Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1921-09-27
'Blacknlc. ri
Defense OF
.Arbuckiisr. =
Attorney for Prisoner Accuses
Semnacher and Mrs. Del.
mont Of Plot to Extort
Money From "Fatty."
Grand Jury Will Probe

San Francisco. Sept. 2o.-An as
ser,ion in court today by Roscoe {.
(Fatty) Arbuckle's chief counsel,
Frank Domingucz, that he believed
blackmail had been contemplated
against the film comedian and that
this motive figured in the defend
ants arrest on a murder charge,
was ordered put before the grand
jury tonight by District Attorney
Mathew A. Brady.
Brady issued subpoenas for Dom-
inguez and his associate counsel,
Charles II. Brennan OF San Fran
cisco and Milton NJ. Cohen OF Los
Angeles, to appear at tonight's grand
jury session and repeat their charges.
The action was taken. Brady said,
on the request OF Alfred Semnacher,
who was accused by Dominguez to-
day of having conspired with Mrs.
Bambina belmont, the complaining
witness against Arbuck1e, to take
torn parts Of the clothing Of Miss
Virginia Rape to Los Angeles to
extort money from the defendant
who is charged with the murder OF
Miss Rape.
Refuses to Allow Questions.
Dominguez made his assertion
after long questioning of Semnacher
regarding his previous testimony in
the case. Dominguez declared that
previous conduct OF Mrs. belmont
in Los Angeles, where he said she
made claims against man named
Earl Lynn, lent color to his accusa-
ton.
Police Judge Lazarus. before
whom the hearing is being held, re-
fused, however, to allow Dominguez
to question Semnacher along this
line, saying it had no part in the
present proceedings.
Semnacher's testimony took up
most of the afternoon session. In the
morning DR.. Arthur Beardslee, house
physician at the Hotel St. Francis,
who treated Miss Rape after the
revel in Arbuckle's suite, out OF
which the murder charge grew, tes-
tihed he discovered evidence of a
ruptured internal organ after the
party and that he advised her re-
,noval to hospital.
Sticks to Diagnosis.
The defense was unable to make
liiai admit that she colitd have been
suffering from anything else.
Replying to a hypothetical ques-
tion, he said an injury such as that
described by the prosecution prob
ably would have been caused by an
external force such as a fall or
blow, although contortions Incident
to violent vomiting might have pro-
duced that effect.
Evidences OF alcoholism were
overshadowed by Miss Rappes suf-
fering from the rupture, DR.. Boards
lee said. He testified that Mrs. Del
mont, who attended the injured girl,
showed no signs of being under the
influence Of alcohol or drugs
Asked about Mrs. Delmont's con-
dition at the party, Semnacher testi-
fed that she was dressed in yellow
pajamas and appeared Cit up or
about half drunk" when he first en-
tered the Arbuckle suite. He denied
hearing any screams from the room
where Miss Rape afterward was
found in distress.
May Have Misunderstood.
The defense drew from Semnacher
The admission that he might have
misunderstood Arbuckle's exact
language regarding the ice incident,
ne said Arbuckle had described to
1iin and others, but later told the
prosecution that he did not mistake
Arbuckle's meaning.
Domingues questioned him closely
about his stay at the Palace hotel
he night before the party at the
st. Francis. Mrs. belmont and Miss
Rappe also stayed at that hotel Sem
,acher testified that the door be-
ween his room and that occupied
~ the two women was unlocked |
most of the time, but that he entered
heir apartment only when the trio
net in the morning to go to break
asst.
The hearing will be resumed in
,olice court tomorrow morning.
Among witnesses vet to be heard are
Irs. belmont and Zeh Provost and t
Nice Blake, two show girls who at
ended Arbuckle's party. c
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