. . .  is no less a work-in-progress for Spite Work. Photographs of the various personages in the case of Virginia Rappe and Roscoe Arbuckle are not easily had and require vigilance to locate, especially now as we prepare a manuscript for potential publishers. That said, we still hope to find the impossible, such as any of the illustration art for which Rappe modeled. An even rarer image we have yet to obtain is that of Rappe’s mother, Mabel Rapp. We know that she posed for the Chicago photographer Matthew “Commodore” Steffens during the 1890s, around the time of the Columbian Exposition of 1893. He used cabinet cards with her photo, which he displayed in his studio window, as samples of his talent—and her beauty. A few possibilities have come to light, including images from the same period taken at other studios. But the detective work has to be conclusive. We only share these because Mabel (and her daughter) could have some resemblance or fit the context.

Also rare are photos of the minor and peripheral figures in the Arbuckle case. Minnie Neighbors, a witness for the defense, is an example. Mrs. Neighbors testified that she cared for Rappe after finding her doubled up in pain on a bathroom floor at Wheeler Hot Springs just weeks before the events of Labor Day 1921. Eventually, Neighbors was charged with perjury. We provide a fairly detailed account of her sideshow in our book. Minnie Neighbors. This news photo wasn’t used. Here she is too young and her matronly appearance, intended for a jury, just isn’t “there.” Now in Authors Collection. Although the San Francisco District Attorney wanted Arbuckle charged with murder for the death of Virginia Rappe, he had to be satisfied with manslaughter. The judge who decided on the lesser charge was San Francisco Police Judge Sylvain Lazarus. The photograph below is from the mid-1920s, when Judge Lazarus was seen as a real “character” for lightening the mood in his courtroom. He certainly did so in the preliminary investigation into Rappe’s death, which took place in late September 1921. The transcripts of this proceeding are the only ones to survive. In January 1922, during the second Arbuckle trial, Lazarus had a phonograph installed in his court room. Perhaps some of the spectators could hear from afar “Hail! Hail! The Gang’s All Here” and other recordings that complemented the judge’s docket. Sylvain Lazarus, a judge and master-of-ceremonies in one person. Our most recent acquisition is the image below, Gavin McNab, Arbuckle’s lead counsel during the three trials. It betrays his height, dignity, and rather menacing presence that he used to his advantage when facing the comedian’s prosecutors, who were both a head shorter if not more.

The glowering Gavin McNab, who pulled Fatty out of the fire.

If any of our readers have photographs to share, we will be both receptive and grateful.