Judge, 1897-08-28 · page 16 of 16
Judge — August 28, 1897 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1897 page satirizes the Klondike Gold Rush frenzy. Multiple cartoons mock different groups exploiting or participating in the stampede: **The main cartoon** depicts a tramp as "the only man...who will have any chance of bringing gold back"—satirizing that the poor, with nothing to lose, were ironically best-positioned for the harsh journey. **Other sketches target profiteers**: Professors plan skeleton-selling schemes; merchant "Mr. Hockstein" jacks up prices on ear-muffs 200%; a barber laments customers abandoning grooming for Klondike preparation. **The final joke** references a "suicide-club" heading north, darkly suggesting the venture was essentially suicidal. The satire critiques gold-rush mania as economically irrational and exploitative, where only con artists and the desperate actually benefited. It mocks both the dreamers chasing riches and the merchants profiting from their desperation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ay goold some il wid it; Oi'm goin’ {Wear , pard, of us trampin’ ter Klondike ; dere’s nobody ter touch up fer feed along 4er route’er no barns. No use, pard, even if dere is to bathin’ done up dere.” The only man starting for Kifndike who will have any chance of bringing gold back. * COmrwaNT 1897 BY THE JUDGE PUBLISHING COMPANY OF NEW YORK. et <LaSS 2 last—not only is he qualified fo walk the distance, but the public can't throw anything at him up there but First provEsson—" Do you think it would pay us to send a research committee to Klondike ?" SECOND PROFESSOR—"'‘Of course. Think of the anatomical bone-finds we can legitimately get! No more high prices for skeletons.” Mr. HockstEin (reading a Klondike price-list)— ** Abie, my poy, ged oud all der ear-muffs lefd ofer from lasd year und mark dem ub two hundred per cend.” Customer—‘* What's the matter, old man? You look worried.” Boss BARBER (dismally) —‘* Who wouldn't, with the business outlook, and all my customers lettin’ their hair and whiskers grow long t’ go to Klondike in good shape?” Jonns—" I've changed my mind about going to Klondike.” SurTH—'' What caused you to change it?” Jones—" I see that the suicide-club have voted to go there in a body.” = comicbooks.com