Judge, 1904-09-10 · page 5 of 16
Judge — September 10, 1904 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a six-panel comic strip satirizing Irish-American police officers and urban petty crime. "Nervy Nat" is a street hustler who spots Officer O'Toole sleeping on duty after consuming too many "orange phosphates" (a popular soda fountain drink). Nat steals the officer's coat, hat, and flirts with O'Toole's girlfriend Norah, mocking his Irish accent and appearance. When O'Toole wakes, he discovers the theft but realizes he's left his revolver behind. Nat, suddenly obsequious, agrees to return everything—until O'Toole threatens him with the gun, causing Nat to flee in panic, regretting he'd declined a weekend invitation to Long Island. The humor relies on ethnic stereotyping (exaggerated Irish dialect, the "Tammany" reference to corrupt New York politics), class mockery of working-class cops, and slapstick consequences. It reflects early 1900s American attitudes toward Irish immigrants and urban crime.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Nervy Nat—'‘ Aha! Officer O'Toole asleep at the switch. He has had too many orange phosphates. A little scare will do him good."” Nervy Nat—" Wonder how long before he'll miss his coat and hat He's so sound asleep I could have taken his beautiful mustache if | hadn’ one of my own, But his has such a vulgar curl to the ends, I'll let him keep it.” 3. Nervy Nat—' Well, Antoinette, and how's the infant to-day? Not that I give a whoop, but just * pour passer le temp,’ as we say in Paree.”* Norat—" Shure, me name 's not Antynet, ye shpalpeen! Go ‘long. wid yez, ye bold divil thot yez ar-re!”” Orricer O'Toote (waking up)—"* Howly Tammany! it's ashlape Ol've bin, an’ thot hobo ‘s taken me hat an’ coat, an’ he's flur-rtin’ wid me Norah."* 4 Orricer O’TooLe—"' Phwat th’ divil do yez mane be takin’ me uni- form? i'll hov yez sint up fer folve years fer this!" Nervy Nat—"Tut, tut! Back up, you Hibernian impostor! Your uniform? That's a lovely joke. Another cackle from you and I'll ""— Orricer O'Toore—‘' Is thot so—is tho-o-ot so? Well, me b’y, yez fergot to take me revollerver wid de resht av me things. Now off wid thot coat, an’ quick about it! Me finger itches to pull th’ thrigger."” Nervy Nat—" By Jove! that was careless of me. Why, you've only to ask, dear Mr. Policeman, and little Nat will do anything you say. I'll not only take the coat off, but I'll take myself off "— 6, Orricer O'TooLe— No, begorry! yez'll not take yersiif off. Oi'll be afther doin’ thot fer yez. An’ it’s an ould mug yer'll be phin ye come out this tolme!"* Nervy Nat—"'l must say wish | had accepted my friend Robinson's invitation to that week-end house-party on Long island."" NO. 41.—-NERVY NAT AND THE SLEEPY COP. comicbooks.com