New-York tribune., 1921-09-23
Women Crowd
First Hearing of
Arbuckle Case
toontlnued from psso onc)

illnesss, death and subsequent dis
covcries of the cause of death were
unfolded.
What little cross-examination that
was done by the defense was in the
hands of Attorney Frank Dominguez,
OF Los Angeles, chief counsel for the
defense. BY his side sat Charles, H.
Bremen, of San Francisco, and Milton
Cohen, of Los Angeles. Lou Anger.
Arbuckles manager, occupied seat
at the far end of the table.
Found Bruises on Body
Or. Shelby Strange. acting autopsy
surgeon, testified to performing an
autopsy on the dead girls body on the
night of her death. and told of finding
bruises on both arms, both legs and
two small bruises on the stomach.
Those on the left arm, he said, might
have been made by some one gripping
the girl tightly, but he was unable to
tell what caused the others The marks
had been made before death.
In the opinion Of the witness death
was directly caused by rupture of
the bladder, and the rupture was
brought about by external force.
Or. Ophals was the next witness,
and outside of minor details he cor
roborated the testimony of Dr.. Strange.
He, too, told of various bruises on
Miss Rappe's body. He also expressed
the opinion that tho bladder was rup-
tured by an external force.
When Miss Grace Halston was called
the prosecution passed over. the con-
versation the nurse had had with Miss
Rappe before her death and questioned
her only on the events surrounding her
assistance To DR.. Ophals III performing
the first autopsy.
Miss Halston said she saw Miss
Rappc the Thursday she was brought
to the sanatorium and on the morning
before her death. No questions were
asked her, however, regarding what
she saw or statements alleged to have
been made by the dead girl.
Like DR.. Strange and DR.. Ophals, she
told Of marks and bruises on the arms
and limbs of Miss Rappe and of the
ruptured bladder.
Girl Otherwise Normal
In the examining of all witnesses
Assistant District Attorney U'Ren
stretched a point to bring out the fact
that all the organs Of Miss Rappe, with
the single exception of the bladder,
were healthy and normal. An opinion
IN this respect was expressed by both
the physicians and Miss Halston. The
hearing went over until tomorrow.
Al Semnacher, who has become a
kingpin witness in the murder case of
Roscoe cFatty"D Arbuckle, arrived in
this city from Los Angeles yesterday
and repeated to District Attorney
Matthew Brady and members of his
staff the damaging statement which he
made to the Los Angeles auth critics
that Arbuckle had admitted having
committed an act that might have
caused the injury which brought about
Miss Rappe's death.
After the preliminary hearing had
adjourned Semnacher was questioned
by District Attorney Brady, |. M.
Golden and Milton U'Ren in the Offices
of the former. Semnacher repeated in
substance the statement which he
made before Deputy District Attorney
Doran at Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Semnacher said that the day following
the Arbuckle party, Arbuckle, in the
presence of his chauffeur, Harry
Mccullough, Fred Fischback, Lowell
Sherman and himself, made the state
ment that he had abused Virginia
Rappe in manner which might have
caused her injury.
Kept Under Surveillance
Brady ordered that Semnacher be
kept under surveillance and be re-
turned to his Office at 10 o'clock to-
morrow morning for further question
ing and to amend his original state
ment. Brady would not discuss
Semnacher's statements and said they
would not be revealed before the trial
fischbach, who is in this city to attend
the preliminary hearing of Arbuckle in
the police court to-day, when ques-
toned by the District Attorney en-
phatically denied that Arbuckle had
made any such statement.
mot only did ! never hear Arbuckle
say that" said Fischbach, "but never
heard him discuss the incident at ali
IT Semnacher says that statement was
made in my presence he says what is
not true"