The Man from Manhattan (1916)

Willoughby Whipple, son of a New Yorker, invests his all in a rundown country newspaper, after his father discharged him for writing poetry, instead of attending to business. The paper turns out to be a "lemon," but Willoughby is determined to make a success of it. With the assistance of Virginia Winters, a practical young woman of high ideals, and "Daddy" Eggleston, a tramp printer, whose worst enemy is drink, "The Bugle" finally shows signs of coming to life. Then, Squire Barton, who has announced himself as a candidate for mayor, and who owns the building in which "The Bugle" office is located, calls on Willoughby, and offers him rent free if he will agree to boost the Squire's candidacy. In the next issue of "The Bugle," Willoughby denounces the Squire a grafter, and exposes his attempt at bribery. Meanwhile, Willoughby has protected Virginia from the unwelcome advances of Spence, the Squire's son, and has gained his enmity. As a result the Squire calls on Willoughby and orders him to get out of his building. When Willoughby goes in search of a new location, he discovers that the Squire owns every other available store building in the town. Not to be beaten, Willoughby moves his print shop into a tent, and later, in a public encounter, threatens to get even with the Squire, and defeat his candidacy for mayor. To get Willoughby out of the way, the Squire plans to set fire to the old Bugle building, and to use Willoughby's threat as evidence that he committed the crime for revenge. The night that the Squire plans to commit the outrage, "Daddy" Eggleston goes on a spree, and through force of habit wanders back to the old Bugle office, now an empty storeroom, and falls asleep on an old abandoned couch. Later, he catches the Squire in the act of saturating the premises with coal-oil, and in a struggle that follows, is knocked senseless. Regaining consciousness, "Daddy" discovers the building on fire, and drags himself into an old vault, to escape the flames. The building burns down, and Willoughby, reminded of his threat to "get even" with the Squire, is arrested, charged with the crime. While an angry mob clamors about the jail, Virginia telegraphs Willoughby's father, who starts for Homeville. The mob has broken into the jail and are about to drag Willoughby forth, when a tramp, looking about over the ruins, discovers "Daddy" Eggleston's dead body in the old brick vault. "Daddy," who has died of suffocation, has left a chalked message on the vault wall, implicating the Squire. The discovery exonerates Willoughby, and the Squire and his son, Spence, meet with their just desserts. The citizens of the town nominate Willoughby for mayor in the Squire's stead, and are carrying him aloft on their shoulders, with shouts and cheers, when Willoughby's father speeds into Homeville. When Willoughby announces his engagement to Virginia, the old man is so proud of his boy that he promises to build him the finest newspaper office in the state for a wedding present.