A Victim of Heredity (1913)

• 75%
• 1913
• Crime
• Drama
• Robert G. Vignola
• Mary Ross
• Alice Hollister
• Helen Lindroth

A gang of thieves is captured and brought to justice. Some weeks later the woman of the party dies in prison and her baby, Jane, is adopted. Twenty years pass and Jane, grown to young womanhood, has an inherited propensity for stealing which she is unable to resist. One day, while attempting to rob her employer, she is detected and discharged. The poor girl decides to end it all and visits a drug store. Dr. Van Buren, a noted specialist happens to be behind the prescription counter and suspecting the girl's purpose, substitutes a harmless sleeping potion. Some time later Jane answers an advertisement for a housemaid and secures a position with the wealthy Mrs. Deiter. Dr. Van Buren, who calls one afternoon, prevents Jane from robbing her mistress and, keeping his own counsel, becomes greatly interested in the girl's case. He gives her his card and invites her to call. The specialist then calls in a number of his colleagues and determines upon an experiment. That night when Jane calls and is about to appropriate some valuables which the doctor has intentionally left exposed, a flashlight is set off by the secreted physicians. The girl faints from the shock. Van Buren contends that the sudden shock will permanently cure Jane of her kleptomania and his theory proves correct when, later, he puts her to the test.