[The film""s story was based on a real-life crime in March of 1927 perpetrated by married Queens, NY housewife Ruth (Brown) Snyder and her lover, a 32 year-old corset salesman Judd Gray.He owned a racetrack, a shooting club, drilling rig companies, several oil companies - but his records indicated that he was in trouble.Lillian Gish played his opposite - a saintly good woman who provided refuge for the victimized children.He preaches about the reality of the situation:Isn""t it simple as one, two, three? One.The working conditions are bad.Two.They""re bad because the mob does the hiring.And three.The only way we can break the mob is to stop letting hem get away with murder.He attempts to determine who killed Joey Doyle, asking: "Who killed Joey Doyle?" The reaction to the Father""s question is otal silence - the men either look down, blankly stare away, or look embarrassed.