Who Killed George Graves? - Production & Contact Info

Who Killed George Graves? (1914)
Short | Short, Drama

Primary photo for Who Killed George Graves?

Who Killed George Graves? (1914)

Short | Short, Drama

Olga North, beautiful, engaging and possessing dramatic talent, but without money, meets and marries George, a handsome, weak, young fellow whose convivial habits lead him into the companionship of dissolute fellows. Step by step, he loses...See moreOlga North, beautiful, engaging and possessing dramatic talent, but without money, meets and marries George, a handsome, weak, young fellow whose convivial habits lead him into the companionship of dissolute fellows. Step by step, he loses his hold upon the decent things of life until he degenerates into lodging house habitué, constantly filled with liquor. Thrown upon her own resources, Olga secures work at a theater, and develops such an unusual talent that she is soon on the way to fame and fortune as a leading actress. Her husband has disappeared into the vortex of unfortunate humanity in the slums. She does not know his whereabouts, and is relieved that he does not bother her, although she has keen apprehensions of the consequences should he attempt to claim her as his wife. John Borne, handsome, rich, and accepted by his fellow men as a man of stability and worth, falls in love with Olga, and she opens her heart to the messages of love which come from his own. He urges her to marry him but she declines, finally explaining in response to his insistent demands, that she is already married and does not know the whereabouts of her husband. George Graves, the besotted husband, learns accidentally that the celebrated actress is his wife, and he determines to exact from her an income which will permit him to live among his idle and dissolute companions like a lord. He visits her in her apartments and she is easily frightened into giving him money. An agreement is entered into between them, that he shall be paid a certain sum in cash if he will sign a paper forever releasing her from any claims, and that he will not contest her application for a divorce. An appointment is made for him to get his money and sign the paper. He keeps the appointment and Olga gives him $500 in currency. He signs the agreement, but before the arrangement can be completed, John Borne knocks at the door, and in the little flurry of excitement which follows, George Graves seizes the agreement which he has just signed and places it in the same pocket with the roll of bills. Then Olga thrusts her husband into an adjoining room and closes the door upon him. He does not see the evil face of Bill Sykes peering at him through the window, watching with greedy eyes as Graves counts over his newly-found fortune with trembling fingers. John Borne's intuition told him that something was wrong. He questioned Olga, who finally admitted that her graceless husband was in the adjoining room. Borne's anger arose at the thought of this dissolute fellow holding the beautiful Olga by a legal compact. In the meantime, things had transpired in the room where George Graves was counting his money, so that when John Borne threw open the door, while Olga had stepped into her boudoir a moment, he saw the lifeless body of Graves upon the floor with the pocket which had contained the money and signed agreement turned out empty. In a dazed state of mind he takes from the floor the knife with which the fatal blow had evidently been dealt. At this moment, Olga runs in and finds Borne bending over the body, knife in hand. She believes him to be the murderer, while he thinks that Olga has slain her husband to get rid of him. Each stares, horrified, into the face of the other. An alarm has been given and the police enter. John Borne is arrested and placed in jail on the charge of killing George Graves. Olga clings to him and her distress is terrible. She believes that he killed her worthless husband to free her. John Borne, on the other hand, prepares to make no defense because his love for Olga causes him to assume the attitude that he would prefer to suffer punishment as the guilty man rather than have her tender form submitted to the discomforts and vicissitudes of a term in prison, or to suffer the ignominy of death in the electric chair. He thinks she is a murderess, yet he loves her. He continues to suffer in silence, and rejects offers of his wealthy friends to organize a defense for him. In the meantime, Bill Sykes, of the evil face, has become prosperous. He has money to spend for expensive drinks and cigars, and he dines at a regular restaurant. Weeks pass on. The date of the trial of John Borne for the murder of George Graves is set and the work of selecting a jury is begun. Fate so decrees that Bill Sykes shall be the recipient of a notification from the jury commissioners that he has been selected to appear on the venire and examination for jury service. Bill obeys the command of the law, and is selected as the twelfth juror. The trial proceeds, and the jury files out of the court-room to decide upon a verdict. Bill Sykes argues for a verdict of guilty. The others are not so sure but are influenced by the arguments of Sykes, until a verdict of "guilty" is decided upon. Into the court-room files the jury with stern faces and firm lips. Borne must pay the penalty. They have decided that it was he who killed George Graves. Bill Sykes is exultant over the result of his ruse. He surreptitiously rubs his hands in glee to think that the mystery, which might at any time have involved him as the guilty man, has been so readily disposed of by the conviction of an innocent man, who has been made the sport of fortune. But justice will not be denied. The puerile brain of Sykes succumbs to the mental excitement. He falls from his chair in a spasm. His fellow jurors gather around him. Officials search for identification. In his pocket is found the agreement signed by George Graves the agreement that was in the same pocket with the money. He opens his eyes and says, "It was I who killed George Graves." Then death exacts the penalty of his crime. Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
6 cast members

Name	Known for
Stella Razeto Olga North (as Stella Razetto) Olga North (as Stella Razetto) See fewer	Memories (1914)
Guy Oliver John Borne John Borne See fewer	Only the Brave (1930)
Philo McCullough George Graves George Graves See fewer	The Girl Who Wouldn't Quit (1918)
Fred Huntley William Sykes William Sykes See fewer	The Ne'er Do Well (1915)
George Hernandez Actor Actor See fewer	Just Out of College (1920)
Al W. Filson Actor Actor See fewer	Monte Cristo (1922)