Judge, 1883-11-03 · page 3 of 16
Judge — November 3, 1883 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Satire from Judge Magazine This page contains two distinct pieces of American satirical commentary: **"Emotional Insanity" (text article):** A critique of a legal defense gaining popularity in American murder trials. The author argues that "emotional insanity"—claiming temporary psychological breakdown caused one to kill—has become an overused escape for murderers, allowing guilty parties to avoid justice. Judge advocates for juries to distrust this plea, citing a recent case where a woman (Miss Leonard) was convicted of shooting Mrs. Smith despite emotional claims. The satire targets the legal system's leniency and Americans' apparent willingness to accept psychological excuses for murder. **"The Major Speaks" (comic strip + poem):** A political stump speech lampooning a generic political candidate. The Major makes bombastic, substance-free promises to "make it hot as Hades" for opposition candidates while offering no actual policy positions. The satire mocks standard campaign rhetoric—empty attacks on opponents, vague appeals to morality, and deflection from real issues like the tariff. This appears to be general political satire rather than targeting a specific candidate.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AbSo- HISDOG. BY NAME of Squat EMOTIONAL INSANITY. | Emotion at insanity is a malady of purely American origin, and was origin asa plea in murc e that of “ self | defence” A defence of pure insanity had the inconvenience of requiring the defendant to be but emotional insanity elastic, and the person aMlieted in this w might commit. murder when the him, with Hy devised | r eases wh was obviously untenable, really mad ; is convenient and comparative hat o of his ordin know a er times ndsaw.” Many of minals have escaped und are now walking about under the blue vault of heaven with pistols in their hip pockets, ornaments and | terrors of the i to reflect, our m Hustrious ¢ hanging on this ple community. however: wratifying, at least, to the non-murderous portion of the commu- nity—that emotional insanity is becoming, homely but most expressive phrase, Tout.” how ; there tive une: It has been overdone somes generally been another mo- f murder trials, 1 enough for without searching through the unreal and visionary phantoms of an emotional lunatic’s brain. lust or greed of which su the crimin. conduct Revenge, n have been not unusual concomitants of such fits of emotional in- sanity culminated in murder, So juries are beginning to distrust the plea, and judges in general, and this June in par- ticular, are glad of it. The trouble with emotional insanity is that it gives no previ- 8 have SK THE DOG. HELOKS vel Far. a WGN SLING THE te ous indication of its murderous proclivities till it pulls the pistol and shoots, and then the disease is too far advanced for any but the rope pe most heroic remedies, ‘he hangtnan’s ps has been found, in the rare ea- nit has been applied, the most effectual and permanent cure. It is to be hoped that juries will continue tod ses to whi cases of emotional insanity with as much in- telligence as did the jury which las found Miss Leonard guilty of shooting and wounding Mrs. Smith, and was the means of sending her where her emotions will have little chance of injuring her neighbors for three or four years to come. The Major Speaks. Which has not been reported, I believe. Major Muggs made the oration, s received with an ove no man ever got before. arks, the chairman, y introduced the Major, Who came forward and said: Fellow-citizens and ladies— We propose to make it hot a8 Hades or those opposition fellers Who'll shut up like umbrellas After next election day. nger fford pep in office such a horde x up the substance of the army titles About deeds the During the w Well, didn’t the country When I sa: Isn’t it tr (A voice in the crowd, ’d done “She do.”) week | [land; | | comes the opposition candidate; | ¢ to treat of him— ! ure you, my dear hearers, | T will do it with a vim. He is the very Devil! And will never find his level ‘Till he’s taken down below, | He is everything that's evil— Why, my farmer | You, my Trish fi 0 are On the body politic. Last year he was with us, And for reform the lo This year behold him Heading the ticket on the other side. We skip his remarks on the issues of the d Of our own candi | Fellow citizen } Sat as good a mar | Teall upon the Almighty, With all due reverence, ‘To witness that he never yet has been Straddle of the fenc 's true and ste: tin every way Is the man we ask your votes for on Next election day. Fellow-citiz ct’s pull together >of Truth and Right, ‘0 to bed the winners | Next election night. | On the Tariff I have very little to say. One party went into power with The ery of * Froe the slave!” ** History repeats itself, And we'll mare on to W Under the banner of Free T thank you for your kind attention, And bid you all adieu, The kindest feelings of Will ever go out t [weevil. than the A Mick,” poll evil [said it has been truly Mr. Gesnarp has returned on the Arizo- na, So far as known, he has no lily in his | button-hole. 5 comicbooks.com