Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-09-24

11ldSs
o During the course of the AFTERNOON,
he said, two of the women entered
one of the rooms of the suite adj
joining that where the drinking and
dancing was going on and returned in
excitement with the news that Miss
Rappe was i'll.
| Il am dying, l am diving" were the
! words Semnacher said he heard Miss
Rappe utter as the group found her
on a bed, unclothed. moaning and
tossing from side to side.
Various means of restoring the girl
| to consciousness were suggested ac-
| cording to the witness. one of the
women suggesting ice. but the men re-
, tired from the room and three Of the
women put her in bath tub A glass
of water given Miss Rappe caused her
| to become sick at her stomach, Sem
nacher said.
Then some one. who he, Semnacher,
said he could not identify. carried her
to room down the corridor provided
by the assistant manager of the hotel
Harry j. Boyle, who had been sum
moned meanwhile.
Takes Torn Clothes.
Semnacher told of gathering un Miss
Rappe's garments which he salu were
strewn around the room, leaving all
of them in the room to which she had
been removed except two torn ones,
which he put in the pocket of his auto
mobile
His purpose, he testified. was first
to exhibit them jokingly to Miss Rape.
and secondly to dust off his machine
with them. He took them back to Los
Angeles and turned them over to the
police there after Arbuckle's arrest
Gathering up his belongings at
another hotel. Semnacher said. he
brought them to the St Francis. where
party. except Miss Rappe, at supper in
Arbuckel's suite. Afterward. according
to Semnacher. Arbuckle went down.
stairs. dressed in evening clothes.
Although Semnacher was called as a
prosecuting witness. it soon became ap-
parent that his testimony was given re-
luctantly and the prosecution, on being
questioned by the court. refused to give
him the title of "our Witness" From
that point on Judge Lazarus allowed
the testimony to proceed under the
rules for cross-examination.
Arbuckle found his wife. Mrs. Minta
Durfee Arbuckle. from whom he had
been separated for five years until her
appearance here this week. and her
mother. Mrs Flora Durfee. awaiting
him in the court room. He kissed them
both and added CHEEKY. Hello. Ma"
to Mrs. Durfee.
He watched the proceedings intentN,
his gaze moving from witness to the
prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney
/. Golden, with no sign of interest dis
played at the activities of newspaper
photographers.
Becomes Nervous.
When Semnacher first told of the
finding of Miss Rappe In pain, the bulky
film comedian showed signs of nervous
ness. clasping his hands together sew
eral times and rubbing his face. but
five minute recess of court just at that
point gave him opportunity to regain
his cOmposure. /
The comedian, whose smiles and an
tics have been his ladder to screen |
fame in the past, today gave the first |
sign of mirth he has shown in court |
He smiled family at time when
chuckles were heard on every hand !
over a tilt between Semnacher and |
Golden: and the bailiff shouted loudly |
for order. On Semnacher's failure to |
Miss Rappe down the hotel corridor.
Golden demanded to know if it was
''man, woman or child?" to which the !
witness replied that he guessed it |
must have been man or woman
On adjournment Of court Arbuckle
reached for tobacco and cigarette
papers and proceeded to roll a Gig
arctic. Then he conversed with his I
attorneys. exchanged remarks with a
woman newspaper writer. babe his wife
and her mother goodbye and returned
to his prison cell
Plenty to Drink.
Semnacher testified that he was in
and out of the Arbuckle party sew
eral times and so was not conyersant
with all it's details. except to know
that there were plenty of tlrinkables
on the table and that every time he
from his excursions to the
street he found Arbuckle in the room
with all the rest of the party.
The participants, he said. included
Arbuckle, Sherman. Fred Fischbnch.
Ira c. Fortlouis, Miss Rappe. Mrs.
belmont, Mrs. Mae Taube and four
other women, Zeh Provost. Alice
Blake, Betty Campbell and Dolly
Clark. There might have been others,
be testified. Mrs. Taube's name, Il
Semnacher asserted, he did not know
until he saw her identified later In 4 (,
Photograph looking out Of
lcpatinusd q Fags Twol