Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-22
MUNICIPAL LAW BARkS
AT ACTOR WILLIS MARKS

Willis Marks of the Burbank stock
company has run up against the strong
arm of The law. He slyly felt the blue
coated biceps and Immediately after
wards dcciued to draw the color line,
giving an exceedingly realistic imper
sonatiOn of a white middleweight who
has just Deen approached on the sub
ject of a match with san Langford.
There are men in Los Angeles who
find their keenest pleasure in browsing
through an old book shop. Sammy
Glover for instance, is never so happy
as when he finds ii first or rare edition
priced within the limits of his weeks
1 appropriation. Glover has to put
limit on expenditures before he goes to
the shop and the hardest work he does
/ is cOnhning himself to the stipulated
figure.
! Now Marks also browses, but not
| among books. His hunting ground is
! down on East First street or North
! Main where the signs over the door
are likely to read Solomon" or Levi
or "Rosinski." one day last week
Marks discovered a new place that was
just full of old clothes, clothes that APP
parently were of no use to anybody,
and which, if worn on the street, would
be good for at least thirty days on the
chain gang. AS a matter of course,
Marks bought them, to the great de-
ingly small outlay; for Marks, being
an old hand at the game, knows how
to play it. Then he loaded them into
an express wagon, climbed up on the
seat with the driver and started for his
home at SIC Ceres street.
Built on to the rear of the Marks
domicle is a long one-story addition
known as the wardrobe ROOM" Here
the actor keepsi his trophies safely un-
der lock and key and with the moral
support of several hundred pounds of
moth balls. In that room there are
Costumes-that have come down almost
from colonial days; many I'm good re-
pair; others in rags and tatters. There
is something suited to almost any pc
riod in American history, and to all
sorts and conditions of men. Moreover,
there is a considerable collection of
freaks. costumes Indigenous to no
cline and owning to no date, contriVed
merely to get a laugh on. the stage.
Like wise, there are boots and hats and
masculine sartorial impedimenta of the
past two centuries.
Arrived at his dOmiCle, Marks, with
the aid of the eXpressman carried his
latest acquisitions around to the ward
robe room, only to find that there was
absolutely no place in the apartment
where he could store them. Trunks,
boxes and hampers Uttered the floor.
The shelf-lned walls were overlooking
with clothes, and old clothes hung
pendant from the ceiling, There was
no room for the new collection, and
that's all there was to it, Consequent
ly the stuff was carried into the house
proper and when Mrs Marks returned
home half hour later she found her
living room transformed into an old
clothes emporium. Naturally. she had
few things to say and she said them,
naturally.
The result was hurry-up call for
two carpenters; their arrival and a
quick consultation, after which the men
departed. The next morning they re-
turned and began work They tore
out the rear wall of the wardrobe room.
tore down section of the roof and
laid a floor for 15-foot addition. That
was the first day.
On the morning of the second day
things began to happen. Soon after
the carpenters resumed work a deputy
building inspector arrived on the scene
and ordered them to quit. Having the
fear Of the law in their hearts, they
obeyed promptly A walking delegate
with strike orders could have met with
no quicker response. Then the inspect
or politely informed Mr.. Marks that he
had been violating city ordinance 41144
and advised him to visit the city hall
and explain,
Marks went, made his explanations,
and was told that he could not build
frame addition to his house, since the
structure is in the fire limits. At the
same time he was informed that brick
or concrete would be quite satsfac-
tory.
Back home went the actor. He sent
for contractors and asked them to fig
ure on the job. The figures were unsat-
isfactory. Finally he decided he would
have to restore the room to its old di-
nfensions and store his excess wardrobe
elsewhere.
Again the carpenters were sum-
moned. Again the sound of saw and
hammer disturbed tho neighborhood
quiet and again the deputy arrived
upon the scene. Marks wasn't at home,
When he returned his carpenters had
gone. having accomplished virtually
nothing, and he found awaiting NM
another polite invitation to call at the
city hall.
This time he was informed that he
couldn't rebuild, even to restore the