The Fatty Arbuckle case (1962)

was losing ground and his forces were sweating. Why they were losing ground was never clearly understood, though later a male member of the jury said it threw all of them when McNab waived his final argument. The jurors thought he felt he was licked and was giving up. When McNab was told this several days later, he paled. This slip might have lost him the case and he knew it. On the fourteenth ballot the tally was nine to three for conviction. Judge Lauderbach called the jurors in for a consultation. After an hour's discussion the Judge put the question straight to them, "Can you reach a decision?" The answer was, "No, we cannot." Reluctandy, Judge Lauderbach accepted the verdict— another hung jury. Arbuckle shook his head in wonderment and "said, "This finishes me." Minta wept and said, "When you're innocent, you're always innocent." Now Brady changed his mind. The turn of events, which saw the balloting favor the prosecution after siding so long with the defense, gave him new heart. He announced he wanted a new trial and he wanted it immediately—no later than the next week. Judge Lauderbach : didn't approve of that at all. He suggested that because of a crowded calendar the third trial get underway in i: March. The hung jury of trial two did not lessen the interest of the public. Newspapers and magazines were full of I letters, most of them from women and women's clubs I demanding that Arbuckle be punished. But in the Hollyki wood fan magazines, staunch supporters of their constitu[l ents, editorials and mail proclaimed Arbuckle's innocence l and demanded he be set free after all this heartache, fi Motion picture magazines in particular waxed voluble on I Arbuckle's innocence. But national publications such as Good Housekeeping I editorialized on the need to clean up Hollywood. This ; was sparked by the Desmond Taylor killing and the 121