The Trap (1914)
Old Buck Sage and his two grown sons operate a moonshine distillery in the Kentucky mountains. Sage's daughter, Nan, is insulted by her cousin, Hank, who in turn, is thrashed by her brother, Bud. Hank, seeking revenge, writes an anonymous letter to the revenue officers, informing them of Sage's illicit distillery. Allen, a young revenue officer, is sent to locate the still and secure evidence. By impersonating a fugitive lawbreaker he gains access to the home of the moonshiner, who offers to shelter him as long as he wishes. They conceal their moonshine operations from him, however, and he is baffled in every attempt to locate the still. Nan is greatly impressed by the detective and he finally decides to play the part of a lover and, by gaining her affections, obtain the needed information from her. The unsuspecting girl is an easy victim of his plan and full of confidence in him, is soon persuaded to betray the location of the still. He immediately writes to his superiors, informing them of his success and entrusts the letter to a boy to mail. The boy encounters the moonshiners, whose quick suspicions are aroused by the appearance of the letter and they repair to the home of a neighbor woman to have her read it to them. Nan overhears the woman as she reads it aloud. She is heartbroken by the discovery of her lover's perfidy but her grief quickly changes to vindictive hatred and she determines to lure the detective to his death. She makes an appointment with him to meet him in a lonely spot and arranges with her brother Bud to lie in wait and shoot him from ambush. Bud conceals himself near the appointed meeting place and awaits the appearance of Allen. As the time for the assassination draws near, Nan's savage anger cools and her love for Allen begins to overcome her desire for vengeance. Finally, unable to resist her feelings longer, she dashes madly through the woods to intercept Allen and warn him of the plot. She arrives at the meeting place before him and is instantly shot by Bud, who mistakes her for Allen. Bud returns to his home satisfied that he has killed the detective. Allen shortly after discovers Nan, wounded and in a dying condition. With her dying breath she reiterates her love for him and exacts a promise that he will spare her father and brothers. Allen is filled with pity, remorse and shame by the unexpected result of his double-dealing. He returns to the city, downcast and regretful, and keeps his promise to the dying girl by informing his superiors that he has been unable to find any evidences of guilt.
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Sydney Ayres | Director |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| William Garwood | |
| Vivian Rich | |
| Harry von Meter | |
| Jack Richardson |
