- Edith and John Maitland will allow David Sterling to marry their daughter Helen as soon as he earns five thousand dollars, so David tries to sell one of his inventions to Simon Baird for that amount. Simon, unable to make up his mind, is found murdered the next day, and David is arrested with five thousand dollars of Simon's money in his possession. At the trial, Edith confesses to the murder, saying that Simon had wronged her years before, and that she took his money and gave it to David so that he could marry Helen. David refutes this testimony, though, and claims to be the murderer himself. In the end, the audience must decide for itself the identity of the killer.—Pamela Short
- Dave Sterling, superintendent of the Maitland Estate, is in love with Helen Maitland, his employer's daughter. The father, however, refuses to give consent until Sterling can show at least $10,000. Sterling has saved $5,000. He has invented a machine, in which an agent interests a wealthy landowner. Simon Baird. Baird comes to see Sterling, finds some petty flaw in it and flaunts the five $1,000 bills in Sterling's face, which he had come prepared to spend if the invention were satisfactory. Helen notices that one of these bills had been torn and pasted together again. Sterling persuades Baird to stay overnight, in which time he can remedy the defects in the machine, and Baird, attracted by Helen, decides to stay at the Maitland house. A look of hatred appears on the face of the negro servant, Kimba, when he sees Baird. Mutual recognition between Baird and Mrs. Maitland, fear and distrust on the face of the latter, a hated look of recognition between Baird and Maitland. Baird's shadow, as he places his wallet on the table before retiring for the night, appears on the window shade, where it is noticed by Sterling, Mrs. Maitland and Mr. Maitland, who pass by in the garden at intervals a few minutes apart. In the morning, just as Sterling is showing Helen ten $1,000 bills, a servant rushes in with word of Baird's murder. Sterling is arrested; the empty wallet and the money throwing suspicion his way. At the trial Helen testifies against the man she loves, establishing his motive for the crime. Kimba's testimony brings out the reason for his look of hatred at seeing Baird. Years before when Maitland and Baird were mining partners, Baird had been inhuman in his treatment of their servant, Kimba. Next, John Maitland's testimony, showing his reason for hating Baird, who had stolen from him his lawful profits in their mining venture. Mrs. Maitland's testimony brings out the story of how, when she was a singer in the picturesque Honkatonk in South Africa, Baird had betrayed and deserted her. After Baird's departure, Maitland falls in love with the girl and marries her ignorant of her former relations with Baird. Baird, the evening of his murder on meeting the woman again as Maitland's wife, threatened to tell her husband. He flaunted in her face the five $1,000 bills which he had refused to give her in years gone by and left them on the table. Sterling, coming into the room, not knowing from where the money had come, accepts it as a loan from Mrs. Maitland. Her testimony clears Sterling, but the question arises: "Is she lying to save the man her daughter loves?" Mrs. Maitland says she is guilty, which is promptly denied by Sterling, who says he is the guilty one. Question on screen, "Is he lying to save the mother of the woman he loves?" An acquittal from the jury, and the audience is left wondering who killed Simon Baird.—Moving Picture World synopsis
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