ARBUCKLE CASE

Gisborne Times, Volume LV, Issue 6204, 8 October 1921, Page 5

ARBUCKLE CASE

FLIGHT OF A WITNESS.

DETAILS OF ALLEGED ASSAULT 'UNPRINTABLE.

ACCUSED’S COUNSEL ALLEGES < ' BLACKMAIL.

(United Press Association—Copy right.> VANCOUVER, Spt. 22. A message from San Francisco tays that Lowell Sherman, the movie actor, who was one of the tragic party at the Hotel St. Francis when Miss Virgina Rappe mysteriously died, is wanted as a witness in the Arbuckle case, but probably lie will not be brought back from New York, whither he tied after Miss ’ Rappe’s .death. The prosecuting attorneys have decided thatthe law does not empower them to force him to return. Interviewed at New York, Sherman stoutly defended Arbuckle, saying that he 'did not force Miss Rappe who was intoxicated, to accompany him to the adjoining room. Fifty policemen to-day had difficulty to control the crowds in the court room, in which only women were seated. The doctor who made the autopsy on the body of "Miss Rappe swore that death was due to a torn bladder, and he Jjelieved it had been caused by exterior force. He found two bruises on the ajxlomen, and the lower portions of the lungs were congested from peritonitis. . Tii re were small fingermark bruises on the right arm and a hypodermic mark on the left arm. A message from San Francisco states that Al. Senmaclier, in his evidence, reluctantly related a conversation with Arbuckle the day following the party, in which he admitted assaulting Miss Rappe with a piece of ice. Details of the assault were whispered to a court reporter, written out, and passed among the lawyers. Miss Rappe’s torn clothes were introduced and identified by Semnacher, who denied seeing Miss Rappe standing at the doorway adjoining the room with her hair, down, shake hen head, and say: "Look, Roscoe, how do you like this?” Many details of .the testimony are unprintable. VANCOUVER, Sept. 26. Zoe Provost, a show-girl who attended the Arbuckle party, in her evidence described how the comedian followed Miss Rappe into a bedroom, from which he appeared an hour later- clad in a bath-robe and pyjamas. Later he drenched Rappe, who was then moaning, "I’m dying. He hurt me.” Arbuckle had applied ice to revive the girl. The witness then went into unprintable details, writing the answers, to several questions, to which, she declined to reply orally. The defence is sharply examining the history of every witness in the endeavour to discredit them. Arbuekle’s counsel testifies that a blackmail scheme is responsible for the murder charge against Arbuckle. One Libel suit has already commenced by Semuiiacher, a witness for the prosecution, who objected to being charged with blackmail by Arbuckle’s attorneys. ,