John Warner, the newly-elected Governor, had, as district attorney, caused the execution of Horgan's sons, thus making him his most bitter enemy. Horgan, boss of the First Ward, owns a high-class saloon. Donald Warner, John's brother, a reckless dare-devil sort of boy, though a very lovable one, is a frequenter of Horgan's place, which he visits with Dolly, a girl of the underworld. Harris, a dissipated young gambler, is in love with Dolly and very jealous of Donald. In a fit of drunken jealousy he shoots Dolly while she is in a private room of Horgan's saloon with Donald. To "get even" with John Warner, Horgan, though giving false evidence, has Donald convicted of the crime. Donald is sentenced to death by the electric chair. On the night of the execution, Horgan goes to John Warner's office at 11.45 and tells John that Donald is innocent of the crime. He does this to torture John, as he has had the telephone wires to the prison cut and thinks it impossible for John to save Donald. After a desperate struggle with Horgan, John rushes to the power house and has the current turned off, plunging the entire city into darkness and making it impossible for the execution to take place. Donald has already been strapped into the chair, but when the prison warden realizes the power is off he orders Donald returned to his cell. John rushes from the power house to the prison, where he explains to the warden and Donald is taken home to his heartbroken mother and fiancée. Horgan, who has gone insane, is taken to the hospital.
