Across the Great Divide

George Wright has been in Chicago, trying to make good so he can marry his sweetheart, Bessie Learn. He becomes a telegrapher for the railroad, but still can't get ahead. One day, in comes Frank McGlynn, whose gang is planning to rob a train. He aims his gun at Wright and orders him to send a message that will crash that train into another so the robbery can go on in the confusion.

This is a well-written short subject from Edison, despite a mostly unknown cast and crew. The unnamed cameraman does a fine job in shooting the outdoor parts, with some lovely long shorts from an attractive assortment of angles, making this well worth watching.

The one cast member who is well known is Frank McGlynn, best remembered for playing Abraham Lincoln in many movies from the 1910s through the 1930s. It's surprising to see him here without anything in the way of chin whiskers or a stovepipe hat. If you wish to see him without those appurtenances, a good copy of this film has been posted to the Eye Institute site on YouTube.