The Leap of Despair (1913) Online HD

Countess Lilian, bored and wearied with the dull monotony of her empty society life, seeks relief and recreation in the saddle upon her famous mount, Phosphorus. To win a wager, she rides this temperamental steed along the parapet of a high bridge, before crowds, who, awe-struck, see her dally with death. A misstep by the horse and she would have crashed earthward several hundred feet below. Albert Mariam sees the daring deed, and struck by her daring, contrives to meet her. Falling in love with each other, they marry. Soon after, Mariam's mining stocks become worthless. Ruin confronts him. To save their honest name, the Countess becomes a circus rider, contracting to perform an act in which the previous rider had been killed. The act is a big success, her horse walking up a spiral construction and being suspended in mid-air upon a swinging bridge, with Lilian in the saddle. Inconstant Albert becomes enamored of Lottie, a pretty tight-rope walker, and Lilian is neglected. Although ...