- The miser hoards his wealth, and guards it in cunning fashion. His butler discovers its hiding place, and in the quarrel which ensues, the miser is accidentally killed. After serving a long term in prison, the butler rescues the miser's heirs from poverty by leading them to the hidden wealth. There is a pretty wedding, and although he is not one of the principals, the old butler finds joy in the thought that he has made two others happy.—General Film Company advertisement
- The miser of the story lives in seclusion in his city home. No one save Peter, a butler, is allowed on the premises. His only relative is a niece, Mrs. Rice, whom he never sees. With her sick husband and their little daughter, Dorothy, Mrs. Rice finds it hard to keep the wolf from the door. Without medicine or food in the house, she sends a messenger to her uncle, pleading for assistance. It is the day for the miser's collection of his rents, and he is about to leave when the messenger arrives. He reads the note, and at first fumbles a few small coins in his fingers, then hesitates, and returns them to his pocket with the remark, "My rents are of more importance to me than my relatives." The miser's hoard is stored in a large steel vault in his cellar. Access to this cellar is only possible through a secret passage, leading from his library. By touching a hidden button, one of the book cases sinks beneath the floor, revealing an opening in the wall back of it. Passing through this opening the book case resumes its former position. Other intricately constructed contrivances are encountered before the cellar is reached, all of them yielding to the magic touch of the miser. The vault also opens to the touch of secret springs and is closed by the same means. If otherwise tampered with, strong steel arms encircle the intruder and crush his life out. The return to fresh air also requires a knowledge of secret springs, as all entrances have been closed, as the explorer, on his way to the cellar, passes through them. Thus a stranger may possess the secrets to gain entrance, and yet never get out. One day Peter, the butler, spies on his master and learns of the secret entrance. The old miser discovers him and attempts to shoot him. In the scuffle, the pistol is accidentally discharged and the miser is killed. Peter is sent to the penitentiary for 15 years. Mrs. Rice and her child were living alone when informed of her uncle's death. Her husband had died some time before. On coming into possession of the estate, she could find no trace of the miser's hidden money. It was necessary to get loans on the real estate and, after the lapse of 15 years, she is again penniless. A money lender is about to foreclose on the property. The money lender's son is in love with Dorothy and tries in vain to turn his father from his course. About this time Peter, the butler, is released. He calls on Mrs. Rice and draws her plans of the secret entrance. The money lender is told of these plans by his son and resolves to secure the treasure for himself. He gains entrance to the cellar but cannot return. Through Peter's efforts he is released, and the miser's millions are turned over to Mrs. Rice. -- Moving Picture World synopsis
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