Down the River

This remarkable series of 10 short silent dramas by John M. Stahl, produced by Benjamin Chapin as a vehicle for his performance as Abraham Lincoln, are structured entirely around memory and recollections of the past.

Lincoln's life in the White House at the time Fort Sumter was fired upon is shown, and the many problems he was forced to face at that momentous hour are brought out with great clearness. His calm when surrounded by hot-headed advisers, each one determined that his scheme for saving the Union must be adopted, and the depth of his feeling at thought of a divided nation are clearly indicated by the action of the story and Benjamin Chapin's acting of the President.

Abraham Lincoln, the boy, defends a funny little black boy accused of stealing a white rooster. After a swift chase, Jim, the black boy, is captured with the fowl under his arm, and he is about to be roughly handled by the angry youths when Abe intervenes and suggests that the trembling captive be given a fair trial by jury.