A Tragic Experiment (1912)
Old chemist Hager has for years been experimenting with a certain combination of chemicals with which he expects to make his fortune. His older daughter Jane doesn't think he'll succeed, but his younger daughter Gertrude is enthusiastic that he will. Gertrude is brought home one afternoon by rich young promoter Findlay, after spraining her ankle. Jane instantly dislikes Findlay, but Gertrude quickly loses her heart to him. He learns of Hager's experiment and becomes greatly interested, much to Jane's dislike. Hager promises to allow Findlay to finance the experiment, and succeeding before he expected, he has Jane phone to him to come to the laboratory at once. Findlay comes and the papers are drawn up. He takes a phial of the precious fluid with him and the other phial is placed in the safe. He is in such a hurry when he departs that Jane's further suspicions are aroused as her father will not tell her what happened between them. Hastening to get to the city Findlay breaks the phial and leaves his packing to rush back to the laboratory to get the other phial. Jane sees him rush through into the laboratory and again becomes suspicious but is called out of the room for the moment. In the laboratory Findlay finds Hager asleep and gets the other phial without disturbing him, leaving a note to the effect that he is leaving town at once, etc. Hager awakes, reads the note and tears it in half, using one half to place beneath some chemicals. Going to the sink he slips and falls, pulling down the draperies and some statuary and knocking over the chair. Jane comes back into the parlor in time to see Findlay rush out. Later when she goes to see her father, she finds him on the floor, to all appearances dead. Gertrude is called and Jane tells her that she believes that Findlay killed her father, but Gertrude will not believe it, even after Jane finds the half of the note left. As it stands, it is a denunciation of Hager and a threat to kill. Firm now in her belief that Findlay killed her father, she phones the police and a doctor, then rushes off to catch Findlay before he can leave town. She finds him and accuses him, but he does not understand. She sees his revolver and is about to shoot him when the phone rings, telling her the police are coming. They apprehend Findlay and take him back to the Hager home. In the meantime the doctor has been able to bring Hager back to consciousness and he secures the other half of the paper and explains how it all happened and Findlay and Gertrude are offered the old chemist's blessing.
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GenresDrama
Short
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