Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 4, 1991                   TAG: 9104040437
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-11   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PALM BEACH, FLA.                                LENGTH: Medium

TED KENNEDY'S NEPHEW REPORTEDLY RAPE SUSPECT

The Palm Beach Post, quoting a source it did not identify, said police plan to include a picture of Smith in a photo lineup they want to show the woman.

Smith, 30, was with Kennedy and Kennedy's 24-year-old son, Patrick Kennedy, at Au Bar, a popular Palm Beach club, the night of the alleged rape.

Police Chief Joseph L. Terlizzese said a 30-year-old woman went to the Kennedy estate after encountering the three at the club.

The woman reported meeting the Kennedy group late Friday or early Saturday, then going to the estate "for a couple of cocktails," Terlizzese said.

Smith, a student at Georgetown University Medical School and the son of Edward Kennedy's older sister, Jean Kennedy Smith, denied involvement, as did his uncle and cousin earlier.

"Any suggestion that I was involved in any offense is erroneous," Smith said late Wednesday.

"The news reports circulating about events last weekend at the Kennedy family residence in Palm Beach, Fla., are inaccurate and have unfairly embarrassed my uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and my cousin, Patrick Kennedy," Smith said. "I make this statement in the hopes that it will help stem the tide of unwarranted suspicions."

The Palm Beach Post said a police document lists Smith as a suspect.

Palm Beach, a tony resort town, took on a circus atmosphere as reporters quarreled with police, offered money for interviews and even questioned each other.

"In this day and age, nothing does surprise me," said police spokesman Craig Gunkel. "I'm sure careers and promotions revolve around this sort of story."

Agnes Ash, publisher of The Palm Beach Daily News, which specializes in society news, said the reported rape has triggered the biggest local media bonfire in years. Ash held up a stack of messages.

"Look at this," she said. "These are calls from TV stations. . . . This always happens when the Kennedys are involved."

The combination of alleged sexual misconduct and the Kennedy name sent tabloids into a frenzy.

The Sun of London ran a report under the headline: "Rape Quiz Girl `Wanted Sex With a Kennedy.' " London's Daily Star led with: "The curse of the Kennedys has struck again."

Humana Hospital spokesman Al Gonzales said a man identifying himself as a reporter handed his business card to a woman at the desk, inscribed with the message, "$500 for the name" of the woman who filed the complaint.

As soon as the story broke Monday, tabloid reporters with their checkbooks in hand were negotiating for interviews at Au Bar.

Local media have hired an attorney to seek the full police complaint. Police have only released the cover sheet, with the woman's name and address blacked out.