceeded to assist her for several minutes before moving her into his bedroom. He then sought assistance from other members of the party. Zey Prevon and Maude Delmont came into the room to find "Miss Rappe ... sitting up and tearing at her clothes... [and] frothing at the mouth.,,2 Arbuckle tore off one of Rappe's shirtsleeves, which she had already ripped partially off, and left the room. Upon returning several minutes later, he picked an ice cube up off of Rappe's body while inquiring what it was for. Delmont told him to put the cube down and that she knew what she was doing. She then demanded he leave the room. Arbuckle refused to go and made the mis­ take of shouting, "Shut up or 1 [will] throw her [Rappe] out the window."3 He then assisted in carrying Rappe to another room where several doctors examined her. If this story is true, Arbuckle did not cause the woman's death. Others who were at the party, however, gave very different accounts of the events that occurred after Arbuckle went to his bedroom. Maude Delmont, the main accuser, issued a statement to the newspapers that was shockingly different from Arbuckle's trial testimony: During the afternoon the party began to get rough and Arbuckle showed the effects of drinking. Virginia and 1 were in our room. Arbuckle came in and pulled Virginia into his room and locked the door. From the scuffle 1 could hear and from the screams of Virginia, 1 knew he must be abusing her ....Arbuckle had her in the room for over an hour, at the end of which time Virginia was badly beaten up. Virginia was a good girl.. .she had led a clean life ....4 Clearly Delmont believed Arbuckle was guilty of much more than causing Rappe's death. It was this statement that was used to indict Arbuckle for murder. After charges had finally been made District Attorney Matthew Brady told the press, Following this assault, Miss Rappe died as a direct result of the rup­ ture of her bladder. The evidence discloses beyond question that her bladder was ruptured by the weight of the body ofArbuckle either in a rape assault or an attempt to commit rape ... we also know that when the other members of the party went into the room, Miss Rappe was moan­ ing in great pain and crying, 'I am dying! 1 am dying! He killed me!5 Brady's account was based on the testimony of several partygoers and came out after the coroner's inquest. Although many of the individuals at the party had not been eyewitnesses to most of what happened to Rappe, their statements claimed that Arbuckle was fully responsible for Rappe's death and the world believed them. Part of the difficulty in determining the truth of what happened that day arises because witnesses changed their stories to either exonerate or condemn Arbuckle. Statements that were given shortly after Rappe fell ill differ greatly from those heard later in the courtroom under oath. Even Arbuckle's initial statement does not coincide with his later testimony. He had told reporters that "shortly after Miss Rappe had taken a few drinks, she became hysterical and complained she could not breathe and then started to tear off her clothes."6 Here he mentioned nothing about finding Rappe in his bathroom or being alone in a room with her, both vital pieces of information.