Roscoe Arbuckle: Born March 24, 1887, Smith Center,
Kansas. Died June 29, 1933, New York City. Age 46.
Virginia Rappe: Born July 7, 1895 (most genealogical
records; Wikipedia lists 1891 as alternate). Died September
9, 1921. Age 26. Cause of death: ruptured bladder and
Maude Delmont: Known also as “Madame Black.”
Criminal history including extortion and bigamy
(probationary sentence). Never testified at any of the three
trials. Billed her Arbuckle involvement as a touring stage
act during the third trial.
DA Matthew Brady: San Francisco DA, elected 1919.
Remained DA approximately two more decades
post-acquittal. Died 1952, age 76. Never ran for governor
(some secondary sources claim otherwise; not confirmed
Gavin McNab: Lead defense counsel. San Francisco
Milton Cohen: Arbuckle’s personal attorney; previously
Virginia Rappe’s personal attorney. Architect of the
character-deconstruction defense strategy.
Helen Hubbard: First-trial juror holdout. Husband did
legal work for Brady’s office. Reportedly announced at
outset she’d vote guilty ‘until hell froze over.’ Refused to
review evidence or discuss testimony during 44-hour
September 3, 1921: Arbuckle arrives in San Francisco.
September 5: Labor Day party, St. Francis Hotel. Rappe
September 7: Delmont sends blackmail telegrams to
lawyers in San Diego and Los Angeles.
September 9: Virginia Rappe dies. Cause: ruptured bladder
September 10: Arbuckle arrested and charged with
September 13: Grand jury indicts for manslaughter. Brady
ignores indictment; pursues first-degree murder at
separate preliminary hearing.
Preliminary hearing: Judge Lazarus states no evidence of
rape found; “barely enough” to hold defendant. Holds
Arbuckle on moral grounds. Murder charge later reduced
November 14 – December 4, 1921: First trial. Jury hung,
10–2 for acquittal (some sources: 11–1). Holdout: Helen
January 11 – February 3, 1922: Second trial. Arbuckle does
not testify. Jury hung, 9–3 for conviction.
March 13 – April 12, 1922: Third trial. Arbuckle testifies.
Not guilty. Jury issues written apology.
The full text signed by all 12 jurors and both alternates:
“Acquittal is not enough for Roscoe Arbuckle. We
feel that a great injustice has been done him. We feel
also that it was only our plain duty to give him this
exoneration, under the evidence, for there was not
the slightest proof adduced to connect him in any
way with the commission of a crime. He was manly
throughout the case, and told a straightforward story
on the witness stand, which we all believed. The
happening at the hotel was an unfortunate affair for
which Roscoe Arbuckle, so the evidence shows, was
in no way responsible. We wish him success and
hope that the American people will take the
judgment of fourteen men and women who have sat
listening for thirty-one days to evidence, that Roscoe
Arbuckle is entirely innocent and free from all
Spite Work: The Trials of Virginia Rappe and Fatty
Arbuckle — peoplevsarbuckle.com
Bar Association of San Francisco —
sfbar.org/blog/sfam-the-many-trials-of-fatty-arbuckle
Encyclopedia.com / Great American Trials —
encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/fatty-arbuckle-t
EBSCO Research Starters —
ebsco.com/research-starters/history/film-star-fatty-ar
buckle-acquitted-manslaughter
smithsonianmag.com/history/the-skinny-on-the-fatty-
arbuckle-trial-131228859/
pbs.org/newshour/health/the-sexual-assault-case-that
-shocked-hollywood-almost-a-century-ago
Wikipedia / Roscoe Arbuckle —
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roscoe_Arbuckle
Constitutional Rights Foundation —
crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-11-1-c
Recommended book: Yallop, David. The Day the Laughter
Stopped. St. Martin’s Press, 1976.
