The Convict King - Production & Contact Info

The Convict King (1915)
Short | Short, Drama

The Convict King (1915)

Short | Short, Drama

Jared Austin and Ben Gray are contractors who use convict labor. A bill is introduced in the legislature to abolish the system, and Gray assures Austin he will speak against the bill when it comes up. Austin's son, George, is infatuated ...See moreJared Austin and Ben Gray are contractors who use convict labor. A bill is introduced in the legislature to abolish the system, and Gray assures Austin he will speak against the bill when it comes up. Austin's son, George, is infatuated with Pearl De Lyle, an actress. She tells him she must have $200. George meets a friend, Larry Graham, who nervously explains that his employer had entrusted him with some money to take to the bank, but he stopped on the way and the bank was closed when he reached there. He had lost some of the money. George asks for what remains, and promises to return the entire amount the next morning. Larry hesitatingly consents. George gives Pearl the $200 and buys wine for her. He reaches home intoxicated, and Austin bitterly attacks him. When George awakens he discovers that it is after nine o'clock, and remembers the promise he made to Larry. He wonders where he can get the money now that his father is angry with him. He goes to the office, finds the safe open and steals some of the money. He rushes to Larry too late, for already he is in the custody of the police. He finds that Robert Orme, the bookkeeper, has been accused of the theft. Both Orme and Larry are sentenced to the convict camps, and George seeks to quell his conscience by spending the stolen money in drink. Austin and Gray need convict labor and bids in a large number of convicts, among them Larry and Orme. Austin leaves the city on business on the same train with the convicts going to his camp. There is a wreck in which Orme escapes and Austin's face bruised, almost unrecognizable. He wanders dazedly to the woods, falls unconscious and Orme, finding him, changes clothes with him. The guards come across him, and lead him to the train. Orme takes Austin's place, and is not suspected. At the convict camp, the superintendent laughs at Austin when he declares he is not Orme. For the first time, Austin realizes the cruelty that is practiced in the camps. Larry attempting to escape from the camp is killed by the guards. The sight profoundly affects Austin. George seeks Pearl in order to forget his crime. He finds her with another admirer, and his head turned by wine, he shoots her in a jealous rage. He is jailed and makes a full confession of his past deeds. The order is given to release the prisoner, "Orme." Austin arrives at his office the day the bill against the convict lease system is to come up in the legislature. Gray is about to start on his way to speak against the bill. Austin tells him that he would sooner lose every cent than have his son go through the hell he did. Gray becomes furious, and when Austin says that he, too, will address the legislature. Gray locks him up in a closet and goes off alone. At the state capitol, Austin makes a masterful speech for the bill, with the result that it is passed overwhelmingly. Austin begins anew with Orme, who has returned, as a partner, and George, under proper prison condition, is given a chance to reform and become a useful citizen. Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
5 cast members

Name	Known for
Melvin Mayo Jared Austin Jared Austin See fewer	The Death Warrant (1914)
Jay Morley Ben Gray Ben Gray See fewer	The Little Boss (1919)
George Routh Robert Orme Robert Orme See fewer	While the Children Slept (1913)
Lee Shumway George Austin (as L.C. Shumway) George Austin (as L.C. Shumway) See fewer	Go-Get-'Em, Haines (1936)
Adda Gleason Pearl De Lyle (as Ada Gleason) Pearl De Lyle (as Ada Gleason) See fewer	The Sacred Bracelet (1915)