The Song of the Telegraph - Production & Contact Info (original) (raw)

Lieut. Richards is in charge of the engineering corps which is running the telegraph line across the desert. Many of the Indians have never seen the poles and the wires before and are afraid of the "strings which sing." Little Mona is not ...See moreLieut. Richards is in charge of the engineering corps which is running the telegraph line across the desert. Many of the Indians have never seen the poles and the wires before and are afraid of the "strings which sing." Little Mona is not afraid, but is very curious and wonders what weird song the wires sing. She tiptoes cautiously to the pole, puts her ear against it and listens, entranced at the musical hum. Lieut. Richards watches her with cynical amusement. He accosts her. She is much interested in the good looking, kind white man. He sees her again and again and amuses himself with her artlessness. She, poor child, falls in love with him and gives him a pretty string of beads. Her head and heart are so full of this stranger that she no longer listens to the young brave, Choco, and he grows suspicious and watches. A dispatch is sent to Richards from headquarters, telling him to use every precaution to avoid trouble with the unrestful Indians. He warns his men. Richards meets Mona near a telegraph pole and takes her in his arms and kisses her. He tells her that the wires are singing to her "I love you, I love you," and that they will always tell her the same sweet story. She, poor child, believes him. Choco hears and sees it all and going to his chief tells him. The chief orders Mona to stay in the camp and to keep away from the pale face. She rebels. One day an Indian tries to steal a gun and belt. A trooper fires at him and wounds him. He escapes to his tribe and the Indians jump at the excuse to start a fight. Mona divines their intentions and runs away and tells her lover of the uprising. The Indians surprise the advance body of engineers and massacre them. They tie the body of one man on a horse with an arrow still in him, and set it loose. The horse reaches the cavalry camp. The captain, doubting his ability to cope with the Indians, sends a man out to climb the nearest telegraph pole and send a message for help. The man is seen by the Indians, but manages to climb the pole and is able to send part of the message before a bullet finds its billet in his body and he falls. The unfinished message tells enough of the awful tale to enable the commander to know where to send reinforcements, and they start for the scene of unrest. Lieut. Richards and his party are hemmed in at Elks Horn. They suffer from thirst and Richards offers to go and try to break through the Indians and get water. Mona, from a hillside, sees his brave action and steals away and joins him and helps him get the water. He suffers a temporary collapse. She revives him and helps him on his way back. He gets through and the water is passed around to the suffering men. The cavalry arrives and relieves the gallant little band. Mona helps to nurse the lieutenant, but as he recovers he gets tired of her attentions and his one desire is to get east. He is promoted and granted a three months' leave of absence. Choco escapes and determines upon a terrible revenge. He gets his bow and arrows and stealthily awaits his chance to kill Richards for stealing Mona from him, for he knows the lieutenant is not in earnest. The time for Richards' departure arrives and he gets his belongings together. Mona, with a premonition of disaster, will not leave him and he looks around for an excuse to get away from her. He gets her to sit by the telegraph pole and listen to the love song and promises to return very soon. He puts his coat over her shoulders and his hat on her head and leaves her so. Choco steals up, sees what he believes to be the accursed white face and a quivering arrow pierces the trusting girl's breast. He runs up to gloat over his rival's suffering and is grief stricken at what he finds. Lieut. Richards forgets all about his flirtation with the Indian maiden as he clasps the "girl he left behind him" in his arms and Choco stands, immobile, with the grief eating his faithful heart out by the grave of little Mona in the solitary desert. Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less