George Hale, Caleb Hamilton's private secretary, is in love with his employer's daughter, Mary. A valuable painting, a famous Corot, which Hamilton has purchased for $20,000, is stolen from his library, the thieves cutting the canvas from ...See moreGeorge Hale, Caleb Hamilton's private secretary, is in love with his employer's daughter, Mary. A valuable painting, a famous Corot, which Hamilton has purchased for $20,000, is stolen from his library, the thieves cutting the canvas from the frame. Hamilton, greatly excited, summons detectives. Hamilton discovers George making love to Mary and discharges him. George determines to reestablish himself in the old gentleman's favor by apprehending the thieves. He frequents a neighborhood famous as a resort for criminals, and in the rear of a saloon he sees two Italians who act suspiciously. He follows them to a cheap tenement and later he stations himself in front of the house disguised as a beggar. Mary, interested in charitable work, visits a poor woman who has a room next to the Italians. Hamilton's detectives find the trail and raid the room, but find no trace of the painting. As they are leaving, Mary joins them and an Italian who oversees the affair, suspects the girl of being in league with the officers. The thieves have cleverly covered the painting with a chemical solution which may be removed and when they find that they are being watched, they engage George to deliver the canvas to a notorious "fence," believing the young man to be a genuine beggar, anxious to earn a dollar. Meantime Mary returns with blankets for the poor woman. She is captured by the Italians and made a prisoner. George loses no time in communicating with Hamilton and the detectives, who arrive at an opportune moment and assist him in liberating Mary and securing the painting. Written by
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