The Heart of a Cracksman

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Carlton, disapproving of his dissipated son and the latter's scheming wife, on his death-bed makes his will in favor of his devoted niece, Marcia. Hearing of this the previous couple plan to balk the father; their scheming is overheard by the cracksman, who has stealthily entered the house. The son and his wife retire and the cracksman creeps upstairs and enters Marcia's room. Affected by her beauty and innocence as she lays sleeping, he determines to assist her; following the son into the sick man's room he snatches the stolen will from his hand. Impatient at the delay the wife goes to the room and finds her husband stunned. She screams. The father awakens, gropes about and falls dead. In his own apartment the cracksman looks over the document and later he reads in the papers where the question of millions is at stake. Making a dummy he takes them both to the house where the original came from in time to prevent Marcia being bundled out. Holding the dummy up the cracksman extorts money from the son for it and then bums it. But ere the son can take possession the real will is brought forth; he holds the scheming couple at bay while Marcia makes her escape.