Lee Beggs is a wealthy man. He dines at fine restaurants with beautiful companions. He knocks the basket of fruit that apple-seller Patrick Foy offers him to the ground. While Foy tries to recover them, Beggs walks off, pleased with himself, while urchins grab the now free fruit. A policeman shrugs his shoulders.
Beggs also goes joy-riding. He strikes and kills Foy's five-year-old daughter. While a mob looks to lynch him, the terrified Beggs ducks into a doorway. It's Foy's apartment.
It was a frequent woe of the era, when automobiles were becoming common. Suddenly, they were all over the streets, which had long been common ground for everyone. The law dealt with the problem by labeling people in the streets "jay walkers" and outlawing them. "Vehicular manslaughter" was still a crime, of course. It just wasn't as serious as others.
Beggs also goes joy-riding. He strikes and kills Foy's five-year-old daughter. While a mob looks to lynch him, the terrified Beggs ducks into a doorway. It's Foy's apartment.
It was a frequent woe of the era, when automobiles were becoming common. Suddenly, they were all over the streets, which had long been common ground for everyone. The law dealt with the problem by labeling people in the streets "jay walkers" and outlawing them. "Vehicular manslaughter" was still a crime, of course. It just wasn't as serious as others.