The Murdoch Trial (1914)

When John Storey died suddenly in India, his daughter, Helen, an only child, became heiress to his estate, worth some £20,000. Although Helen was nearly of age, she knew practically nothing of the world and less about her father's affairs. News of Storey's demise reached his agent in England, Mr. Henry Murdoch, at a time when that gentleman was in deep financial distress. Holding full power of attorney over Storey's investments, he was tempted by a suggestion from his worthless and rascally nephew to take advantage of Helen's ignorance, and for the time being to make use of the Storey money to pull himself out of the mire. To avoid danger of detection the nephew further suggested destroying a letter from Storey, which would have served not only as a will, but would be the only document which could incriminate Murdoch in the event of his carrying out his intentions. Watching his chance, the nephew secretly pocketed the letter and burned a blank sheet of paper in its stead. The ashes completely deceived Murdoch, who fell easily into the trap, thereby putting himself entirely into the hands of his unscrupulous nephew. Helen came to live in the Murdoch household, but after months of grieving, her health was becoming undermined, and Murdoch, acting on his nephew's advice, sent Helen into the country, accompanied by the housekeeper. This change was very acceptable to Helen, principally because the nephew insisted in paying her most unpleasant lover-like attentions. The country air did wonders for Helen, but the thing which hastened her recovery more than anything else was her happiness in winning the love of Lionel Maun. All went smoothly until the housekeeper wrote to Murdoch of Helen's love affair. Again the nephew influenced Murdoch by pointing out the possibility of prison in case Helen married some clever young man who might investigate her affairs for her. The only safe course that Murdoch could see to follow was to marry Helen himself, and to that end he ordered her home at once. One day Lionel called to see Helen, but Murdoch, driven by fear and jealousy, grossly insulted him and ordered him off the premises. By the time Lionel reached the station he was impelled by fear for Helen, at the mercy of an apparent madman, to return. Meanwhile Murdoch brought matters to a crisis by trying to force Helen to submit to his loathsome lovemaking, but the nephew's arrival on the scene saved her from his persecution. Murdoch, thoroughly enraged, was in no mood to listen to a demand for money, and when the nephew threatened to make use of the letter written by Storey to compel him to give in, Murdoch endeavored to force him to give up the letter by attacking him with a dagger-like bill file. Their fighting attracted the butler, who arrived at the door in time to see the nephew give his uncle a fatal thrust. The sudden shock completely unhinged the butler's mind and he fell unconscious to the floor. Helen also heard the noise and came into the room at the moment Lionel stepped through the French window left open by the escaping nephew. Under the circumstances each thought the other guilty of the tragic deed and, before they had time to explain, the housekeeper entered the room. Lionel, seeking to protect Helen, ordered her not to say a word to anyone, which appeared on the face of things to be an admission of guilt on his part. At the trial, Lionel, still endeavoring to defend Helen, made no defense and was consequently convicted and sentenced to death. As he stood to receive his sentence, Helen realized his innocence, and to the consternation of everyone in court, she obeyed a sudden impulse and convinced them all that she had committed the crime herself. The night before her execution, the butler, now sufficiently recovered to be allowed the freedom of the sanatorium to which he had been sent, read an account of Helen's sensational confession at the trial. Horrified, he tries to explain the awful mistake, but, of course, was not believed. At a late hour that evening he escaped from the sanatorium and reached the house of the defending counsel, where he found Lionel. Realizing the only chance of obtaining a reprieve lay in surprising the nephew into an admission of guilt, they went to the Murdoch home and by a clever ruse succeeded in accomplishing their errand. A desperate fight ensued and the nephew was taken prisoner. Then, armed with a reprieve signed by the Home Secretary, they arrived at the goal just in time to prevent a most serious miscarriage of justice.