I found this short film on a DVD from Alpha Video. And, like most of Alpha's silent films, this one is in pretty bad shape--very dark and very grainy. It stars Ford Sterling--a comic who is pretty much forgotten today, though a few might remember him as the chief of the Keystone Kops.
"A Desperate Scoundrel" begins with Ford being chased from the park when he's caught trying to steal milk from a baby! He then directs his larcenous talents towards a laundry. After stealing a wad of cash, the owner eventually realizes what has happened and the chase is on--much like you'd expect in a Keystone film. It's all fun but not especially outstanding--and pretty typical of the studio's work with LOTS of action and a lot of zany sight gags.
By the way, the lady in the film is Minta Durfee--the real-life wife of Fatty Arbuckle at the time this film was made.
UPDATE--I just saw this short again--this time on Turner Classic Movies. The entire early segment involving stealing from a baby is missing, as there are apparently multiple versions of this film--all due to the film being sliced apart by various film distributors.