A young lady while strolling through the park drops her purse, which is picked up by a fellow walking in her wake. She accuses him, but he "beats it." At this moment a couple of Rah! Rah! boys come up and learning of her loss promise to get it back. By a short cut they get ahead of the miscreant, and meeting a painter, procure his pot of red paint and pallet knife. Smearing the knife with the gory paint, one lies down with it stuck under his arm. The other cries for help and then hides. The thief runs up and is horrified at what appears to be a murder. Out jumps the other boy and denounces him as the murderer. Circumstantial evidence is so strong that the thief is forced to disgorge, and the purse is returned to the fair maiden.