James Williamson: Stop Thief! (1901)

http://www.brevestoriadelcinema.org/02-il-cinema-delle-origini/
Stop Thief! is a 1901 British short silent drama film, directed by James Williamson, showing a tramp getting his comeuppance after stealing some meat from a butcher and his dogs. "One of the first true 'chase' films made not just in Britain but anywhere else", according to Michael Brooke of BFI Screenonline. It was released along with Fire! (1901), "indicating the direction Williamson would take over the next few years, as he refined this new film grammar to tell stories of unprecedented narrative and emotional sophistication."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Thief!