The glitz, the glam....the death

How about an oldie, but a goodie? Hollywood...early 1900s.

Let me introduce you to Virginia Rappe. Born in Chicago on July 7, 1895 to Mabel Rapp, who died when Virginia was 11. She was then raised by her grandmother. When Virginia was 14, she began working as a commercial and art model. When I was 14, I was a freshman in high school and trying to survive geometry class (I passed with a C+...in case you really wanted to know). Obviously some people have better things happen for them when they are 14.

Virginia moved to San Fransisco to pursue her career as an artist's model. She ended up meeting Robert Moscovitz and they became engaged. Unfortunately, Robert was killed in a streetcar accident. Virginia then moved to Los Angeles . In early 1917, Virginia was hired by director Fred Balshofer and given a big role in his film Paradise Garden, playing opposite of a big star at that time, Harold Lockwood. Fred Balshofer hired Virginia to costar with Julian Eltinge, a new drag star of the time, and newcomer Rudolph Valentino in Over the Rhine. Virginia was awarded the title "Best Dressed Girl in Pictures". So many accomplishments by age 22. When I was 22, I was married with one child, finishing up college and working at Taco Johns...which are great midwestern accomplishments.

In 1919, Virginia began dating director/producer Henry Lehrman. They became engaged and lived together, although the US Census of 1920 has Virginia listed as a "border" in Lehrman's home in Los Angeles. Virginia appeared in many films of Lehrman's. A young lady living out her dreams...I wish I could end the story here on this happy note...but I can't.

I need to switch over quickly to Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle. Who is this guy? A key player in the Virginia Rappe story. Roscoe Arbuckle was born on March 24, 1887, in Smith Center, Kansas. Roscoe was born weighing between 13 and 16 pounds. Due to both his parents, Mary and William, being very slight in build, William didn't believe Roscoe to be biologically his. William decided to shun Roscoe. What a dumbass! Obviously there wasn't a lot known back then about genetics, but, yes, two slightly build parents can create a bigger sized baby.

The birth was very traumatic for his mother...which is understandable. I'm sure it's not easy to give birth to such a big child. Both of mine were 9 pounders and that was tough enough. It is said that this birth contributed to her death 12 years later. That is very sad to hear if there ended up being complications that affected her 12 years later. I may pee my pants a little bit when I sneeze or cough, but that's the main problems my kids have caused me (sorry if that's too much info).

When Roscoe was eight, his family moved to Santa Ana as his father had found hotel work. Being such a big child, Roscoe's school mates in Santa Ana nicknamed him "Fatty", so he officially became know as Fatty Arbuckle. Does that name sound familiar? To a lot of "older" people, it will.

Fatty Arbuckle was invited by Frank Bacon's Vaudeville Company to perform on their stage. Fatty was happy to do this, starting his legacy as the funny and loveable fat boy.

When Fatty's mother passed away, his father, William cut off all support and vanished from Fatty's life. Fatty was able to find work for room and board at a local hotel. He would sing during his workday. The hotel management asked Fatty to sing in the hotel bar, which he was happy to start doing for his employers.

Fatty got another lucky break when Sid Grauman invited Fatty to perform in the Unique Theater in San Fransisco. He traveled with the Pantages Theater group where he met the actress Minta Durfee, whom he later married.

Fatty's career took off. He toured China and Japan in 1090 as a character actor, he did bit parts for $3 a day. By 1914, Paramount paid Fatty $1,000 for each day of work plus 25% royalties, being the chubby funny guy.

In 1918, Paramount offered Fatty a contract of 3 million dollars to appear in 18 moves over three years, unheard of at the time. This contract made Fatty the second highest-paid actor in Hollywood, second to Charlie Chaplin.

So...what does Fatty Arbuckle have to do with Virginia Rappe, you may be asking? Let me take you to September 5, 1921, Labor Day Weekend. Lowell Sherman and Fred Fishback, friends of Fatty Arbuckle, planned a party. Despite prohibition, Fred had plans for a weekend full of booze, women, and whatever type of fun people would have.

Fred reserved rooms 1219, 1220, and 1221 at the St. Francis Hotel in San Fransisco. He was able to get a case of gin through bootlegging. Virginia Rappe was one of the party goers. She arrived to the party with her friend, Bambina Maude Delmont ("Maude"). They got to the party at 10:30 a.m. Virginia's manager/Fatty's friend, Al Semnacher, accompanied the two women. More people starting arriving about 10 minutes later.

Virginia had met Fatty before through her fiancee, Henry Lehrman. Henry was a long-time acquaintance of Fatty. Henry would later claim that Virginia was revolted by Fatty who behaved in a crude and classless manner. Henry also claimed that Virginia had no idea that Fatty would be at the Labor Day party. Turns out Virginia and Fatty ended up at the same party, but everyone just drank gin and pretty much got drunk.

By the afternoon (remember, she arrived at 10:30 a.m., so many people are day drinking), Virginia was not feeling well. She excused herself to room 1219, which also happened to be Fatty's private suite for the weekend. Why she chose that room if she did not have any liking for Fatty, I have no idea. Some questions will obviously never be answered.

Shortly after Virginia went to room 1219, Fatty Arbuckle entered the room. He locked the door behind him. This part of the story makes me cringe. What happened in room 1219 is technically a mystery. Whatever happened, those events would end the career of Fatty Arbuckle and contribute to the death of Virginia Rappe.

Bambina "Maude" Delmont was the first person to realize something was wrong. She claims to have heard Virginia's screams coming from room 1219. Maude went to check on Virginia. Fatty answered the door wearing only pajamas and a robe. Maude claimed that Fatty gave her a "sinister" smile. Behind him in the room, Virginia was lying on a small bed "writhing in pain" and tearing at her clothing, according to Maude.

“He did this!” Virginia screamed, “He hurt me! I’m dying!”

It was actually Maude who accused Fatty of the rape and murder of Virginia Rappe.

At some point, Al Semnacher arrived on the scene and suggested an ice bath to help sober up Virginia. Al and Maude gave Virginia a bath, but it only made her pain worse and she screamed louder. Maude even tried to rub ice over Virginia's belly, an area of pain, but that did not help. Maude claimed that Fatty threatened to throw Virginia out the window for being so loud. Fatty ended up leaving the room instead.

Al and Maude decided to call the hotel doctor. Dr Karhoe showed up and examined Virginia around 4:00 p.m., but did not find anything wrong with her.

Virginia continued to be in unbearable agony and Maude called for the in-house doctor again. At 7:00 p.m., Virginia was seen by Dr. Beardsle instead of Dr. Karhoe. He gave Virginia a shot of morphine to help her sleep it off.

According to The Medico-legal Journal, Volumes 39–40, Dr. Beardslee returned at 4:00 a.m. and again at 5:00 a.m. on September 6. Dr. Beardslee admitted that Virginia appeared to be suffering from an internal injury and likely needed surgery. He inserted a metal catheter into her urethra and said he knew instantly that her bladder was injured. The doctor did not know the severity of or the reason for the injury. He speculated external force causes most bladder ruptures; a slight fall or severe vomiting could be enough, though he doubted either scenario.

Maude spent the day nursing Virginia as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Fatty and his friends checked out of the hotel early and sailed down California’s central coast to Los Angeles.

Virginia’s lucid moments were marked with agony and screaming. Maude asked the doctor to return because Virginia was getting worse. The doctor agreed, but felt that Virginia needed more help than they could offer. However, a trip to the hospital would likely result in a visit by the police, and there was no time to clean up evidence of illegal alcohol. That's right, worrying about getting caught with alcohol during prohibition took precedence over whatever may have happened in that room to Virginia Rappe.

Instead of taking Virginia to a proper hospital, they instead took Virginia to the Wakefield Sanatorium which was a maternity hospital and sometimes abortion clinic. Dr. Rummfeld examined Virginia. He gave the initial diagnosis of alcohol poisoning.

Virginia continued to decline over the next few days despite treatment. During awake moments, Virginia told nurses that Fatty hurt her. Unfortunately, Virginia slipped into a coma and died on September 9, 1921.

Dr. Rumwell and Dr. Orphus performed an autopsy. The doctors confirmed that Virginia's bladder had ruptured. They believed the injury to the bladder was between one to twelve days old. It appeared distended, but also exposed to force.

In the autopsy, her stomach was removed and sent to the city chemist for testing. They also removed her "female parts" and told an orderly to incinerate them. Luckily the orderly was stopped just in time. The state of California requires a coroner to perform all autopsies when the manner of death is unclear. Rumwell's and Orphus' autopsy was completely unauthorized.

The organs were recovered and given to Dr. Strange who performed the official autopsy. He determined her cause of death was peritonitis, an infection of the membrane lining of the abdominal wall. The expert opinion was that the peritonitis was caused by Virginia's ruptured bladder, which was believed to have been ruptured by an external force. The belief became that Fatty Arbuckle applied the external force during a sexual assault on Virginia.

Fatty Arbuckle was arrested and charged with first degree murder of Virginia Rappe on September 10, 1921. At that time, the state of California did not allow bail in any murder case. Fatty did end up being released the same day, though, on his own recognizance.

The media had a hey day with all of this. Right away, reporters everywhere painted the picture that Fatty was a hedonist (a pleasure seeker - I had to look it up) and a brute. The Labor Day party was written up in newspapers as an orgy. There were rumors of rape by a glass bottle. The same newspapers printed disparaging statements about Virginia's character as well.

The newspapers wrote about Virginia as a woman of loose character who often took her clothes off at parties (I mean...so what if she was and if she did???) instead of talking about her as a rising Hollywood start who met a sad and untimely end. It was incorrectly reported that Virginia had a venereal disease. Mack Sennett (actor, director, producer) accused Virginia of causing a crab outbreak for which he had to fumigate the entire studio. I wonder if he's the one who actually caused the outbreak...if there really was one.

The press was not nice to either Fatty or Virginia. Randolph Hearst said that this death and the mystery surrounding it sold more papers than the sinking of the Lusitania (WWI - UK-registered ocean liner torpedoed by a German Navy U-boat on May 7, 1915...for those who want to know).

The investigation was a joke, the trial was even worse. The defense went to town on trying to discredit any possible witnesses. According to the defense, every witness was drunk, Maude Delmont was said to be a liar and a madam. Other witnesses who could not be discredited somehow forgot what happened by the time they got on the witness stand. That is very interesting...must've been something in the water.

Al Semnacher seem to have had one important recollection - Fatty told him he placed of piece of ice inside Virginia. Al was asked to repeat the statement in Fatty's exact words. Al could not bring himself to verbally say the exact words, so he wrote them down. The DA read the words out loud to the court, "He said he put a piece of ice in Virginia Rappe's snatch". I have't heard that term in a while.

On the other side of things, the Prosecution took their own ugly course by attempting to defame Fatty Arbuckle. They claimed that Fatty was a sex fiend who came from a broken home. He didn't have the greatest childhood, but I don't know if that can be enough to claim he was a sex fiend. The Prosecution also stated that Fatty was nothing but a drunken, drug-addicted misogynist (a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women - I had to look that up, too), just like his father.

Fatty Arbuckle went through three trials in this case.

Virginia's grieving fiancee, Henry, said under oath that he would kill Fatty on site if he weren't convicted.

Seeing as how Fatty wasn't getting convicted on the murder charge, the charge was downgraded to manslaughter.

During the third trial, Fatty's attorney's encouraged him to keep his mouth shut. Fatty made claims that directly opposed Maude's every-changing story. Fatty claimed that Virginia was hysterical. He claimed he only washed Virginia's face and laid her on the bed. Fatty then stated that Virginia fell on the floor and he picked her up. Fatty said that Virginia tore her clothing to shreds and none of that was his fault; all he did was help her.

On April 13, 1922, a jury acquitted Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle in a court of law. However, damage to Fatty's reputation was already done. Theater owners and moviegoers boycotted Fatty's movies. He was no longer able to work under his own name. Fatty Arbuckle died of a heart attack at age 46.

September 2021 - 100 years since the death of Virginia Rappe and we still don't know exactly what happened. Did Fatty Arbuckle do something to her, causing her death days later? Technically, Fatty was acquitted so the court says he did nothing to Virginia. Could it have been a botched abortion? Is that why she was sent to the maternity hospital instead of a regular hospital? Again, I don't think we will ever have the full answer to that either.

No matter who did or didn't do anything to Virginia Rappe, I find her life cut short at such a young age to be truly sad and devastating. Sounds like Hollywood lost a good one! RIP Virginia Rappe.

-- Audre