A Western Girl

Mary Jane had nursed Black Bill's wife through a spell of fever and Bill was grateful with all the fullness of his rough nature. He sent Mary Jane a necklace and a note in which he promised on his honor to someday discharge his debt. It happened later, that one of Bill's horses was stolen. Bill and his friends found the thief, and were bringing him into town to a handy tree, when they passed Mary Jane, drawing water from the old well. Bill had a drink and Mary, in pity, raised the cup to the lips of Bob Ford, the horse thief, whom she had never seen before.

John Burton met Bessie Fields on her way home one day, and was for making love to her right then and there, but for the interruption of Crazy Joe, a half-witted boy, who always seemed to get in wrong. Burton was incensed, and, although Bessie protested, applied his whip to the demented boy, when Steve Ross, Bessie's sweetheart, happened along and rushed to the boy's rescue. Steve saw that Burton's attentions were not welcomed and ordered him off the scene. Next day, both went to Mr. Fields, and proposed for Bessie's hand. When Burton learned that Steve had been accepted, he rushed from the house, fired back upon it, and fled. Of two shots spent, one hit and killed Mr. Fields.

Three friends are playing cards in a beer garden. One of them orders drinks. The waitress comes back with a bottle of wine and three glasses on a tray. The man serves his friends. They clink glasses and drink. Then the man asks for a newspaper. He reads a funny story in it and the three friends burst out laughing while the waitress merely smiles.

An indebted French family flees its creditors in this comic picaresque, one of pioneering French director George Méliès last films.

In 1912-1913, movie pioneer Gaston Méliès, brother of Georges Méliès, did a ten month long trip around Asia-Pacific, shooting both documentaries and fictions on location in Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, Java, Singapore, Cambodia and Japan. He wanted the “real” thing” he filmed, with the locals, being one of the first to give Polynesians, Maoris, Aborigines and Khmers a chance to appear on screen. His hybrid cinema dealt with questions of alterity, identity and representation.

Joe Fuller, the outlaw and bandit, draws rein at a humble cottage and begs refreshment. The traditional hospitality of the west is at once shown him by Jane White, who is alone in the house at the time, with her baby daughter. The bandit is given food and drink, while he is eating which, the baby takes a child-like fancy to him.

A lost silent film depicting the battle of the Alamo. Filmed in San Antonio.

Mary lived with her mother at the XX ranch, which was on the Rio Grande, just across from Mexico, and, as there was a ford there, it was easy for persons to cross from either side. One day, while riding on the Mexican side, she heard screams of distress and came upon Juanita, a beautiful Mexican girl, who had been insulted by Jose, a bad man of that vicinity, who commanded a band of guerrillas, who plundered and stole under the guise of insurrectos.

Edith Gates, whose father runs the X.Y. Ranch, has a burning desire to become a newspaper woman, but it is not so easy to accomplish as she imagines. She is turned down by one editor after another, and finally is insulted in the office of the "Blade" by Jim Ford, who is one of the star assignment men. Jack Burton, a cub reporter, comes to Edith's assistance, and is discharged for his gallantry. Edith returns to her home, and Jack secures employment on the "Express," the deadly enemy of the "Blade," where he "makes good." A month later the "Limited" is held up and the bandits escape.

Robert Burton was an only son and his indulgent mother had spoiled him. Bob was not all bad, but he was woefully weak and could not stick long at any one task. Also he paid more attention to rolling cigarettes than he did to his work. One day he was discharged by the foreman of the crockery store where he worked and appeared at home disgusted and sullen. His mother tried to comfort him, but the boy was anxious to have his way and announced his intention of going west, where he thought there would be better opportunities for him.

It was April weather on Lloyd's ranch, but all was not sunshine. The mortgage was due, and while there were enough cattle to sell to pay it, they were woefully short of men to handle them. Finally Lloyd decided to entrust the job to his son, Hal, and detailed El Paso Pete, one of his trusted men, to accompany the boy to Waco. The cattle were rounded up and shipped. Hal sold them to advantage and collected the money and was on his way to settle the mortgage, when he ran into an adventure. Jim Dempsey, a rough gambler, was having an altercation with his daughter, Rose. A Texan will ever respond to the call of beauty in distress and, regardless of the relationship, Hal interfered and followed them to see it safely through. He was led to a dance hall and was surprised and somewhat disappointed to see that Rose was a dancer there, but discovered that her father forced her to thus earn her living.

John Burton, a railroad clerk from the east, was spending his vacation hunting in the wild lands about John Walsh's shack. One morning, as he was eagerly following a large hawk, which he had already wounded, he lost his balance on the edge of a cliff and plunged down to the stony ground below. His cries for help attracted Walsh's attention and he was taken to the latter's cabin, where he was tenderly cared for by Walsh and his wife, until he was able to return to his duties in the east. Walsh's wife was the apple of his eye, but, like most things that we love, she did not last, and twenty years later we find him a broken old man, living in the days that are gone.

Rawhide, Arizona, was certainly some tough town when Reverend Simpson first blew in from civilization and started his campaign of redemption. From Alkali Ike to Shorty Smith, not a man of them had seen the inside of a church in fourteen years; there has never been a sermon preached in the county, and the only hymns that had ever been heard were those of the coyotes. The Rev. Simpson soon set up the "Rawhide Mission," but in spite of the hot weather, the result was a heavy frost. Nobody came even as far as the door, except Black Mike, who was drunk and who thought he was at the XXX saloon. The worthy pastor pleaded, prayed and billed the town without result.