Justice in Iron Mask
Los Angles: Michael I. Kustoff, circa 1936. 224 pp. Good in wraps. Wraps show light wear and creases.
Kustoff was born in Russia and was an officer in the Russian army during the start of WWI. He fellow out of favor with the military and left Russia, ending up in America. He worked various jobs in southern California while working towards a law degree. Kustoff worked in support of workers' rights, and he argued that his frequent arrests and stints in insane asylums were because of his political beliefs. He accused officials of poisoning him with poisonous gas and mistreating him in other ways.
As the years went by, Kustoff moved around the country doing various work living in Washington, Florida, and eventually Texas, where he finally did become a lawyer. He also wished to become licensed to practice law in California but was denied because of his sketchy career in the state. Justice in Iron Mask is his argument for wanting the California Supreme court to hear his case. The court declined to take action.
To make this story stranger, Kustoff previously wrote his autobiography Against Gray Walls and spent much of the 1930s suing Charlie Chaplin, accusing Chaplin of stealing his life story and using it as the basis of his movie Modern Times. Twelve copies are located in libraries. Item #256
Price: $850.00