Judge, 1909-10-09 · page 16 of 16
Judge — October 9, 1909 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous illustrated story (not political satire) from Judge magazine, circa 1909. It depicts a slapstick narrative where a well-meaning stranger encounters "Little Johnny" trying to catch possums near a fence. The humor derives from physical comedy: the stranger attempts to help Johnny by poking a stick into a possum hole, but the possums attack him aggressively in response. He's knocked down and tumbled about by the animals' fierce defense, much to Johnny's amusement. The "taffy" reference in the title appears to mean sticky/difficult situation rather than candy. The joke's appeal to contemporary readers was the contrast between the stranger's kindly intentions and his comeuppance from nature—a common theme in early 20th-century comic storytelling.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Muage- LITTLE JOHNNY AND THE TAFFY ’POSSUMS. A KINDLY STRANGER COMES TO GRIEF WHILE HASTING TO POOR JOHN'S RELIEF. And plan him further t By poking at him from ‘They run away a stic stick in hand h the hole ne how Johny ll feel.” 5. Instead, the stran, o carry out his k Receives the blow His head, tothe alarm of Jobe And seeks those "postums mighty quick. COPYRIGHT, 1909. BY JOMN A. SLEICHER, PRESIDENT, 225 FIFTH AVENUR, NEW YORK.