San Francisco Ghosts

9. The Westin St. Francis

San Francisco, CA

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The next stop on our tour is not known for ghosts and hauntings, but for a scandal from the golden days of Hollywood when Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford were the stars of the silver screen. There was a weekend long party thrown at the Westin St. Francis, suite 1219 in 1921, hosted by the comedian and slapstick movie star, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. Fatty Arbuckle was the slapstick, physical comic of the day. The only comedian more well-known than him was Charlie Chaplin. His name did his appearance justice. It's said he was born to be thirteen pounds and the baby weight always stayed with him. As an adult and at the time of the party, Fatty Arbuckle stood only five feet ten inches, but weighed over 250 pounds. He did not let his weight stop him from accomplishing what he set out to do. His comedy overtook his weight and he was able to make it to stardom without using his weight as a prop in every sketch. Over Labor Day weekend in 1921, Fatty and some friends rented three rooms and the Westin St. Francis and invited some girls over. One of the girls that showed up was starlet, Virginia Rappe, along with her new friend Maude Delmont. Prohibition did not stop the party and several bottles of liquor were consumed by the guests. At one point during the party Fatty and Rappe were alone in a room together, and it is that room that is the start of the Fatty Arbuckle scandal. Late, during the night Rappe was not feeling well and a doctor was brought in. A few days later she was brought to the hospital and she eventually died from a ruptured bladder and peritonitis, which is the inflammation of the thin tissue that lines the stomach. There were many rumors and many unclear accounts of the night. Rappe and Delmont had a reputation for being wild at parties, and there are reports of Fatty not wanting either woman at his party. Nevertheless, a few days after the party the young starlet was dead and the number one suspect was Fatty Arbuckle. Fatty Arbuckle was accused of violently raping the girl. His great weight was the reason why her bladder ruptured and the newspapers went crazy for the story. Fatty Arbuckle had crushed a woman to death. Three trials ensued; Fatty claimed when he walked into the room the girl had already fainted and he brought a bucket of ice to place on her thigh to see if she was faking. He thought she had too much to drink. While doing this, Delmont walked in and apparently did not like the position of the ice bucket. Delmont's story changed several times; however she was never used as a witness in trial. After three trials and three acquittals, Fatty Arbuckle was found not guilty. However, his reputation was destroyed. He died in 1933 at the age of forty-six from a heart attack. The Westin Inn St. Francis has a long history, built before the 1906 earthquake it survived to continually operate as a hotel. There are no official reports of the hotel being haunted; however, with its long history and connection to Hollywood scandal, it is possible for a ghost to be wandering the hall at night.