- The Archduke Rodolphe d'Illyrie is secretly united to Countess Sarah Mac Gregor and they have a daughter together. The young woman learns that her father-in-law is potting to have the marriage annulled so she writes her brother to ask him to get rid of the old man. When her letter is intercepted, she leaves her child in the care of farmers near Paris and escapes to America. The Archduke finds the whereabouts of his daughter but he finds the house has been destroyed by a criminal fire and figures that she died. He sets out to find his daughter's murderers and meets the evil Schoolmaster and his friend la Chouette. They actually hide the child, that they call Fleur de Marie, and force her to beg for their profit.—Greg Philip {greg_philip@hotmail.com}
- Prince Otto, heir to the throne of Kronholm, and his wife. Lady Margaret, are leaving on a visit to their child Rose, who is being taken care of by an innkeeper and his wife. Prince Otto and Lady Margaret were married against the wishes of Otto's father, Prince Rupert, the reigning prince of Kronholm. The marriage of Prince Otto and Lady Margaret is not recognized by Prince Rupert, and he is not aware of the existence of the child Rose. Prince Rupert has taken steps to annul the marriage and has received word from the Pope that a decree to that effect is impending. Lady Margaret becomes aroused and determines to thwart Prince Rupert. There seems to be but one way to do this, and that is to bring about the death of the old Prince. She accordingly sends a note by messenger to her brother Albert that he must find a way to bring about Rupert's death in order to secure the title of her child. The messenger falls into the hands of Prince Rupert's soldiers who search him and find the incriminating letter. The messenger escapes wounded and reports the seizure of the letter to Lady Margaret. She at once prepares for flight to Paris, stopping at the inn to get her child whom she takes with her. Meanwhile Lady Margaret's note is delivered to Prince Rupert who reads it and sends for his son at once. Prince Otto is first shown the message from the Pope in which the marriage is pronounced illegal. Prince Otto resents his father's interference and professes undying loyalty for his wife. The pleadings of the old man not only leave Prince Otto obdurate, hut he becomes infuriated to the point of breaking his sword over his knee as a token that friendship is at an end between them. Prince Rupert, horror-struck by his son's obstinacy, finally decides to show up the unworthiness of Lady Margaret, and thus cure his son of his ill-placed love. Prince Otto in beholding the incriminating letter of his wife, begins to realize the truth. With his forebodings, he hastens to the inn and finds that his child has been taken by her mother to Paris accompanied by her man-servant. A farewell note is handed him by the innkeeper. Arriving in Paris, Lady Margaret makes arrangements for the care of little Rose with a poor family in the suburbs, and then leaves the country. The scene changes to the slums of Paris showing the Black Cat Inn, which is a resort for vicious and lawless characters. The dominating personage of the unsavory characters who loiter here, is an old thief who is known as the "Wolf." His wife, a repulsive old creature, is known as the "Buzzard," and his son, a crafty sneak, is known as the "Hopper." Between them they have all the others very well cowed. There comes to the Black Cat Inn one day a countryman known as Fritz. While he is enjoying himself, he is robbed by the "Wolf," and Fritz makes a futile search for his pocketbook. The money stolen from him was not his own, and he writes a note to his sister begging the loan of 200 Francs. Fritz keeps .on drinking in the evil company of "Wolf" and "Buzzard" who point out to him the foolishness of his borrowing money when it is just as easy to steal it. All three proceed to rob the sister of Fritz. It happens that the sister of Fritz is the very woman with whom little Rose has been placed by Lady Margaret. The robbers appear to do their dirty work. They ransack the place and set it on fire. The old "Wolf" is on the point of strangling little Rose when his wife, the "Buzzard," realizing that the child will be useful for begging purposes, puts a stop to it. The house is burned to the ground and Rose is carried away. Meanwhile Prince Otto has been searching Paris for his wife and child. Twelve years pass away and we next see Rose a young woman, selling flowers. She is clad in rags and has become a creature of the slums. She is known as "La Belle Rose." She is constantly ill-treated by the "Wolf" and the "Buzzard," as well as by their son, the "Hopper," but she shows no resentment of their treatment, except upon one occasion when she tries to take away from the "Buzzard" a necklace that was dear to her as a child. About this time Lady Margaret returns to ask her husband's forgiveness. Prince Otto reads her a report from the police, intimating that Rose perished in the fire twelve years ago that destroyed the inn in which she was kept. Meanwhile Fritz, the countryman, has gone from bad to worse; he is drinking heavily and associates with the characters at the Black Cat Inn. He is there when Prince Otto, still searching for Rose, enters the place in disguise. Just as the Prince enters, Fritz is engaged in forcing his unwelcome attentions upon Rose, who is trying to sell flowers. Observing this annoyance, the Prince interferes for the girl, and has a terrific fight with her insulter. The Prince gives Fritz a sound thrashing, and compels him to beg the girl's pardon. To show then that he is a good fellow, the Prince buys Fritz a drink. He learns from Fritz that Rose belongs to the old "Wolf." and on hearing the story of her ill-treatment at his hands, he makes a bargain with the "Wolf" and buys Rose from him. In the goodness of his heart, he tells Fritz to come along with them and he will give him work. With his usual cunning, the old "Wolf" sends his son to follow the Prince and his companions. The "Hopper" follows them and finds out that the stranger is a man of wealth and position. Prince Otto at once hands Fritz a letter to the police asking him to trace the antecedents of "La Belle Rose." Fritz does not get very far before the letter is stolen from him by the "Hopper." Lady Margaret and her brother Albert again become active in the case. They first locate Prince Otto, and Albert follows him to a farm where he is taking Rose to place her in good care, Albert decides that the girl is someone with whom Otto has fallen in love, and he writes his sister Margaret to that effect. This has the effect of arousing an intense animosity for the girl in the heart of Lady Margaret. The old "Wolf" has laid a trap for Prince Otto. He sends the "Hopper" with a note that he can get information of the parents of La Belle Rose if he will come to the Sewergate Inn, located in the suburbs. Otto finds the place and is thoroughly on his guard against this family of cutthroats. With two pistols he confines their attention strictly to the business in hand, but he is no match for their cunning. Directly behind Prince Otto, the "Hopper" opens a trap-door in the floor, and with a slight push, sends Otto tumbling headlong to the sewer beneath. The evil three descend quickly and rob the senseless man. This done, they throw open the duct from the reservoir, and the sewer begins to fill with water. Prince Otto is in immediate danger of drowning. However, his faithful servants at home have missed him. They find the letter directing him to the Sewergate Inn, and Fritz, suspecting danger, hastens there at once, arriving in the nick of time to save the life of the Prince. Lady Margaret's brother Albert runs across the "Hopper" and through him becomes acquainted with the old "Wolf" and the "Buzzard." He engages them to get rid of La Belle Rose, and all four return to the farm to carry out their design. They secure first a boat with a panel bottom made for sinking purposes by the pulling of a string. They next send a decoy note to Rose that she is wanted across the river to attend a friend in sickness. The girl innocently goes to the shore and starts across in the treacherous boat. When she is in mid-stream, the old "Wolf" pulls the string that operates the sliding panel, and in the next moment Rose is struggling for her life in the water. Prince Otto and Fritz, having called at the farm and suspecting foul play, follow the girl, and arrive at the river bank just as Rose is about to drown. Both plunge into the water and pull her to safety, while Albert and his evil companions are snarling in rage at their defeat. The rescuers take Alice to the farm, where all are happy at the outcome. Just then a state messenger arrives and informs Prince Otto of the death of his father, and salutes him as the reigning Prince. In this way Rose, for the first time learns the true rank of her benefactor. Some days later, the "Wolf" decides to rob the Prince and sneaks into the mansion. The intruder is promptly discovered and made a prisoner by Prince Otto and his servants. Brought before the Prince, the "Wolf" is charged with his many crimes. Considering the enormity of the man's evil acts, the Prince decides to put an end to his malicious activities by depriving him of his eyesight. This is done at the command of Prince Otto, and the miserable miscreant is then set out into the world to get along as best he can without his sight. While the old "Wolf" is being disposed of by the Prince, the "Buzzard" and the "Hopper" have gone to Lady Margaret to tell her that Rose has been killed, and to get the reward for this misdeed. Lady Margaret, trying to find some money, produces her bag of jewelry, and they promptly assault her, leaving her lying helpless while they make away with the valuables. The "Buzzard" and the "Hopper' return to the Sewergate Inn. The old "Wolf," his eyesight gone forever, is led by Fritz to his familiar haunt, the Sewergate Inn, where he gropes his way into the presence of the "Buzzard" and the "Hopper." When they discover that his eyesight is destroyed, they promptly rob him of everything be has and tumble him through the trap-door into the sewer. They follow him there and tie him like a dog. In the struggle, the old "Wolf" gets a grip on his wife's throat and strangles her. This pleases the "Hopper" immensely. He robs his mother of Lady Margaret's valuables and then turns in the water from the reservoir and drowns his wretched parents. The "Hopper" is immediately afterwards arrested and Lady Margaret's jewels are found upon him and other jewelry possessed by the "Buzzard," including the locket that Rose had worn when a child. Rose is brought into the presence of Prince Otto, who has received a letter from Lady Margaret, who has been severely wounded and is dying. The Prince takes Rose with him to the bedside of the dying woman. While they are there the "Hopper" is brought in by the police. Among the jewels found on the "Hopper," Prince Otto recognizes Rose's necklace. Rose also recognizes it at the same moment and by this means her identity is established as the daughter of Prince Otto and Lady Margaret, who very soon expires in her daughter's arms.
- The Moving Picture World, June 21, 1913
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