A Romance of Billy Goat Hill (1916)

In a Southern town, Don Morley is apparently the sole witness to a gunfight during which his friend, Lee Dillingham, badly wounds Sheely. To avoid testifying against Lee, Don leaves town, but after he is gone, Lee double-crosses Don and blames him for the shooting. Then, Don's sweetheart, Miss Lady, heartbroken to learn that Don is a criminal, marries the elderly Professor Querrington. To take her mind off her mundane marriage, Miss Lady befriends a mute boy and pays for an operation that restores his speech. The professor dies, and soon after Don, unaware of his alleged guilt, returns to town to find himself charged with Lee's crime.