Judge, 1894-01-27 · page 16 of 16
Judge — January 27, 1894 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical cartoon depicts criminals attempting to rob what they assume is a wealthy man carrying a safe, only to discover he's a snake charmer. The humor plays on mistaken identity: the footpads (street robbers) target the wrong victim, expecting valuable box-office receipts or money, but instead encounter a dangerous snake that turns the tables on them. The comic sequence shows the would-be thieves' shock and defeat when confronted with the serpent rather than passive prey. The Irish police officer's exclamation ("Bejabbers, I've got 'em!") suggests law enforcement arrives to arrest the criminals—who've been essentially defeated by their own miscalculation. The satire likely mocks both urban crime and the era's popular fascination with exotic entertainment acts like snake charmers, while celebrating street justice or divine comeuppance for criminals.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
{WE GREAT -SNAKE "Say, Bill, he must have box-office receipts in * Winning” the box, that safe. Let's win it! vs * There must be something valuable in it, Bill, it's so hard to open! ‘Cuonus—* Holy smoke! ! ! THEY “HELD UP” THE WRONG MAN. OR, THE TALE OF A SNAKE-CHARMER AND FOOTPADS. Orricen Finwecax—" Bejabbers, I've got ‘em !