Judge, 1903-03-07 · page 7 of 18
Judge — March 7, 1903 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct humorous pieces typical of Judge's satirical style: **"An Ingenious Villain"** mocks melodramatic theater conventions. The villain Puddiford Suggs and hero Titherington Botts engage in absurdly trivial conflict—the hero's "masterstroke" is hiding cigarette papers. The joke undercuts theatrical villainy by making the stakes ridiculous; the villain simply uses a snowflake as a rolling paper, rendering the hero's sabotage pointless. **"The Final Usurpation"** satirizes English sparrows' invasion of America, presenting immigrant birds as a threat serious enough to discourage native robins from migration—a xenophobic joke common to the era. **"Mrs. Goodsoul's Idea of Danger"** and the crocodile/agriculturist pieces are brief gags about misplaced parental worry and animal humor respectively. The six-panel "The Moth and the Flame" comic strip appears to depict slapstick scenes, though details remain unclear.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AN INGENIOUS VILLAIN. pHA !" growled Puddiford Suggs, the villain, as he strode from the wings, to be con- §) fronted by Titherington Botts, the hero. “ Aha yourself!” retorted Titherington Botts,“ What are you up to now ?" To practice me villainy, rash youth !” replied Puddiford Suggs. Slowly from the opposite wings came the poor heroine, beating her way in the face of a pitiless snow-storm. She passed up stage, followed by the gaze of the two men. “Listen !" came the hoarse whisper of Titherington Botts.“ You shall not perse- cute her, [have foiled you again, wretch that you are!" “Foiled me, eh?” sneered Puddiford Suggs. “Foiled me? So? And how?" “Lhave hidden your cigarette-papers, “ut and you cannot practice your nefarious de- Mi signs without the aid of a lighted cigarette.” / YY With a maddening laugh, Puddiford Suggs reached into the j HOA midst of the snow-storm, grasped one of the largest flakes, and rolled { MI Yh his tobacco in it. Lighting the affair, he stalked along the trail of Yy YY the heroine, chuckling like a fiend incarnate. Yj iy THE FINAL USURPATION. i He THE first robin to reach the northland turns in his flight after a few hours’ inspection of the land and goes back to the sunny south at redoubled speed. “It's no use,” he says to his friends and kindred, who are pre- paring for the annual migration ; “we may as well stay here for the summer from now on.” « Why, what's the matter ?" wwitter the surprised birds. Matter enough! Those English sparrows are dyeing their COULD AFFORD TO WAIT. breasts red and learning to chirp. Y Wes But Titherington Botts, our hero, dashed off the stage to change "ee his costume for the great foiling scene in the third and last act. Ney A yy) == MRS. GOODSOUL'S IDEA OF DANGER. “Now, Elmer, | want ye to promise yer paw an’ me thet when ye git to the city ye won't spend yer evenin’s hangin’ round the post-office." ANGRILY the agriculturist glares at the ram which has butted him through the side of the barn. NOT COMPLAINING. “ Drat ye!" he exclaims; “drat ye! I'd sell ye to the butcher this First crocodile— Do the natives trouble you much ?” very day if it wasn’t I could wait another week and get forty cents a pound Second crocodile— Oh, no. My digestion is excellent.” for ye as spring lamb.” . 58. THE MOTH AND THE FLAME: OR, HOW THE GUN WAS FIRED. comicbooks.com