The Empty Gun is a 1917 American silent Western film directed by Joe De Grasse and featuring Lon Chaney and Claire McDowell.
[2] Frank (Lon Chaney) travels through a terrible storm to deposit $10,000 in gold from his mine with the station agent.
The man refuses to accept responsibility for so much gold since some suspicious bums have been hanging about the area, and the next train is hours away.
After concealing the gold in his shack, Frank goes out carousing, and a stranger who is caught in the storm knocks on the door and begs Mary for shelter.
Meanwhile, Frank is waylaid by the two suspicious vagrants the station agent mentioned and, after he overpowers them, he switches clothes with one of the bums, to disguise himself in case there are other criminals lying in wait.