Love and the Law
Summary
Karl “Curly” Casterline, a disgraced New York City cop unjustly expelled from the force, seeks redemption on a remote Midwestern farm owned by the stern German immigrant Adolf Bauerle, who has been conscripted into the war effort. Amid the rolling cornfields, Curly becomes enamored with Bauerle’s spirited niece, Mina, whose laughter masks an undercurrent of fear as whispers of sabotage swirl through the community. Curly’s investigative instincts soon uncover a treacherous plot: Adolf, in collusion with the enigmatic Kurz, intends to derail a troop‑laden train bound for the front, a scheme designed to cripple the American war machine and embolden enemy propaganda. In a tense nocturnal confrontation, Curly confronts the conspirators, dispatching them with lethal precision and averting catastrophe. Yet his heroism is met not with celebration but with the iron fist of Sheriff Herman Lindig, a corrupt lawman who seizes the opportunity to imprison Curly on trumped‑up charges. Despite Mina’s public commendation of his bravery, Curlie is condemned to death, the governor refusing clemency. The case erupts into a national scandal, prompting the governor to reveal that Curly’s prolonged incarceration was a calculated gambit to expose the insidious reach of German propaganda on American soil. In a dramatic reversal, Curly is pardoned, weds Mina, and is commissioned as a state officer tasked with safeguarding the homeland from further subversion. Sheriff Lindig and his German collaborators are subsequently tried, convicted, and escorted to federal prison under Curly’s watchful eye, sealing a narrative that intertwines personal redemption with patriotic duty.
Synopsis
Karl "Curly" Casterline, a wrongfully discharged New York City policeman, finds work on the Midwestern farm of Adolf Bauerle to help the war effort. Curly is attracted to his boss's niece, Mina, but also realizes that Adolf and his cohort, Kurz, plan to blow up a troop train. Curly kills the two saboteurs and saves the train, but he is jailed by the abusive Sheriff Herman Lindig. Although Mina praises Curly for saving the soldiers' lives, he is sentenced to death and is denied a pardon from the governor. After the case attracts national attention, the governor explains that he prolonged Curly's incarceration to draw attention to the danger of German propaganda. Curly marries Mina and is later pardoned by the governor, who enlists him as an officer to protect the state from its enemies. Sheriff Lindig and his German conspirators are convicted and escorted to federal prison by Curly.
