Actress, subject of Hollywood scandal. Born in Chicago in 1891 to a part-time chorus girl, Mabel Rapp, and an unknown father. Her mother added "e" to her own surname to avoid being mentioned in the newspapers about the check forgery ring with which her mother was associated, it was under that name she became a successful commercial model in Chicago department stores. At the time of her death, Virginia was best known as the face on the sheet music cover of "Let Me Call You Sweetheart," a popular song of that time. Virginia won an award as "Best Dressed Girl in Pictures." At this point in time, she came to know Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, who had worked at Keystone with her fiance Henry Lehrman. She, along with Maude Delmont and Al Semnacher, went to a party thrown by Arbuckle on Labor Day 1921. By Friday of that week, Virginia had died in the hospital, and Arbuckle was charged with her murder. The first two trials ended in hung juries. Roscoe was finally acquitted in March 1922 in the third trial. He was acquitted with an unprecedented apology from the jury. No one ever really knew what happened that day in 1921. All that is for sure is that Virginia died in a hospital on the Friday after the injuries she suffered at that party.
Actress, subject of Hollywood scandal. Born in Chicago in 1891 to a part-time chorus girl, Mabel Rapp, and an unknown father. Her mother added "e" to her own surname to avoid being mentioned in the newspapers about the check forgery ring with which her mother was associated, it was under that name she became a successful commercial model in Chicago department stores. At the time of her death, Virginia was best known as the face on the sheet music cover of "Let Me Call You Sweetheart," a popular song of that time. Virginia won an award as "Best Dressed Girl in Pictures." At this point in time, she came to know Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, who had worked at Keystone with her fiance Henry Lehrman. She, along with Maude Delmont and Al Semnacher, went to a party thrown by Arbuckle on Labor Day 1921. By Friday of that week, Virginia had died in the hospital, and Arbuckle was charged with her murder. The first two trials ended in hung juries. Roscoe was finally acquitted in March 1922 in the third trial. He was acquitted with an unprecedented apology from the jury. No one ever really knew what happened that day in 1921. All that is for sure is that Virginia died in a hospital on the Friday after the injuries she suffered at that party.
Bio by: Marta Monk
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