The Alaska daily empire., 1922-04-13
ACQU|TTAL IS
VERDICT GIVEN
IN S MINUTES
Arbuckle Is Freed Of Charge
of Causing Death OF Miss
Virginia Rape,
CONTINUED from Page One)

Roscoe C. (Fatty) Arbuckle, motion
picture comedian, OF a charge of man
slaughter in connection with the
death of Miss Virginia Rape, motion
picture actress, ended in mistrials.
The first jury voted 10 to . Tor
acquitta1 and the second 10 to , for
conviction.
On September 5. 1921, a drinking
party was held in Arhuckle's suite in
the Hotel St. Francis, which was at
tended by Miss Rape, her friend,
Mrs. Bambina Maud belmont, ley
Provost and Alice Blake, show girls,
and a number of others. After Ar
buckle had been alone in his room
with Miss Rape for brief period
she was found ON bed. apparently
in agony Four days later she died
from the effects of ruptured bladder.
On September 10 Mrs. belmont
swore to a murder charge against
Arbuckle and three days later the
grand jury returned a manslaughter
indictment against him. A police
court hearing of Mrs. Delmont's
charge resulted in its being reduced
to manslaughter. and Arbuclle went
to trial on this charge on November
IA. On Sunday, December 4, the jury
ended a period of deliheration cover
ing AZ hours with the statement that
it could not agree. The second trial
started January II and ended Fabru
airy 3, the jury being out A hours
Arbuckle testified in the first trial
but did not do SO in the second.
Second Trial
After the second trial District At
torney Matthew Brady announced
that chad a majority of the jury
voted for aequittal | would have
moved for the dismissal Of the case,
but the preponderance in favor of a
conviction compels me to prosecute
1t third time" The second trial
was on the grand jury's Indictment.
Through the failure of the juries to
agree both the indictment and the
police court charge were kept alive.
Miss Rape had come to San Fran
cisco with her manager, A. Semnach-
er, and Mrs. belmont for a visit, and
were invited to the Arbuekle party
by Fred Fischback. roommate of Ar
buckle. According to the testimony
there was a generous supply of liquor
at the party and Arbuckle enter
talned the guests while wearing his
pajamas and bathrobe.
,asr Dies In Sanitarium
After the party Miss Rape was
taken to another room of the hotel
and later to the sanitarium where She
died. While the investigation into
the wealth was progressing ley Pre-
vost and Alice Blake. the two prin
cipal prosecution witnesses, were
sent "for safe keeping to the home
of an attache of the district attor-
ney's office, the fear being expressed
that they might be approached
This action of the distrist attorney
was characterized as imprisonment"
by Gavin McNab. chief defense coun-
sci. and was made an issue in both
trials. =.
The testimony of Miss Provost and
Miss Blake in the second trial diff
fered so materially from their state
ments in the first trial that the
made an attempt to I'M
peach them and designate them "hos'
tile witnesses" The attempt was
ruled out by the court. Both had
testified in the first trial that they
had heard Miss Rappe say while sur
fering on the bed. 'sHe hurt me-" In
the second hearing their recollection
vas hazy ons this point.
Incidents of the first trial were