''When Lincoln Paid'' is a 1913 American short silent

historical drama film A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction such as c ...

written by William Clifford and directed by Francis Ford, who also appears in the film as

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

. Ford portrayed Lincoln in nine silent films; all are now lost except for this one and ''

The Heart of Lincoln ''The Heart of Lincoln'' is the name of both a 1915 and 1922 silent film directed, produced by and starring Francis Ford (actor), Francis Ford and featuring Grace Cunard. The film was released by Universal Film Manufacturing Company on February ...

''.

Plot

The mother of a dead Union soldier attempts to convince President Lincoln to pardon a similarly condemned Confederate soldier whose unjust conviction was the result of her vindictive scheme.

Cast

* Francis Ford as

* Jack Conway as Bob Porter *

Charles Edler Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

as Confederate General Porter (billed as Charles Elder) * Ethel Grandin as Mrs. Barnes * Joe King as John Wade *

Grace Cunard Grace Cunard (born Harriet Mildred Jeffries; April 8, 1893 – January 19, 1967) was an American actress, screenwriter and film director. During the silent era, she starred in over 100 films, wrote or co-wrote at least 44 of those productions ...

as John Wade's Sweetheart

Background

This was one of many films from the 1910s focusing on Lincoln's well-known practice of pardoning young

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

soldiers condemned to die, if any extenuating circumstances might have been involved.

Preservation status

''When Lincoln Paid'' was thought to be lost until a contractor who was demolishing a barn in

Nelson, New Hampshire Nelson is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 629 at the 2020 census, down from 729 at the 2010 census. Nelson includes the village of Munsonville. History Originally named "Monadnock No. 6", the town ...

discovered a 35mm Monarch projector and seven reels of film. Among the seven reels was a nitrate print of ''When Lincoln Paid''. The contractor donated the reels to the

Keene State College Keene State College is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Keene, New Hampshire. It is part of the University System of New Hampshire. Founded in 1909 as a teacher's college (originally, Ke ...

Film Society. ''When Lincoln Paid'' was restored and was screened at Keene State College in April 2010.

References

External links