Motography (Jan-Jun 1915)

March 20, 1915. MOTOGRAPHY 441 Becomes Governor to Free Convict BY NEIL G. CAWARD THE struggle of a judge between his desire to exactly carry out the word of the law and his desire to favor the husband of a former sweetheart, who is brought before him, forms the theme of the American two-reel release of Monday, March 15, entitled "The Two Sentences." Harry Van Meter, as Jim Rodgers, a young law student, later a judge, has a splendid opportunity for emotional acting, and he makes the best of it. Perhaps his most convincing scene is the one in which he determines to run for governor that he may pardon a man he sentenced to the penitentiary for twenty years, and in this scene and the following one, in which Vivian Rich, who enacts the role of his sweetheart, comes to him at that crucial moment in his life to declare that it is she and she alone who is going to be responsible for his defeat in the campaign. It is needless to comment upon American photography, for exhibitors well know its excellent quality. The settings in this production are satisfactory in every particular, and the bigger scenes, such as the courtroom and the campaign headquarters, are convincing in every way, a great number of supernumeraries being used. As the story runs, Jim Rodgers, a young law student in love with Helen Wade, has an opportunity offered him to go to the city and practice law, after he wins a damage suit against the traction company and defeats a learned city lawyer who represents the traction company. Jim jumps at the chance offered him, after Helen agrees to wait for his return to marry him. After his city career opens up fame and fortune for him, Jim receives what he terms a "life sentence" when he opens a letter The murder trial Carter commits murder from Helen to find she has engaged herself to Tom Carter, a city man spending a holiday in the country, and though Jim leaves everything in the city and returns at once to his former home, he arrives just as the wedding ceremony is concluded. Brokenhearted, he returns to the city and plunges into his law work with such vigor that within a year he is inaugurated as judge of the criminal court Shortly afterwards, Tom Carter quarrels with a clubman over a card game and in his anger strikes the man with a heavy chair, instantly killing him. Carter is arraigned before Judge Rodgers, and Jim finds himself compelled to When the jury convicts Carter, the judge has the option of fixing a sentence of anywhere from one to twenty years in the penitentiary, an'd when Helen appeals to him to be merciful Jim replies that she had not hesitated to give him a life sentence, and he sees no reason why he should treat her husband with leniency. Next day Carter is sentenced td the maximum,penalty of twenty years. His decision preys on his mind and with the vision of Tom in prison always before him, Jim begins to pray for a way to undo what he has done. When he is urged by some of his friends to become a candidate for governor, he at first frowns upon the scheme, but later sees in it a way of freeing Carter, and so consents to run. Helen, meanwhile, thinking" he is striving for the governorship only, vows he shall not be elected and works night and day in opposition to his candidacy. On election day she visits him and boasts that she personally has brought about his defeat, but Jim informs her that his one object in wishing to be Carter to his wif act as judge for his rival