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The Beatrice Fairfax Episode 13: The Ringer Phenomenon

The visceral impact of Beatrice Fairfax Episode 13: The Ringer (1916) stems from to transcend the limitations of its 1916 budget and technology.

Whitestocking, a famous racehorse, has mysteriously disappeared. Jimmy Barton ascertains of Bitney, the owner, that a thoroughly reliable stable boy slept in the stall with the door locked and the key in his pocket. He was found doped and the horse gone. The only opening to the stall except the door was an opening over the manger too small to admit a man. About the time Jimmy is receiving this information, Beatrice Fairfax gets a letter from Cutie, the fat lady in a country fair sideshow, saying that her sweetheart, the dwarf, absented himself from the show for three days and would give her no explanation. She asks advice. Beatrice shows the letter to Jimmy, who explains about the stolen race horse. They go to the country fair and enter the freak tent. Beatrice talks with the fat lady, who points out the dwarf. Jimmy goes over to the dwarf's station and talks to him. He sees Wilder, a bookmaker, come in and slip a note to the dwarf. The note reads: "Sam arrested for shell game. We divvy after race." The dwarf laughs in delight and tucks the note in his belt. Jimmy, under pretense of whispering a joke to the dwarf, picks him up and filches the note. The scene changes to the main avenue of the fairgrounds, where Jimmy, disguised as a fakir, starts a shell game. He is arrested and locked in the jail in a cell next to Sam. As he is being thrust into the cell, Jimmy steals the keys from the jailer. Sam is induced to talk and tells Jimmy how the dwarf was put through the opening in Whitestocking's stall and doped the stable boy. Jimmy lets himself out of jail, and hurries off to stop the "Free-for-All" race. In the meantime, Beatrice urged on by Cutie, asks the dwarf where he was during his absence of three days. The dwarf is frightened and runs to warn Wilder, the bookmaker. He finds him in another box stall, superintending the blacking of Whitestocking's legs, the name of the ringer being Black Joe, as indicated by a sign on the door. Wilder sends the dwarf back with directions and he, returning to Beatrice, says: "If you'll come with me, I'll tell you." Beatrice follows the dwarf to the stable, where Wilder and his stable boy seize her and bind her in the stall, while the ringer is led out to the race. Jimmy ascertains from Cutie where Beatrice went and follows. He is recognized by the constable who arrested him and is followed by the crowd. At the stable he breaks down the door, overpowering the stable boy, who is on guard, and rescues Beatrice. He explains to the constable and hurries off to stop the race. Too late, they are off, Black Joe, the ringer, in the lead. Wilder and his confederates, who have wagered immense sums on the ringer at staggering odds, are arrested and when the race is over, Jimmy rushes to the judges' stand and protests the race. He proves his charge by washing the stain from Whitestocking's ankles and is applauded by the crowd. Beatrice attempts to console the fat lady while the detectives carry away the struggling dwarf.