The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-09-13
CHARGES WEALTH
BEING USED TO AID
MOVIE FALSTAFF
Guests at "CiId ArbuckIe Party"
Now Changing Stories.
Perjury Charges Due, Declares
District Attorney Matthew.
ONE WITNESS HAS VANISHED
Grand Jury Halts Investigation
of Arbuckle Charges.
Accused Actor Refuses to Tes.
tify at Midnight Session.

tify at Midnight Session.
| San Francisco, Sept. 1S.-Fresh
sensations. outrivaling even the shock
| of the announcement that Roscoe
Fatty Arbuckle. the champion
! heavyweight laugh producer of the
movies. had been charged with the
murder of Miss Virginia Rape.
featured the developments of the case
/ today.
| OF first magnitude was the charge
made by District Attorney Matthew
Brady that undue influence and
pressure of a sinister character has
been brought to bear on the witnesses
of the case. This charge was fol-
| lowed by the announcement that Alice
! Blake. one of the show girls who at
tended the party at the st. Francis
hotel given by Arbuckle at which Miss
/ Rappe was seized with the illness that
resulted in death and the bringing OF
the murder charge against Arbuckle,
| has completely disappeared.
Perjury Charges Are Due.
In addition, Brady declared that
| Sey Pryvon, another show girl also in
attendance at the party, had changed
( her story and faces possible arrest on
| a charge of perjury. The Pryvon girl
was taken from the grand jury room
! to her home under guard of a de-
tectlVe. The district attorney said her
arrest depended upon further de-
lVelopments. 1t was reported an in
vestigation was under way to de-
termine the source of a ticket to Ala
bama, alleged to have been found in
| the Pryvon girls possession.
] The grand jury adjourned at an
! early hour this morning without
action on the indictment against Ar
buckle, charging murder, which is
sought by the district attorney 1t
was decided to give the prosecutor
dence.
The long session of the inqufsItoriaf
body beginning early last evening was.
replete with. sensations Arbuckie
himself was called before the grand
jury and refused to testify.
| Got Fatty Out of Bed.
The Falstaff of the movies. tired for
day of unusual strain during which
ne had undergone all of the routine
or criminal procedure from arrest to
arrangement, went to sleep early last
night and at 1 o'clock this morning
was reused with difficulty from a
sound slumber to appear before the
| grand jury.
Dressing hastily, he was taken hv
detectives directly from the Jail 20 the
grand jury room. Precipitation poured
from MS forehead as he answered in
low tone when asked by the fore
man of the grand jury to give his
version of the st. Francis party.
My attorneys have advised me to
say nothing at this time"
I He was taken back to his cell the
district attorney and the attaches ex-
cluded from the grand jury room. and
that body settled down to considera-
ton Of the testimony.
Indictment Vote Postponed.
For nearly an hour they talked
over the case behind closed doors.
emerged and announced: at was
thought best to take no vote on an
indictment tonight. We considered it
best to give District Attorney Brady
more time in which to secure certain
information which we desire We did
not set date for resumption of the
grand jury investigation"
1t was following this significant
statement from Foreman Curtis re-
garding certain information desired
by that body that District Attorney
Brady made his charge of witness
tampering.
We have sent Miss sey Pryvon
home under surveillance. The girl
changed her story completely before
the grand jury. Whether or not we
shall arrest her and charge her with
perjury will depend on further de-
velopments.
Il am convinced that undue influ-
ence and pressure of sinister char
l"SNti mas peeii DEOuSHI 10 pear on her
and other witnesses, one of whom.
Alice Blake, has mysteriously disap-
peared from her home in Berkeley. We
have been unable to find her.
In spite of these efforts to thwart
Ithe ends of justice, the investigation
will proceed and no effort will be
spared to bring the guilty ones to their
just deserts"
Nine Witnesses Heard.
Nine witnesses were heard by the
grand jury during it's long session.
, Mrs. Bambirne Maude belmont, who
, has assumed the role of prosecutrix.
: has told her story of the party and the
, events that followed 1t. She is under
! stood to have related in detail the
story she had already given the police.
In this she declared Arbuckle
dragged Miss Rape into his room
! and locked the door, that she remained
! there an hour. despite her urgings
,, ,, that the door be opened, that when
the door finally was opened. Miss
, Rape lay moaning on the bed, d.
: shevelled and in serni-conscious con-
dition. She further told of the medi-
: cal treatment of the girl at the hotel
and later at the hospital.
Mrs. Jean Jameson. nurse in charge
of the case, testified. She repeated.
it was said, her statement that the
r girl in almost her last words. accused
r Arbuck1e of being responsible for her
d condition. Mrs. Jameson. It is UNDER
), stood. pointed out that the girls state
S ments had been conflicting in that at
d times, she declared she did not re-
: member what happened.
Miss Sey Pyrvon. Ira G. Fortlouis.
y DR.. William Ophuis. autopsy surgeon; /;
y Al Semnacher. Mrs. Rose Reiss.
t. mother of Miss Pyrvon, and John