The Wharf Rats - Cast

The Wharf Rats (1914)
Short | Short, Drama

The Wharf Rats (1914)

Short | Short, Drama

Most mothers are more or less mistaken in their sons. Mrs. Reed loved so blindly her younger boy, Edward, who was a clever scamp, that her elder son, Jim, a bighearted but rather stupid chap, failed to come in for his deserved share of ...See moreMost mothers are more or less mistaken in their sons. Mrs. Reed loved so blindly her younger boy, Edward, who was a clever scamp, that her elder son, Jim, a bighearted but rather stupid chap, failed to come in for his deserved share of mother affection. Jim was always down on his luck, while Edward was never lacking for good clothes and plenty of money to jingle in his pockets. And Jim knew where his brother got his money and his clothes, too, but would never have thought of "squealing" on him. The fact was, Edward belonged to a gang of "Wharf Rats," who pillaged freight boxes and robbed anybody whom they could hold up around the piers. With gangsters, it is but a step from robbery to blacker crimes. A certain old man who had sold a boat and had the cash in his pockets was assaulted and killed. Edward Reed escaped but was run down by the police, and Jim, to save his mother from a broken heart, offered himself up as the murderer. On the way to jail, however, he makes his getaway. Several months later, in a western city, Jim happened to see in a newspaper, "a personal" addressed to him. It was the dying wish of his mother to see once more the son who had disgraced her. He beat his way east on a freight train, and though, on arrival, he was recognized by the police, he managed to evade arrest and went to his mother's bedside. She must have ceased breathing but a few minutes before he entered, for the withered old face was still faintly warm, and her hand was convulsively closed upon a crumpled bit of paper. Jim drew the letter gently from the lifeless fingers. It was from Edward, confessing his past, promising to live straight for the future. As Jim is sitting in a trance of grief, the letter on his knee, the desolate stillness is broken by voices and the tramp of feet. Rising, he quickly draws the sheet over the face on the pillow, and stepping into the adjoining room, faces the officers of the law. For her sake, Edward shall have his chance. For himself, nothing matters now. Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less

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5 cast members

Name	Known for
Herschel Mayall Jim Reed Jim Reed See fewer	The Beast (1916)
Gertrude Claire Mrs. Jim Reed Mrs. Jim Reed See fewer	Oliver Twist (I) (1922)
Leona Hutton Maggie Keene Maggie Keene See fewer	The Raiders (1914)
Webster Campbell Edward - the Younger Reed Son (as William Campbell) Edward - the Younger Reed Son (as William Campbell) See fewer	The Single Track (1921)
Louis Durham Chuck Chuck See fewer	Flame of the Desert (1919)