Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-15

:. The minds fthe Grand Jury and
Coroner's Jury were made up ssaipst
him chiefly by evidence furnished BY
Two OF the women who were present,
Mis-! Miss Iey Provost and Miss Alice Blake.
These were the witnesses who had given
rise to District Attorney Brady's
charges yesterday that attempts had
been made to tamper with witnesses.
MISS Provost, whose real name Is Sadie
Reiss, had, before the Grand Jury,
changed the statements she had made
to the authorities. Miss Blake, a mem
Der Of a well to-do family, had disap-
peared for a time to avoid publicity.
Both later, however, backed up in
many details the story told by Mrs.
Bambina Maud belmont and furnished
some added details Of the attitude of
Arbuckle after he had opened the door
or his bedroom and Miss Rappe had
been found in agony. They agreed he
was sore and threatened to throw
her out the twelfth STORY window IL
she did not stop screaming. He also
threatened to throw himself out.
District Attorney Brady stuck to the
| al testimony given by the women who
entered Arbuckle's room Immediately
after the alleged assault is their state
ment that Miss Rape, in Arbuckle'e
hearing, .moaned, II am dying; he
| hurt me-"
The days proceedings, like those of
Monday and Tuesday, were punctuated
| with much talk Of underhand Influences
and suggestions Of bribery and per-
jury. Miss Provost, It was stated,
declared in signed statement, which
she certified before the Grand Jury,
that she had been approached by per-
sons who told her to keep her mouth
shut"
This followed quizzing in which
she is said to have first admitted and
then denied that such a suggestion had
been made to her. People will come
to you and tell you to keep your mouth
shut" Police Captain Matheson is said
to have remarked.
They have already" Miss Provost
is said to have responded.
Asked who had spoken to her along
these lines, she replied, II don't
know"
When asked, "well, somebody did,
didn't they?" she hesitated, and
showed considerable embarrassment.
No she finally declared.
DR.. Ophuls, who was q party to the
unofficial autopsy upon the deceased
woman, yesterday reiterated he could
not determine whether the injury which
resulted in Miss Rappe's death had
been caused by the use of force or
whether 1t had been of spontaneous
origin.
The evidence which Miss Blake and
Miss Provost gave to the Grand Jury
formed tale Of wild debauchery,
liquor and death.
Room "Filled" With LIQUOR
Miss Blake said that upon arriving
at the Arbuckle suite In the Hotel st.
Francis with Miss Provost she found
room filled with gin, whisky and
Wlne.' There were four or five men
beside Arbuckle in and about the place,
she said, and there was considerable
drinking.
Il cannot say whether Virginia
happe was dragged out of the room by
Arbuckle or whether she went yolun-
tarily,' Miss Blake declared when
questioned upon what Is bound to re-
main one of the most important points
of controversy.
She told how she remained in the
room with other members of the party
until the door to Arbuckle's room was
opened and she followed Mrs. belmont
in.
Virginia Rappe lay on the bed"
she testified. "She was moaning: Il
am dying, I am dying. He hurt me.
Arbuckle hurt me-
Threatened Miss Rappe
"Arbuckle was there and heard her
say it. but he did not deny it. In
stead he said, "Shut up, you are crazy.
II you keep on making that noise I'll
throw you out of the window"
She said the comedian then talked of
jumping from the window himself. His
suit was on the twelfth floor. "Whnt
is in life after all?" she quoted him as
saying. She said he offered to leap
out if some one would leap with him.
Really, it did sound funny" she
remarked. 1--WE were all sitting by the
window. He said, II will jump out
of the window with any one who wants
to jump out"
Did any one volunteer to go with
him. she was asked.
mo, nobody did," she replied. "We
all looked at him. He said something
like this: If would jump out of the
twelfth STORY window they would all
talk about me today, and tomorrow
So what is in life, after all?"
Miss Blake said that at the party
which preceded the tragedy another
actor made improper advances to her
and Miss Provost.
Both Tell Same Story
Miss Prevost's story of the occur.
rences Of the evening, as she gave It |
yesterday. was virtually the same as
Miss Blake's. Describing Arbuckle's |
actions when the party entered his bed |
room and found Miss Rappe in agony,
she said: HE was very sore, and |
said: What are you sore about?' He |
said. oh. if she makes one more veil |
1 will take her and throw her out the
window.
"Was he intoxicated?' Miss Pre-
vOst was asked.
He was intoxicated" she said.
''He had been talking about jumping
out of the twelfth story window, say
ing, What is life after all?' When
Miss Rappe started to tear at her
clothes Arbuckle came over and be-
gan to pull at her clothes too, and l
showed his hands away, telling him she
was sisck. oh, she's only shamming,
he said.
Tells Of Autopsy
Miss Grace Halston. nurse at the
sanitarium where Miss Rappe died, re-
peated her story of her conversations
with the girl and described the unoffi-
cial autopsy performed at the sani-
tarium.
Discussing the conflicting charges
hanging over the film actors head, and
the question of whether he was to be
tried for murder or manslaughter, the
District Attorney said last night:
.NIhn mntter will he decided hatuaan