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The Fatal Ball; or, The Miner’s Daughter
(1909) United States of America
B&W : Split-reel
Directed by Gaston Méliès
Cast: [?] Francis Ford?
Méliès Star-Film [American] production; distributed by Gaston Méliès through Enterprise Optical Company. / Produced by Gaston Méliès. / © 8 December 1909 by Georges Méliès [J135202]. Released 8 December 1909; in a split-reel with The End of the Tragedy (1909). / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Drama: Western.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Exterior of miner’s cabin; Nellie sitting on stump at right, tying a bunch of wild roses, which are scattered all around her; a kitten comes out of the cabin and jumps into her lap; she pets it and then places it on her shoulder. Philip, her father, appears at doorway, and watches her fondly during this piece of business; then comes forward and places his hands over her eves Business of guessing who it is. Finally she throws off his hands and turning around, she embraces him fondly. They suddenly draw apart and assume a listening attitude; the girl clings to her father in terror; he leads her to the cabin, which they enter. Philip reappears immediately with gun, motions to Nellie to lock the door, assumes a listening attitude and walks rapidly down the path to the left. Out on the plains; single tree in center, Philip near tree, shading his eyes with his hand peering down the road to the left; raises his gun to his shoulder and shoots, then runs off to the right. Enter a band of Indians on horseback, with captive, Clyde Darrow, bound with a lariat; they dismount and tie him to a tree; then gather the fallen branches and pile them around his feet, apply torch and dance the war dance around the victim. Cowboy quarters on Bar X Ranch; cowboys playing cards, etc., their horses tied nearby. Enter Nellie on the run; excitedly tells them of the Indians and their captive, pointing back from whence she came. Cowboys drop their cards, scamper to their horses and mount. All ride off in the direction of the Indian band. Indians dancing around the burning captive; shots heard in the distance; Indians cease dancing and scamper for their horses, shooting meanwhile at the advancing cowboys. Hand to hand battle. The Indians are finally defeated and retreat, followed by the cowboys, while Philip, who has dropped off his horse, kicks aside the burning branches, cuts the prisoner free, throws him over his shoulder and takes him to his cabin. Interior of miner’s cabin; Clyde reclining on a bed, his head bandaged and his arm in a sling. Nellie is sitting beside him, and he takes her hand and kisses it. Then he thanks her for her tender nursing, and tells her he loves her; she shyly drops her head and answers that she returns his love then buries her face on his shoulder. They draw apart as Philip enters. Clyde takes Philip by the hand and thanks him for saving his life, Nellie kneeling beside the bed. Kitchen of miner’s cabin: Philip on chair, Nellie placing dishes on the table; comes over, stands behind Philip s chair, smooths his hair and kisses him. Enter Clyde with a letter in his hand, which he gives to Philip to read, meanwhile telling him that he must leave them. The letter reads: “Denver. September 1, 1909. My dear son Clyde: Your letter stating that you are better, received. You must hasten home at once, to get ready for your wedding to Emily which you know takes place in two weeks. With love, your mother.” Nellie starts forward as her father reads the letter, goes to Clyde, and entreats him to say it is not true: kneels at his feet and begs him to stay. Philip looks on wonderingly, then comes forward, lifts Nellie to her feet, and motions Clyde away. Exit Clyde. Nellie whispers to her father that Clyde has wronged her under promise of marriage; she hides her face on his shoulder, and sobs violently. Philip starts back angrily, takes the pistol from his belt, and makes a move as though to follow Clyde, but Nellie takes the pistol from his hand, meanwhile shaking her head sorrowfully, and pointing upwards. Philip pushes her aside and rushes out. Exterior of cabin, bench in front, and chair beside it. Clyde sitting on the bench, smoking a cigarette. Philip enters from the cabin, advancing angrily on Clyde, who rises from the bench and faces him. Philip tells him he’ll make Nellie his wife, or he will kill him. Clyde snaps his fingers in Philip’s face and turns his back to him, as though he did not care, and Philip, overcome with rage, picks up the chair and knocks Clyde down with it. Nellie rushes out from the cabin into her father’s arms, just as Clyde, raising his gun, shoots at Philip. Nellie, being between the two, receives the bullet, and falls dead in her father’s arms. Philip, in agony, calls on her to speak to him, then lays her on the ground and feels her heart. Realizing that she is dead, he falls prostrate on her form, sobbing bitterly. After Philip has recovered from his paroxysm of grief, he looks around to take vengeance on her murderer, but finds he has left the cabin, but has left his gun behind. He picks up the gun and kneeling beside Nellie’s body, he raises his right hand to heaven and swears that the gun which killed his Nellie should send the fatal ball that should pierce the heart of her murderer. Rocky pass in the mountains; camp of miners in the foreground. Miners gathered around a fire, telling stories. Suddenly Philip enters, gun in hand, and peers eagerly into the faces of the miners: then shakes his head sadly, and turns to go away, when one of the miners calls him back, and asks for whom he is seeking. He tells them his story, and the miners tell him to search through their camp, and if he finds his man, to kill him according to his vow. The miners all line up in a row, at back, and Philip goes along the line slowly, peering into each bearded face, until he comes to the last one, then he utters a yell of rage, pulls the false heard from the miner’s face, and reveals the face of Clyde, who tries to escape, but Philip drags him to center, forces him to his knees, and tells him to ask Heaven for mercy, for he is going to kill him. Clyde draws a revolver with his free hand, and shoots Philip, who staggers back into the arms of two of the miners, while the others prevent Clyde from escaping. Philip slowly sinks to his knees, then picks up his gun, which he has dropped, slowly raises it to his shoulder, takes aim at Clyde, and pulls the trigger. Clyde falls, face downward, on the ground and Philip falls dead in the arms of the miners.
Reviews: [The Moving Picture World, 18 December 1909, page ?] A certain fascination attaches to this pictures even though the three deaths in it have a tendency to make it appear more or less bloody. A girl wronged under promise of marriage and shot as she rushes between her father and her love to prevent a pistol due, the flight of the murderer, the vow of the miner to kill the murderer of his daughter, his discovery disguised in another mining camp and the death of both are sufficient to hold the attention of the audience throughout the film. While the picture is wholly melodramatic, it is interesting and the acting seems quite in harmony with the subject. Somehow death and bloodshed in pictures depicting the rough life of the plains or the mining camp does not strike such a chill as it does in some other instances. The satisfaction of the rude, but generally accurate, ideas of justice may be considered accurate and perhaps this is the reason the same chill does not accompany the death scenes that is true in some other cases. Photography and acting are good in this film and it is so fascinating that one wants to see it a second time.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 26 May 2024.
References: Thompson-Star p. 228 : ClasIm-226 p. 54 : Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.
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