The Weaker Sex (1917)

Ruth Tilden, daughter of an able jurist, appears for the defense in a seemingly-hopeless case in which a woman is tried for her lover's murder. The woman had confessed her crime and the District Attorney, John Harding, is confident of a verdict for the state. By an impassioned appeal, Ruth wins. John Harding loses his case, but admiration growing into love wins the hand of Ruth. John wishes to shield Ruth from all the worry and struggles of life, and this means for Ruth the end of a career. She feels that she is only a plaything for his idle hours; a flower in a hothouse. John Harding has a son, Jack, by a previous marriage; at barely 20 he has inherited a fortune from his maternal grandfather, and John allows him full liberty, believing that the lad's training and common sense will prevent him from getting into serious trouble. Jack becomes entangled with cabaret singer Annette, who has both brains and beauty, but no morals and an evil past, which is shared by one Raoul Bozen. Just when Annette has spread her toils so that Jack's fortune is in her grasp, a pistol shot ends her life. Jack is arrested, and circumstantial evidence is against him. His father is compelled to prosecute his own son. Ruth, who comes to the rescue, is retained for the defense. In a masterly cross-examination, she convicts Raoul Bozen, wins a verdict against her husband, and restores his son to him.