The Power of Conscience (1913)
Directed by Theodore Wharton
Share on
Synopsis by Richard Gilliam
Called to the scene of a coal-mine explosion, the Rev. Stanley Waters (Francis X. Bushman) attempts to rescue the survivors. He finds miner Edward Hale (E.H. Calvert), who days later confesses that he created the explosion to kill the mine's owner, Byron Waters (Bryant Washburn). Hale's motive was that both he and Waters were in love with the same woman (Dorothy Phillips). While numerous later sources list frequent Bushman co-star and offscreen paramour Beverly Bayne as appearing in this film, her name is absent from mention in newspaper and magazine reviews from 1913. Overall, contemporary reviews gave The Power of Conscience high marks. Alas, is the case with many of the Essanay-produced films starring Francis X. Bushman, no known copies exist and the film is considered lost.
Characteristics
Themes
Keywords
confession [criminal], deathbed, explosion, mine-owner, minister, rescue