The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-11-13
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oig motion picture magnste, was
born in . very posr section Of Nsv
xcrks East Side. n 10 also known
that he b self-educated-am man VINO
speaks several languages fuensiy.
mas grown rich beyond the drssus
Of svarics. AID has sent spoolsa re-
nance spinning to all parts OF me
globe
But here ID q story of . peer East
Side boys early dream and fts out
come that has never been told.
wnen Fox was helping the family
corners with pennies gained from
selling newspapers along -Four
eeenth street. he saw . gold hunting
case watch in q pawnbroksr's win
aow' The absorbing longing Of his
me vas to own that wat-h. In the
evening when he was through sell
ing nnal editions he would 70 70
the pawnshop window and case 1t
Several times he vsntursd IN ana
amidly asked the price. Penny BY
penny he saved. but somethina
would come UP that would demand
that he turn his hoard over to help
the large family.
One time . windfaii came, and
with the little he had saved he haA
enough to purchase the unredesmed
pledge. He fairly ran 70 the pawn.
shop. and the proprietor. who had
no romance In his soul. CURLY told
him II had been sold that morning.
The years passed on. Fox was be-
ginning to climb. He saw the
movies outgrow their early crudi-
ties and become the amusement Of
An classes. He built . chain Of
thsaters across the country and two
hlm cities-ons in New York hous-
Ing 5000 people and the other the
Same number.
He became . collector Of rare
lsces. antiques and bronzes and the
owner Of one Of the finest libraries
In Q city OF wealth. There were
times when he crossed the ocean
Just to pick up some rare bit Of old
lace.
Yet the thing for which his Asars
had craved most had been denied
him. He was able to buy diamond
studded watches wit h movements
made BY the most expert ewtss
nA8AcIus OuL No ucN0E k0t Ln0 WstCn
In the old pawnshop window.
That watch to him was more than
. pledged bit of Jewelry-it was .
symbol. It had taught him how TO
save. had taught him the art OF ~.
preme seif-sacrincs.
Whenever he makes . gift now to
. new friend, II 10 Invariably Q
watch Many Of the men who knew
htvva In - IAsA thA TRak
Side and who were never able to
have hns watches that were pre-.
scented by Fox.
Fox Is . plain man. He lives SIM
ply. and many evenings when his
work 10 done he takes q street car
to the East Side and revisits the
scenes Of his boyhood. The people
In the neighborhood know him. for
his charities are many.
A few weeks ago he was walking
through the East Side. and he
CHANGED to pass a pawnshop win
dow. He recalled the days he used
to gaze in one window at the watch
that was denied him. As he looked
over the jinkle- tumble of trinkets
he saw a case OF old watches.
His eyes fairly bulged. For there
on top was the watch Of his boy
hood dreams-again pledged. He al
most had to rub his eyes to see
whether or not he was dreaming.
Yet the design on the case-the
general shape OF II had been too in
delibly impressed on his memory
ever to forget. He tried to get into
the pawnshop that night, but IL was
locked up. and the proprietor lived
far up in the Bronx.
He decided to wait until the next
day. Business affairs At his ONCE
kept him there until mid-afternoon.
and he called his limousine and d.
rected the chauffeur to take him to
the address of the pawnshop. When
he got there the watch was gone
sold that morning.
The Shuberts and the Keith
vaudeville war 10 raging with in
tensity in the two-a-dsy. II 10 said
the Shuberts are trying to get
Charlie Chaplin for . headliner and
also Will Rogers, who left vaude-
VILE to 60 into moving pictures.
The vaudeville actors are getting
salaries these days that far exceed
that of the so-called legitimate
stars as . result Of the vaudeville
war.