The New South

Captain Ford, U.S.A., is sent down south to trail a gang of moonshiners. Jefferson Gwynne, a lovable but rather hot-headed young southerner, believes Ford is aiding the negroes in their political fight against the whites, and as Ford is compelled to keep his mission secret, Jefferson conceives a violent dislike for this agitator as he believes Ford to be, and makes no pretension of concealing his aversion. Georgia Gwynne, Jefferson's young sister, on the other hand, is attracted to the young northerner, and after her saves her in a runaway accident, their friendship develops rapidly, to the dismay of Paul Fitzhugh, Georgia's cousin, who is much in love with her. When Georgia refuses Paul's offer of marriage, he accuses her of being in love with the strange agitator, but she also ignores his remarks and he goes away angry. Jefferson accuses Ford of stirring up the negroes to vote against the whites. Ford tries to quiet the excited boy, but his calmness only tends to heighten Jefferson's anger, and drawing Ford's sword from his scabbard, he begins a fight. Ford defends himself with a piece of wood. A scuffle ensues, and Jefferson falls wounded. Ford rushes to the house for assistance. While he is gone, Sampson, a negro political leader, who hates the Gwynnes, steals up and seeing the wounded boy and the sword lying at his side, is possessed of a demoniacal idea. He seizes the sword, and plunges it into the boy's body. Captain Ford, coming up with Georgia, her father and others, is overcome to find Jefferson dead. Circumstantial evidence points to Ford as the criminal, and despite his vehement protest of innocence, he is led away to prison. Georgia alone believes in him and comforts him with her assurance of faith. Paul, who saw Sampson stab the boy, and knows therefore that Ford is innocent, is torn by conflicting emotions, but his hatred of his rival, and his desire to get him out of the way proves stronger than a sense of justice, and he conceals his knowledge of the crime, and allows Ford to be led away to prison. Despite the unpleasantness of his surroundings in prison. Ford conducts himself bravely and manfully. In defending an old negro against the guard, he incurs the enmity of that official, and in revenge the guard has him whipped by the negro Sampson, who had been in prison for stealing a ballot-box. Angered by this unnecessary indignity, Ford still submits in silence, but that night when the prison catches fire, he seizes the opportunity to escape