Judge, 1905-02-11 · page 5 of 16
Judge — February 11, 1905 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a vaudeville-style comic strip featuring two Irish-American characters: **Nervy Nat** and **Officer O'Toole**. The humor relies on ethnic stereotypes common to early 20th-century American comedy. The plot: Nervy Nat tricks Officer O'Toole into smoking opium ("hitting the pipe"), claiming it will give him wonderful visions. When O'Toole realizes what's happened, he becomes delirious and violent. **The satire targets**: - **Irish immigrants** through exaggerated dialect and portrayed as dimwitted - **Police corruption/incompetence** (the officer is easily duped) - **Drug use** as a contemporary social problem - **Vaudeville itself**, mimicking the slapstick "con man" routine popular on stage The references to Dr. Parkhurst and Coney Island suggest contemporary New York scandals, though details are unclear. The humor is crude by modern standards, relying entirely on caricature and slapstick rather than actual wit.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
1 Here Scwwotter—" Mein frient, make me der habbiness from ox- ebting a biece of mein limpurger. Id iss der real t'ing, vich in der s! you kent puy, is it?" ame to pollute this Missouri meer- good cause. I'll - uid then—and then “ My Teuton friend, | accept with outward semblarice { pleasure this powerful token of go r — 3. 4 Nervy Nat—" O'Toole, do not be alarmed, old fellow! ‘Tis not your Orricer O"Too captain—only me, the gay but slightly shop-worn boulevardier, Nervy thot poipe? “Tis av! i Nat. In my good right hand | hold untold visions for you. Wake up and Nekvy Nar—"*Now, don't get mn vays begins try this bit of dope | bought from a chink.” that way. In two minutes I be going to Dr. Parkhurst’s funeral and Orricex O'Toote ‘a-wa-what's that, Nat? Is it me ye'd be owning Coney island, and seeing ballets that would have to be stopped on timptin’ into hittin’ th’ poipe 2” Broadway.” g &: 1 ‘tis th’ divil’s own hoof Oi've I'm be hing | feel. my koko Jervy Nat—" Oh, gosh! this is the limit. O'Toole, you're the best low comedian I've seen in a coon's age." get up any time from now on, O'Toole. NO. 61.—NERVY NAT MAKES O'TOOLE HIT THE PIPE. comicbooks.com