Faithful Unto Death (1913)

The scene opens in a railway station in France. Henri Marteau, the station master, Marie, his wife, and his little daughter are living happily. War is declared with Prussia and Marteau is one of the conscripts called out. A message is received from the War Department appointing Marie as station mistress during his absence. When leaving, Marie gives him a small photo of herself and little daughter. In a battle Marteau is mortally wounded. When dying, he gives the photos to the Prussian officer, who gave him his wound, with the request that he forward them to his wife with news of his death. Before he has time to give the officer the address, he dies. Later the station house is attacked and the officer in charge of the attacking force is wounded and left in charge of Marie. One day he gives Marie the photos of the dead soldier's wife and daughter with the request that she forward them. She discovers she has been nursing the man who killed her husband. The station house is used as a divisional point by the Prussian invaders, from which they send orders and information to their troops. Marie, faithful to her own country, taps the wires and learns all the plans of the attacking forces. Owing to the message she carries to the French commander, one division of the Prussian army is cut to pieces. Suspecting that the wires have been tapped, the Prussians watch and discover Marie in the act of taking word of the plans to the French. Marie is tried by court-martial and sentenced to death. The little girl goes to the Crown Prince to plead for her mother's life. She finally persuades him to pardon her mother, but before the messenger arrives the firing squad have done their work. Completely prostrated by the loss of both her parents, the little girl collapses on the grave of her mother.