STARS MENACED

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 724, 27 December 1933, Page 2

STARS MENACED

FILM COLONY TERRORISED BY OPERATION S OF GANG. THREATS OF DISFI'GURBMENT. Hollywood, November .4. It is hoped that a mysterious "something," thait h'as been sensed rather than openly seen at Hollywood, will be ibrought to light by the • inquiries into the atfcack ori the rising British actor, Mr. John Wiarhurton. A sensational element in the-affair is that. th'e police sought to implioaite in some way the famous star, Alice White, and her fianee, Sidney Bartell, but the District Attorney announced that they had been entirely cleared hy the Grand Jury . before whom they ' -had appeared. The attack on Mr. Warburton wias unexpected and cowardly, and the ob1 ject is said- to have been to disfigure his face". M!r. W/arburton, fortujnately, was more thani a match for his two assailants, who are. suspected to be young - men employed as fihn "extras." Mr. Warburton was on his way to keep an appointment with Claire Windsor when he was attacked, but he declines to discuss the matter at present.

Other Outrages. Th'e police state definitely that disfigurement was the object of the .a.ttackers, and it is a sinister feature that this is by no means the first attack made upon rising or shining -stars at the film colony, and Hollywood is agog with sensational stories of outrages that have been hushed "up, In the case of one prominent star, it is said th'at the assailants went beyond disfigurement and inflieted "serious maiming. There is a dread "something" suspected behind these earlier outrages — whether jealousy, spite, rough justice, or revenge through hired bullies ' is not clear — but the police are determined to tnace the rumours to their source and the entire film colony hopes that something definite will come to light. The case was carried a stage further when two young men — CMartin Block and Russell Brown- — were indicted on a charge of robhing Mr. Wlarhurton of 25 dollars. Mr. Warburton, who hails from Maghull, near Liverpool, and wias formerly a member of the Liverpool Repertory Company, played the part of Edward Marrj^att in "Cavalcade."