Judge, 1908-09-19 · page 3 of 16
Judge — September 19, 1908 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes a contemporary legal case involving a man defending himself against assault charges. The story references a plaintiff who caught a defendant with his wife, leading to a physical confrontation. The central satire concerns the "unwritten law"—an informal code where a husband could assault another man without legal consequences if that man had relations with his wife. The defendant claims this unwritten law justified his actions, but the magistrate rejects this defense, calling the argument insufficient ("Beat it!"). The cartoons mock how men invoked personal honor and marital jealousy to escape legal responsibility. Judge ridicules this logic, suggesting proper law should govern behavior, not mob justice or vigilantism dressed up as defense of family honor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE UNWRITTEN LAW. made me er, she plaintiff! wear my « HE I asifhe shoes. 1 came had been toa nwn on the Polish wed- One eye was ¢ closed and the other dow closed.” furtively The half-open — trate loosened his His n plumb, and for ened his down: sunny side of the with the win- nd reached lids. was coll out of when he it could be seen that his t ta mouth had been nid with, On in minutes, king to a Ishman who “Ts it hot enough for you?" Turnon that : MT, and aygleam fan,dim,”” of unholy joy lighted his face; but he did not like a fighting the man. call- “Teaught him in the act, yer honor,” testified the policeman ing ie his con- stable, When I left the ‘phone booth, resumed the CE DEAD QUITE “It smokes like a 1902 model, \ WHILE. wea doesn about fifty Coachman—* Vt smells like an 1892." away. I chased it for nearly w block, but couldn't cateh it. The perspiration was leak- The nso wet, f it was hot stre ing into my shoes, and TP left a trail Hi sprinkler, moked if it hadn't would h t, mopping. his wide and rosy Jat Mr, Robinson. eto his f f, yatit!’ said he to the + with his handke al glow fendant, Hk wane, UP TO DATE. at the Latest: skyse1 out from the side SY were looking « But what are those things s friend, ANTICIPATED CARES, radle nit your chickens before they hateh.” T Yorker. mile-posts!"" so beatin’ the neck off the other fel . What ha asked them plaintiff. “Ht was an unprovoked as- n thus ad- ar day. Without 4 he attacked m turned to the words ed at hi “What My wife put duns chest this morn: JOYS OF CAMPING OU'T ly, this soup is full of red ants." 2 Well, what did Vergy, Say, The covk Well expect in it up here in the woods—oysters and crabs?” comicbooks.com