|
Vindication
(1915) United States of America
B&W : Two reels
Directed by (unknown)
Cast: Jack Oaker (John Oaker) [John Carter], Mabel Van Buren [Mary Carter, John’s wife], Clarence Baker [William Burnes], John E. Brennan [the janitor], W.H. Bainbridge [J.P. Prescott], Jack Bonavita, The Famous Bostock Animals
Centaur Film Company production; distributed by Mutual Film Corporation. / Produced by David Horsley. / Released 21 October 1915. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Drama.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Bad feeling is engendered between William Burnes and John Carter, both employed in the same office, when the latter takes Burnes to task for making improper proposals to his wife while she visited his office. Secretly Burnes appropriates the funds of the firm for his private use. One night after a session in his favorite gambling den, where he loses all his money, he resolves to visit the office and replenish his supply. The janitor for the firm is a hard but secret drinker. On this particular evening he has fallen to the floor in a stupor, from which he is just recovering in time to see Burnes rifling the cash box. With the idea of holding up Burnes and forcing him to divide he creeps toward the thieving clerk. Burnes springs at the janitor and in the fight which follows is struck and killed by a blow with a heavy ruler, wielded by the janitor. During the struggle he smears his fingers with ink from an overturned bottle. Unwittingly he leaves his finger imprint on the ruler which is tossed away and falls behind a letter file. Remembering the quarrel between Carter and Burnes the janitor decides to divert suspicion upon the former. Taking a pair of black muslin sleeve protectors from Carter’s desk he tears them into shreds and places them in the fingers of the dead man. The next morning the clerks discover Burnes’ body. J.B. Prescott, the head of the firm, is called, and he summons the janitor, thinking that he may be able to shed some light on the crime of the night before. The janitor points to Carter’s mutilated sleeve protectors in the dead man’s hand and directs suspicion upon Carter. The police arrive and take Carter to jail. At the trial which follows Carter’s alibi is so strong that he is acquitted. Prescott, however, refuses to reinstate Carter in his old position and he wanders from place to place vainly endeavoring to obtain employment. At last, moved by desperation, he drops in at an amusement park and begs the animal trainers in charge of the caged beasts in the “Zoo” to allow him to work. One of the trainers has just quit because he was expected to clean the cage of a ferocious lion and the man in charge offers Carter this vacant place. Carter accepts it, and goes into the cage. Suddenly the lion springs upon Carter, whose shrieks bring the other men. They manage to drag the brute off, but Carter is wounded. In the meantime, while Carter has been searching for work, his wife feels that some clue is to be found in the building and applies for the position of scrub-woman. The janitor gives her the job. During the course of her work, she discovers the ruler which has been tossed behind the file. She finds not only the blood and the hair of Burnes upon it, but the fingerprints of the janitor as well. The janitor comes in with his whiskey bottle and attempts to force her to drink. Anxious to get a sample of his fingerprint she pretends to accept, takes the bottle from him and finds it covered with greasy finger marks. By a ruse she eludes him long enough to send a ’phone call for the police and for the head of the firm and when they arrive they find the maudlin janitor just on the point of forcing the brave woman to pay the greatest price for her temerity. The evidence is so conclusive that the drunkard breaks down and confesses. This completely vindicates Carter.
Survival status: Print exists.
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 14 October 2023.
References: Tarbox-Lost pp. 6, 279 : Website-IMDb.
|
