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Learn more- A life for a life, or death by the hand of God, opens in realistic fashion with guard mount at the military prison of Yuma, on the arid plains of Arizona. The relief is marshaled in front of the military barracks; the usual close inspection of arms and accoutrements is made, and, right about face, the guard marches off to the prison to relieve their comrades on duty. The military introduction is, however, simply a preface to the love story which follows; which opens up with a meeting between the lieutenant of the troop and his sweetheart; the cannon and general surroundings in the background maintaining the military character of the story. It seems, however, that the girl has already attracted the observation of one of the enlisted men, who appears on the scene, and with insulting language reproaches the lieutenant. This is resented and a fight ensues between them, when the soldier, who has been knocked down, realizing that in striking an officer on duty he has incurred the penalty of a disgraceful dismissal from the service, and anxious to escape, draws a knife and, stabbing the officer to the heart, makes his escape, leaving the girl lamenting and heartbroken over the body of her lover. The young ladys cries bring a number of soldiers to her aid and, enraged at the death of their officer, they immediately start in pursuit of the murderer, who in endeavoring to effect his escape leads his pursuers through scenery which is alternately wild and picturesque, but finally exhausted and disheartened, is captured and led off to the military prison to await his court martial and trial for murder and desertion. The prisoner being confined in his cell, the scene changes to the exterior of the prison, where the interesting evolution of relief and guard mount outside the prison is seen. The interior of the prison is shown with a realistic fidelity and attention to detail, and the villain seated in his cell broods over the probably consequence of his crime. The prison guards enter and lead him away to court martial. The ceremonies and surrounding of a military trial have been carefully followed, and an accurate reproduction of a scene seldom open to civilian observation depicted. The court unanimously reaches a verdict of guilty and imposes the penalty of solitary confinement in the Yuma prison for life. The unfortunate man pleads wildly for a mitigation of his sentence, but without avail, and being led away is once more seen seated in his cell in dreary solitude. But hope springs eternal in the human breast, and the condemned man has procured a file with which he is slowly filing his shackles apart, and when the turnkey enters the cell he strikes him down, strips him of his clothes, and securing his keys gains the wall, which he scales, and finds himself once more a free man, but alone in the sandy and desolate waste of the desert. Impelled by fear of recapture, he makes his way across the desert, hoping for some place to obtain rest and refreshment, but finds none. At last to his unutterable joy he finds a small supply of brackish water, enough at least to prolong life for a few hours, and slightly refreshed he staggers on. But the hand of God is upon him and the murder of the young lieutenant is to be avenged. Still seeking vainly for water and at last exhausted, nature succumbs and the poor fellow falls exhausted to the ground to rise no more, and once again the tragedy of the desert is repeated and the erring man passes away to a mightier court than the military one before which he recently stood. -- The Moving Picture World, September 21, 1907
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