The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-09-27
bL.ACKMAIL
OF ''FATT TY'
Is CHARGED
Semnacher Will Sue De.
Tense for Defaming
Character.

San Francisco. Calf, Sept. 81.
Omitted Press.)-Al Semnacher,
stirred by charges that he attempt
ed to extort money from Roscoe
/ ("Fatty"D Arbuckle, fought back
today.
| Semnacher. manager of Virginia
J Rappe, film beauty for whose mur-
/ der Arhuckle is held, announced
! that his attorney was preparing
suit against Frank Dominguez,
chief for the Arbuckle defense. for
/ the defamation of character.
The defense charged before the
grand jury that SemnacheT took
, the torn shreds OF Miss Rappe's
garments, which were torn from
/ her at ArbuckIe's Labor day par
ty, back to Los Angeles to make
Arbuckle come across
Mrs. belmont Defiant.
The defense, battling 10 keep the
comedian from going to trial for
first degree murder. threatened to-
day 10 rip the veil from the past
of Mrs. Bambina Maude belmont.
accuser OF Fatty"
the state put Mrs. belmont on the
stand when the hearing was re-
| sumed today, the defense planned a
ruthless cross examination 10 tear
down her character.
Let chem do it." was Mrs. Del
mont's defy today. I'm going
through with this thing and get
vengeance for virginia's death no
matter what they say about me.
Spotlight on Witnesses
San Francisco, Sept 27-By ruth
less assaults upon the character OF
witnesses who testified against Ros-
coe Arbuckle, charged with the al
legged murder of Virginia Rape, the
defense which was to open today
hoped to secure the freedom Of the
film comedian.
Sensational charges OF black
, mail. hints of white powders" and
, bad hooch, of intimacy between
, principal state witnesses were eX-
pected.
| The spotlight of searching cross
, examination was to be turned or
, the testimony, lives and character
= of Mrs. Bambfna Maud belmont, the
> i''avenger" of the dead Miss Rappei
'TAl Semnacher, who gathered the
= dead girls clothing ito clean an au-
} tomobile," and the other witnesse:
, upon whose testimony District At
: torney Brady depended for a con.
g viction.
Women ThrOng Court
Not a. seat was expected to bt
available for men when the cour
opened at 10:3O The club womer
who have thronged the court were
expected again to overflow the
benches into the cage where
prisoners sit and even to the exten
of crowding the aisles-
Development of the "blackmail'
theory-based upon the assumption
that Al Semnacher took the deac
c girls clothes for the purpose o
n later extorting money from Ar
S buckle, was promised before the de
d fense finished.
e Three main channels in which tht
case for the defense would ruI
K were outlined today:
s. Three Defense Channels.
First, that Virginia Rape diet
from causes for which Roscoe Ar
buckle shared no responsibility
Second, that the states witnesses
were not to be credited.
Third, the episode involving tn
death of Virginia Rape was seize'
4 upon as an opportunity to black
4 mail Arbuckle-
y Possibly, it was said, the rea
punch of the Arbuckle defens
wouId he retained for the trial if /
IS is ordered.
But starting today, it was certain
that the testimony which the chic
attorney for the defense, Fran.
Dominguez, would try to elicii
= would be spiced with tales OF LII
n around Los Angeles studios, @
= wild" parties, leading perhaps I
= disclosures of things that have oc
"a Cured on the white ways" of othe
- cities throughout the country
= The "blackmaiI" charges, whic
= Dominguez sprang as surprise a