Judge, 1906-09-01 · page 16 of 16
Judge — September 1, 1906 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a comic strip featuring **Nervy Nat**, an apparent police officer or authority figure in a tall hat who repeatedly intervenes in various situations. The strip satirizes modern commercial culture and police incompetence. In panel 1, Nat accuses a man of kidnapping a child. By panel 2, he's negotiating a ransom using "green trading-stamps" (a popular early-1900s retail loyalty program), transforming a crime into a commercial transaction. Panel 3 mocks police on vacation while crime occurs. Panels 5-6 introduce **Sergeant Caduc**, a French character (indicated by accent spelling), who congratulates them on creating a "realistic" kidnapping scene suitable for cinematograph films—suggesting they've staged the entire outrage for entertainment purposes. The satire targets both the era's obsession with consumer marketing and the novelty of early cinema, while depicting police as either absent or complicit in staged spectacles. The "outrage prevented" is actually revealed as manufactured entertainment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
1. Neevy Nat—" Mon doo! what is that villainous-looking brigand about 2. Nexvy Nat—"'Hold, caitiff! Give back the child and | will see that to do? He looks as if he had already pulverized the Ten Command- you get green trading-stamps. Fear not, madame; | will, if you'll for- ments. As I live, I belleve he is about to ‘nap that kid! Where Is Eive the jest, be your heir-restorer."” Cadue?" ‘3. Nenvy Nat—"'I suppose Caduc and the rest of the force have gone 4. Nexvy Nat—"Now make a wish. Whoever gets the longest end off to Trouville on thelr vacations—— For heaven's sake, youngster! gets— Say! when | get through with this little business I'm going to do make an effort. Kick him in the ganglionic nerve’ Here, give me do a skirt-dance up and down your dorsal-fin for putting me to so much your hand.” trouble,” jace, charmingly sweet 6. Sencent-Cavuc—'' Zese people wish to sank you for making ze kid- and beguil— Oh, I love to go to sleep listening to the bull-frogs over napping scene so, what you say, realistic. Zey take pictures for ze cine- In the swamp! Claudia, isn't the moon perfect to-night? I could simply matograph—ze jumping photographs."" expire waltzing “—— ‘ Nexvy Nat—"'l beg your pardon, Sergent Caduc; but if you don't CorrieanT 908 EY AvGE COMPANY PUBLIENEM, B19 FOURTH AVE, MW : Intend to apprehend me be good enough to allow me to pass."* 3 NERVY NAT PREVENTS AN OUTRAGE, , comicbooks.com