The Long Arm of the Law

Summary

In an audacious display of narrative legerdemain, 'Bat' Henry orchestrates a multi-layered larceny that begins with a faux-insurance appraisal and culminates in a theatrical 'arrest' by his own confederates. This opening gambit—a masterclass in subverting the victim's sense of security—strips Mrs. George Warren of her celebrated pearls while leaving her indebted to her despoilers. The drama then migrates to the mahogany-paneled sanctum of the University Club, where the mercurial adventurer Cecil Douglas enters into a high-stakes wager to recover the gems within a week. What follows is a frantic, multi-modal pursuit involving handwriting forensics, the fabrication of a suburban countess, and a sequence of death-defying escapes. From the depths of a mechanical pit to the heights of an aerial chase, Douglas hunts Henry through a series of increasingly desperate physical confrontations, ultimately culminating in a literal barrel-roll into the abyss of a hillside lake, where the long arm of justice finally closes its grip.

Synopsis

"Bat" Henry, representing himself as the manager of the insurance company which indemnifies Mrs. George Warren against the loss of her famous jewels, is permitted in her presence to reappraise the jewels. Three men, flashing detectives' shields, brush by the startled servant. Grappling with Henry, they congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Warren upon their having been delivered from a clever crook. Prevailing upon them to allow the "detectives" to take the jewels with them to Police Headquarters pending their investigation of the theory that Warren's servants are leagued with the rogue, they drag Henry away. Safe in an automobile the four men laugh and exultantly examine the pearls so cleverly stolen. Cecil Douglas, an eccentric man of adventure, wagers $10,000 with a wealthy member of the club that he will produce the pearls within one week from midnight. Fellow members in the University Club draw up the agreement. "Bat" Henry and a woman accomplice reading a newspaper learn that Countess Le May, famed for her precious stones, has bought a home in the suburbs. In another part of the paper they read an advertisement for a private secretary wanted by the same Countess Le May. Henry, applying for the job, is asked to write his name and address. The "Countess" enters the next room with the slip of paper. There, Douglass, who had engaged her for the part, compares the writing with that on the card presented to Mrs. Warren. It corresponds. But Henry, spying from within, had scented danger and when Douglass rushes in, the room is empty. After a stern chase, Douglass corners Henry and the woman. Covering both with his revolver, he demands the pearls. The woman presses the button. The section of floor under Douglass tilts forward and into a pit's depths he drops. Setting fire to the flooring, Douglass is rescued by firemen. Using an aeroplane, he overtakes the fugitives' automobile. Attempting to enter their retreat he saws a circular hole through the door. But the crooks have heard the noise. Over the hand they slip a noose and strap it fast. Three shots from Douglass's revolver pierce the strap, setting him free. Over hill and dale again begins the pursuit. Exhausted, the woman sinks. But she hasn't got the pearls and Douglass throwing her aside runs doggedly on. Henry, close pressed, jumps into a barrel and rolls down a steep hill into the water. Douglass dives after him, subdues him and drags him and the satchel containing the pearls to the shore. A policeman takes the bedraggled crook in charge and Douglass hastens to the club, arriving just in time to win his wager.