Weekly journal-miner., 1921-11-16
FILM COMEDIAN
 TAKES UP MOST
 NOTABLE ROLE
fAssoclated Pregs Nlght wlrel


 SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. l4.- Roscoe Arbuckle appeared today for the first time in the most notable role of his broad career, that of de- fendant in manslaughter proceedings arising from the death of Virginia Rappe, like himslf a figure in the motion picture world. Arbuckle's audience was one of the smallest that has ever watched him, only few hundred persons being crowded into the court room, but what it lacked in size it made up in interest.
 No crowd ever watched the screen antics of a comedian more closely than today's gathering gave attention to the dry procedure of selecting a jury. Arbuckle himself showed that he felt the importance of the occas- ion. He glanced nervously about the room and gave the impression that he was worried. His famous smile was lacking. Arbuckle's wife was in court today, but did not sit beside him at the counsel table.
 Gavin McNab, chief counsel for Arbuckle, early confirmed public ex- pectation that the defense would make no effort to discuss the char acter of the dead girl. He told the court this formally. When adjourn ment came late this afternoon, five jurors, one of them a woman, had been accepted tentatively. McNab told the court he would establish, if he could, that Miss Rappe died of an organic and chronic affection that might at any time produce death"
 Roscoe Arbuckle, brought to trial in the superior court for manslaugh- ter on charges growing out of the death of Miss Virginia Rapqe, a Los Angeles motion picture actress, oc- cupied a prison cell here for IS days, accused of the murder of the girl. until Police Judge Sylvain J. Laza- rus reduced the charge to man. slaughter and allowed him his free dom on $5,OOO bail.
 Miss Rappe's death September 9 from a ruptured bladder was the outcome of a drinking party she at tended in Arbuckle's suite at the Hotel St. Francis the afternoon of September 5. On this occasion, ac- cording to testimony in the police court hearing, Arbuckle and Lowell Sherman, another moving picture actor, were clothed in dressing gowns and pajamas or athletic under wear while Mrs. Bambina Delmont, who swore to. the murder complaint against the comedian, also donned pajamas during the gayety.
 When Miss Rappe retired from the room while the festivities were in progress, according to the testi- mony, Arbuckle followed her and about an hour later, Two of the women, Mrs. Delmont and Zeh Pre- yost, found her in distress in an ad- joining room, the door of which was opened by Arbuckle in response to their knocks.
 q am dying. He hurt me" cried Miss Rappe, according to testimony of Miss Provost and Alice Blake, who said the girl was laying on bed fully clothed but tearing at her garments as she moaned and tossed. Arbuckle told her to "shuot up or he would throw her out of the win dow" they said, and used ice in an attempt to restore her fully to con sciousness.
 Miss Rappe was taken to another room in the hotel and next day re- moved to a hospital where she re- mained until her death. Hospital nurses testified at the inquest that she accused Arbuckle Of having in iured her, but this testimony was not introduced at the police court hearing.
 Nothing was shown at the pre- liminary hearing, according to Judge Iarazarus, to connect Arbuckle with