The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-03-19
SYNOPSIS.

Stanley Hargreave, millionaire, after a
miraculous escape from the den of the
gang of brilliant thieves known as the
Black Hundred, lives the life OF reciuse
Tor eighteen years. Hargreave accidental
ly meets Braine, leader of the Black Hun
bred Knowing Braine will try to get him,
he escapes from his own home by bal
loon. Before escaping he writes letter
to the girls school where eighteen years
before he mysteriously left on the door
step his baby daughter, Florence Gray.
That day Hargreave also draws 81 ,OOO,OO0
from the bank, but it is reported that
this dropped into the sea when the balloon
he escaped in was punctured, Florence
arrives from the girls school, Countess
claims her as a relative. Two bogus de-
tectives call, but their plot is foiled by
Norton, newspaper man. After falling
In their first attempt, the Black Hundred
trap Florence. They ask her for money,
but she escapes, again foiling them. Nor
ton and the countess call on Florence the
next day, once more safe at home. The
visitors having gone. Jones removes
section of flooring and from a cavity
takes a box. Pursued by members of the
Black Hundred, he rushes to the water
front and succeeds in dropping the box
into the sea. Accomplices of Braine kid
nap Florence and hurry her off to sea.
she leaps overheard and Is picked up in
dazed condition by fishermen. Braine,
disguised as her father, takes her back to
sea with him. Florence sets fire to the
boat and is rescued by a ship on which
Norton has been shanghaied. Concealed
above the rendezvous of the Black Hun
dred. man learns of the recovery of
the box from the sea by a sailor and of
Its subsequent return to the bottom of the
sea, and he quickly communicates the
fact to Jones. A duplicate box Is planted
and later secured by the band, but before
Its contents are examined the box mys-
teriously disappears. FINDING himself
checkmated at every turn, Braine endeav-
ors to enmesh the Hargreave household
IN the law in order to gain free access to
the house. The timely discovery of the
plot by Norton sets the police at the heels
of the pack and results in a raid on the
to be barren of results. Following tele-
phone message Jones received from a |
mysterious person whom he addressed as |
''sir," Florence is again lured from her |
home and taken out to sea. Through |
Norton's daring and skill as an aviator |
she is rescued and returns to her home in |
time to confront an agent of the Black |
Hundred. Through treachery in the FIar-
greave household Florence is delivered in
TO the hands of an INSCRIPTIONS doctor,
From the faithful Susan Norton learns
that the doctor has declared that Flor
ence is stricken with smallpox and that he
Is preparing to spirit her away. By act
ing quickly the reporter. with the aid OF
Susan, succeeds in extricating the young
woman from the danger after an encoun-
ter with members of the gang. The Black
begin to fear Norton and plan
to dispose of him. Again the unnotfced
butler shows his hand by rescuing Nor
ton and defeating Braine Braine and
Countess Olga plan a daring attempt to
ball given by Princess Parlova. They de-
feat their own plan by overanxiety. And
still the gol6 tinted bank notes repoSe
tranquility in r hiding place!