The Two Natures Within Him (1915)
The Rev. William Morris is the director of a small church near a state penitentiary. He is convinced that a criminal is only a good man gone wrong. Dr. Bishop, a friend of the minister, has made a life-long study of this very subject. The doctor has a daughter whom the minister loves and to whom he is engaged. These three people are all possessed of one idea, saving criminals. Prisoners leaving the penitentiary often repair to the little rectory where a light burns all night as a sort of beacon to them. The minister reasons with them, the girl pleads and the surgeon performs operations at times to relieve brain pressure which often causes a malversion of character. One night a thief creeps toward the rectory. The Rev. Morris is startled by a noise. He turns the light low, hides and awaits developments. Muggsy, a thief, sneaks into the house. The minister confronts the thief, who strikes him over the head with a club. The victim falls to the floor and Muggsy escapes. When the Rev. Morris finally comes to, the blow which has fallen upon his head has transformed him into another being. He prowls through his own home, for the thief's blow has transformed him into a criminal. He goes to the freight yards, climbs aboard a freight train and follows Muggsy, the thief, into the city. Muggsy flees in terror, believing the minister has pursued him. In the city, the minister becomes a low criminal. At the same time Muggsy, whom the minister has followed, is haunted by him until it is almost an obsession with him. He endures the company of the minister as long as possible, and then he begins to wonder. He tries him out by having him perform several criminal "jobs." The more they are together, the more Muggsy is terrified. He resolves that he will return to the rectory, to see if this man is really the minister whom he assaulted. Muggsy and the minister, trailed by two detectives, go back to the little town. Muggsy hides in the same place by the shrubbery. There the minister comes up with him. Muggsy is terrified by his appearance, but the minister assures him that it is all right and that they will do the job together. The minister says he will go inside while Muggsy watches without, and the two detectives watch them both. On this night, the surgeon, who has taken possession of the minister's house, is sitting in the library with his daughter, when the two hear a noise. Again the thief, this time the minister himself, comes furtively in. The lights are turned on and the minister is caught. The doctor stumbles back paralyzed as he recognizes his old friend, and Mary shrieks, but the minister denies knowing either of them. Muggsy, meantime, has been caught by the two detectives and brought into the house. Later, the minister and Muggsy are led away by the police. Mary is heartbroken and her father is puzzled. At Mary's urging, they go to the cell where the minister is confined. Again they plead with him, but it is of no avail for he does not know them. Finally Muggsy is brought in. The idea that he has been followed by the minister and betrayed has become a sort of mania with him and now, worked up, he tells all that happened. The minister, in a fury of wrath, pounces upon Muggsy, but the men are separated. The doctor suddenly sees the truth. He questions Muggsy, who tells the surgeon how he struck the minister with a black-jack. The surgeon feels the minister's head and realizes what has happened. He obtains permission and performs an operation upon the minister. After the operation, the crook again becomes the Rev. William Morris, and he is reunited with his sweetheart.
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Tom Santschi | Director |
| Jules Eckert Goodman | Writer |
| William Nicholas Selig | Producer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Tom Santschi | |
| Bessie Eyton | |
| Lafe McKee | |
| Franklyn Hall |
