fatty arbuckle's scandal

[tali122]

i have read on fatty arbuckle's scandal and am of the opinion that he was innocent- what do others think?

[Hippy]

Like today, newspapers wanted to hook any (usually bad) news to a famous celebrity, and Mr. Roscoe Arbuckle was certainly that.

In 1921 it was said that during a drunken party at the St. Francis Hotel San Francisco  he variously raped, disembowelled, or squashed a young woman called Virginia Rappe, causing her death.

Unlike today, newspapers were king; each title clamouring for more sales. William Hearst's empire whipped up hatred for Arbuckle; no facts would get in the way of that story.

Mr. Arbuckle was known to work and party hard and had much booze delivered to his room. 27 year old Virginia Rappe was staying nearby and had a licentious reputation: at least three abortions and a baby by the age of 14. Known to the Arbuckle crowd, she and two other showgirls were invited to the party. By Monday morning a drunken Virginia was feeling unwell, and the guests immersed the unfortunate lady naked in a bath of cold water. Arbuckle was concerned with the girl's welfare and carried her to a quiet room and called a doctor who said that she was hung over. The 48 hour party broke up.

By Thursday, despite visits from doctors she had not recovered and she was sent to a maternity hospital specialising in well-to-do abortions. She died the following day, the cause of death was peritonitis brought on by a rupture of the bladder.

By Sunday the papers trumpeted Roscoe Arbuckle's guilt in the affair. Despite THREE trials he was exonerated in the girl's death, rape, or any assault. His main accuser, Maude Delmont, was so ludicrously false that prosecutors kept her away from the trials.

At the end most people saw the case against him was newspaper speculation. Arbuckle's career was ruined not only by this scandal but also thanks to interference from William Hayes. Arbuckle died of a heart attack in 1933 aged 46, 11 years after his starring role in the trial of the century.

[jno]

the jury (in the last trial) agreed with you.