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- Spartacus sold as a slave rises up and battles the evil Crassus.
- Mr. Starry, a banker, has been successfully selling stock in a company to work a gold mine in Mexico. The editor of the "Daily Truth" has received information which warrants him to expose the scheme of Mr. Starry, who has become enormously wealthy by the sale of this fraudulent stock. George Ferguson, a war correspondent on the "Daily Truth," while returning 4from the Balkan service, forms the acquaintance of the banker's daughter, Margaret, and falls in love with her. On his arrival his editor informs him of this stock jobbing scheme and tells him that he must proceed with all haste to Mexico and make a thorough investigation. Banker Starry has been informed of the "Daily Truth's" activeness, and his prospective son-in-law, James Park, makes a very attractive proposition to Ferguson to induce him to give up his trip, which results in a duel. Park is slightly wounded and then and there decides to precede Ferguson to Mexico to prevent him at all hazards from sending anything but a good report of the mine proposition. He visits all the dives and makes the acquaintance of many bandits and lion tamers who will serve his purpose. On the arrival of Ferguson, Park arranges to have him directed to the lion tamer's camp where Ferguson is taken prisoner and placed in a cage divided in two parts, one part is occupied by ten lions. Park has provided a table, pen, ink and paper and has lighted a candle, informs his prisoner that he must make up his mind before the candle burns out to write up a glowing account of the mines to be sent to the "Daily Truth," or he will pull the chain that will lift the door allowing the lions in to devour him. Ferguson's guides have located him by this time and have determined that the only way to save him is to set fire to the building. This they do and amid the roar of the lions and the licking of the flames he makes a miraculous escape and arrives back in London to the office of the "Daily Truth," which denounces the fraudulent gold mine proposition in glowing headlines. Banker Starry and his beautiful daughter, Margaret, make a sudden departure for Switzerland. James Park lost his life amid the lions and fire. Ferguson resigns from the staff of the "Daily Truth" and leaves for Switzerland, where he finds the banker and his daughter, who has refunded every cent to the stockholders of the gold mine scheme through the "Daily Truth." The banker's daughter is now Mrs. Ferguson.
- The story relates how Salambo, daughter of Amilcar, ruler of Carthage, and Priestess of Tanit, is the keeper of the Sacred Veil "on which human eyes must not gaze." She falls in love with Matho, a slave, who becomes the leader of a band of mercenaries, fighting for Carthage against Rome. Matho steals the sacred veil and Salambo is ordered by the priests to reclaim it. The lovers meet in Matho's tent and Salambo recovers the sacred veil. Matho is made a prisoner by the Carthaginians through the treachery of Narr Havas, who is rewarded by Amilcar for his treachery by the hand of his daughter, Salambo. Matho escapes from prison and death, and the Oracle of Tanit is made to declare, by the instrumentality of Spendius, Matho's faithful slave, that Matho is acceptable to the God and one day shall govern Carthage. Salambo, who has protested against her marriage to Narr Havas, whom she does not love, is thereupon given by Amilcar, her father, to Matho and the marriage ceremony is celebrated with much pomp.
- The kingdom of Silistria, during the minority of the heir to the throne, Prince Vladimir, is ruled by Count Backine as Regent. Backine, an ambitious, power-loving man, knowing that the end of his period of power is approaching with the Prince's twenty-first birthday, uses all his wiles to bring about a marriage between Vladimir and his niece Alexandra, trusting to the influence which he hopes to be able to exercise on the Prince through his wife to keep him still, in fact if not in name, the ruler of Silistria. Unhappily for the Regent's plans, Vladimir has already fallen in love with his pretty cousin Olga, and the lovers frequently meet secretly in the beautiful gardens of the palace. One of these meetings is witnessed by a creature of the Regent, who hastens to tell Backine what he has seen, and, alarmed at the danger thus threatened to his project, Backine, after an attempt to affiance Vladimir to Alexandra has proved unsuccessful, summons a meeting of the Council of State, and persuades his colleagues to decide that the Prince shall be requested to spend the time which must pass before his coronation in Paris. Vladimir cannot refuse the request, which is, in effect, a command, but before he goes he visits all his old friends in Silistria- not forgetting his old fencing master, with whom he engages in a last friendly bout, in the course of which an incident occurs which has an important bearing on future events. The master's foil slips and inflicts a wound on the Prince's forearm, which, although not serious, will leave a permanent scar. Later a series of superb stagings show him clad in the uniform of his regiment of guards leaving the palace after a passionate farewell to Olga, and entering a motor-car, in which, with an escort of soldiers, he is driven to the railway station", en route to the French capital. Backine has arranged for one of the lieutenants to accompany Vladimir, with secret instructions to induce the Prince, by plunging him into all the distractions which Paris can offer, to forget Olga and the promise he has made to her. Although, with a letter from his sweetheart always carried in his breast pocket, Vladimir is not likely to be untrue to her, he willingly enters into the amusements provided for him, and his admiration for Mile. Thais, a dancer who is the sensation of the hour, gives his enemies the opportunity they require. Backine's emissary in Paris is greatly struck with the resemblance which a rather shady young dancer, whom he encounters in a cafe bears to the Prince, and he thinks the discovery so important that he reports it to Backine in Silistria, and receives detailed instructions, upon which he acts immediately. Chicita, the dancer, calls upon Thais, who has fallen in love with the Prince, whom she believes to be an English nobleman, and, showing her a letter from Olga to Vladimir, in which she asks the latter to return to Silistria, informs her who her lover really is, and tells her that he will surely desert her at the first opportunity. Temporarily blinded by jealousy, Thais agrees to become an accomplice to the Regent's plans and writes to Vladimir asking him to meet her at a certain house - in reality one which Backine's employee has engaged. When the Prince arrives at the house he is shown into a sitting-room and a trap-door is released under his feet. He is plunged into a cellar which has been prepared, and from which there is no egress, and with Thais and one of the Regent's men as gaolers is left there while Chicita is hastily made up as the Prince, and prepared for the journey to Silistria. The formal coming-of-age of Prince Vladimir is announced, and at the same time publicity is given to his engagement to Backine's niece, Alexandra. A triumphant reception is arranged for the returning ruler, and the pretender is driven through files of soldiers, cheered by the populace of the capital, to the palace. The resemblance between the real Vladimir and the sham is so close that everybody is deceived but Olga, who at once knows as if by intuition that this is not the man. She makes known her suspicions to one-or two friends, am rig then the old fencing master, who vows to solve the puzzle. Challenging the supposed Prince to a bout with the foils, the master contrives to wound him slightly in the arm, and, on pretense of examining the wound, discovers that there is no trace of the old scar which his sword inflicted on Vladimir. The Regent has fathomed the suspicions of the fencing master, who is known, moreover, to be a firm friend of Vladimir, and gives instructions so that the faithful old man is shot while out for his morning ride, and his body thrown in the river. Seriously injured though he is, he manages to scramble to shore and to attract the attention of two officers, to whom be tells the story of the imposture he has discovered. Meanwhile, orders have been sent to Backine's agent in France ordering him to put the captive Vladimir to death, but, though the Prince is bound and the train of powder which is to blow him to pieces is almost lighted, Thais relents at the last moment and releases the Prince. When their enemy attempts to detain them lie is thrown on the trap-door, which hurls him into the cellar. The explosion occurs, and the villain meets the death he had destined for the Prince. Meanwhile, Coronation Day dawns in Silistria. One after another the superb ceremonies are carried through, and at last the sham Prince and his Consort are led, through a company of men clad in blazing uniforms and women in sumptuous dresses, to the steps of the throne. Then, before the actual act of coronation can take place, the real Vladimir with his few faithful friends bursts into the chamber, the usurper is swept aside, and while all look on with amazement, Vladimir goes to Olga, and, taking her by the hand, leads her to the steps of the throne which is rightfully his.
- Capt. Derville has occasion to reprove a slovenly soldier at review. This soldier in a spirit of revenge for his humiliation, steals a large part of the funds with which Derville is entrusted. Derville cannot account for the disappearance of the money, and knowing he will be disgraced, he disappears, aided by Tom, his old servant, who supplies him with the clothes of a peasant. Derville is intensely fond of his wife and two children, and the reparation is bitter tor all. In the mountains Derville saves the life of Gustave, a peasant. War breaks out and Derville and Gustave enlist, the former under the assumed name of William. During a fierce battle William (Derville) picks up a bomb and hurls it away as it is about to explode under the feet of a general. For this brave act he is made a sergeant. A warm friendship springs up between him and Sergeant Robert, and the two are inseparable. The plague strikes the town and to prevent its spread strict military quarantine is established. The two sergeants are posted at a gate and refuse to permit anyone to pass. A widow and two children try to get into the gates, and tell a pathetic tale of hunger, adding that they will surely starve to death unless permitted to reach the house of their aunt. The resemblance of the children to Derville's own little ones touches his heart, and the two sergeants allow them to pass. A disgruntled peasant who had been turned back complains to Valmore, the aide-de-camp. This worthy is in love with Laura, the fiancée of Robert, and he takes advantage of the opportunity to rid himself of his rival by denouncing the two sergeants. The general is touched by the pitiful tale, but is compelled to order a court-martial, which finds the two men guilty, but holds that in view of the extenuating circumstances only one man shall he executed, and that lots shall be cast to see which shall die. William and Robert throw dice and William is the unfortunate one. The men are sent back to their cell by the old turnkey, who is the uncle of Laura. While there, William receives a note from a friend, informing him that his wife and children have taken refuge on the island of Rozes, not very far off. Derville, who had not been able to communicate with his family for three years, breaks down, and tells Robert the story of his life. Robert requests the aide-de-camp to permit Derville to go on the dispatch boat, which makes daily trips to the island of Rozes, to kiss his wife and children good-bye, agreeing to stay as a hostage and die in his stead should he not return. The aide-de-camp sees possibilities in this and consents. Gustave, the man Derville saved, is in charge of the dispatch boat, and the aide-de-camp secretly tells Gustave that if he delays the return of William he will. In the meantime, get a pardon for Robert. The simple Gustave believes him. Mrs. Derville and the faithful Tom are living in a cottage on the island. The cannon announces the arrival and departure of the dispatch boat, and every day Tom goes to see, if by chance, word has come from the captain. Tom hears the soldiers talking about a proclamation and recognizes the name of his master. He takes the proclamation and finds it is an acknowledgment by the secretary of war of the innocence of Capt. Derville of the charges against him, the guilty man having confessed before dying. When Derville reaches the island, therefore, he finds himself in the peculiar position of a free man, restored to rank as Capt. Derville, and as Sergeant William he is condemned to death. The meeting between the wife and husband is wonderfully depicted, and very touching. Gustave tells the old servant that if he makes his master miss the boat his life will be saved. Tom, therefore, sets the clock back an hour, and Derville is astounded to hear the booming of the cannon announcing the return of the boat. The weeping wife and children cling to him, but he tears their hands away and dashes to the water's edge. There is only one way to keep his word of honor to swim, and he dives into the water and begins the long journey. The dispatch boat arrives at the fortress without William, and the execution of Robert is ordered. The general is angry when he learns what has been done, but despite the pleadings of Laura and her uncle, he is compelled to carry out the sentence. Robert faces the firing squad, and the commands are given: "Ready. Aim." Before the word "Fire," is said, the old turnkey sees in the distance the swimmer nearing the shore, exhausted. Derville is assisted to land and Robert is saved. Derville makes known his rank to the general, as well as his true name. Laura and her uncle eloquently plead for mercy, and the old general is, in fact, only too glad to have an excuse to stop the unpleasant proceedings, and tells Derville that to make atonement for the great wrong done him, a pardon would be secured for him. Then, indignant at the conspiracy of the aide-de-camp, he removes him from office and orders him under arrest to be himself court-martialed for his vile plotting.
- Based on the Edward Bulwer-Lytton novel. Set in the shadows of Mt. Vesuvius just before its famous eruption.
- The Moorish general Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his lieutenant Michael Cassio when in reality it is all part of the scheme of a bitter ensign named Iago.
- Helena, a Greek girl, who is spending her holidays at the seashore together with little cousin Mary, has taken a rowboat and gone on a sketching trip, having selected an advantageous spot on a large rock a short distance from the shore. Ali Bey, a Turkish military attache who is stationed at Athens, has been attracted by Helena's beauty. He follows them down to the shore and patiently awaits their return, when he is horrified by seeing that the boat has gone adrift and the tide is fast rising. He immediately raises an alarm and plunges into the water to save them. After a desperate struggle he manages to get them ashore safely. Helena falls in love with the Turkish officer, much to her father's displeasure, but after may arguments her father compels her to marry Captain Humeroki, a Greek officer, although she is in love with her rescuer, Ali Bey, the Turk. Some months later war is declared between Greece and Turkey. Important war documents are in the possession of Helena's husband, and the Turkish officer has been commissioned to secure them. He makes an appointment with Helena to meet her at night in the garden of her home. Here he takes advantage of her love for him by threatening to shoot himself unless she will agree to secure for him a copy of these documents, which she accomplishes while her husband sleeps and delivers them to him. Captain Humeroki has been ordered to the front. Helena becomes remorseful. She cannot stand the strain any longer, so with her butler, whom she has explicit confidence in. She drives to the Turkish headquarters determined to see and persuade her lover. Ali Bey, not to make use of the documents she placed in his possession. While waiting to see him she overhears arrangements being made that convinces her that use has already been made of the documents and the Greek army will surely meet defeat. She realizes that she can save the day, and immediately dispatches her companion, the butler, for a powerful charge of dynamite, which she places at the base of one of the piers of a great bridge, over which the Turks must pass to accomplish their design, thus blowing up the bridge over which is galloping her lover at the head of the Turkish cavalry. The bridge falls, entombing men and horses. Helena is mortally wounded and the Greek officers cover her with the flag while the dying heroine is pardoned by her husband, to whom she has confessed all.
- Mrs. Josette Percy is left a large legacy by her rich uncle, James Gordon, and the only clew he left as to where it may be found is contained in the following abstract of his will: "I bequeath to my niece, Josette Percy, my entire estate, which is safely hidden in a place indicated by the directions written in my hand in ink that only becomes legible when subjected to heat. The writing will be found on the back of my prehistoric Egyptian parchment X.L.B. in my strongbox on the library table in my house in Paris." This parchment she finds has been stolen. She is in despair until, while reading the morning paper, she sees an account of the liberation of the famous Lupin from prison. It takes a thief to catch a thief so she appeals to him to recover her fortune. The accommodating Lupin soon decides the famous Egyptian collector, Sir Rhulend, would know if it had been offered for sale, and sure enough Sir Rhulend has bought it. In the night-time he cleverly picks the safe and secures the document, but disturbed by a noise leaves the safe door open. A trusted servant steals the priceless antique jewelry also kept there, and Lupin is forced to set about tracing this too. He identifies the servant's thumb prints on the safe door with those on the bottom of a smoked plate and shadows the thief to his confederates' den. The thieves capture him, but he cleverly makes his escape, not forgetting to take the jewelry. He replaces the real stones with imitation ones and returns them to Sir Rhulend, wins Mrs. Percy's love and flees with her, leaving poor Sir Rhulend a gently sarcastic note to console him for his loss.