Judge, 1919-11-01 · page 9 of 38
Judge — November 1, 1919 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Dramatic Cartoons: "The Western Play" This is a serialized melodramatic sketch presented as entertainment for busy readers. The scenario depicts a classic Western scenario: a mining engineer (Jim) leaves his sister (Ruth) alone in an Arizona cabin. Drunk cowboys led by Pete break in, revealing their intention to sell Ruth "for the highest bidder"—implying sexual exploitation or trafficking. Ruth attempts self-defense with a gun and knife but is overpowered. The sketch's title promises "tabloid plays for the tired business man," suggesting these brief, sensational dramatic narratives provided escapist entertainment in the style of tabloid journalism. The cartoon illustration above shows the scene's action and danger. The humor/appeal lies in the melodramatic Western tropes: isolation, violence, villainous cowboys, and a woman in peril—pulp fiction fare presented as sophisticated satire for Judge's audience.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Dramatic Cartoons or Tabloid Plays for the Tired Business Man By KENDALL BANNING. Mlustrations by LAUREN Stout H!1—Tne Western Pray Time: Late afternoon in summer, Place: Living room in a “dobe” house ir Arizona. Characters: Jim, a mining engineer. Rutn, his sister. STEVE, a prospector Pere ] AND }eowboys Jor. (In the fading light, Jrat is revealed packing his saddle bags and dressing for a journey; Ruri is washing dishes. Finally Jim is ready and ve) xy RutH) Goodbye till tomorrow. nu won't be nervous out here all alone in the ca Ruri: Of course not, you silly old dear! I'm pes- le to look out for myself; I’m not a bit Besides, there’s the gun; I loaded it my- (They kiss. Jim leaves. Ruri finishes her chores, closes the cabin for the night, lights the candle and partially disrobes. A man’s figure appears at the window; a low whistle is heard. Ruri shows agitation, She fumbles with the lock on the door and window, sei the gun, blows out the candle and waits. Steps are heard with- out; men’s voices demand entrance. The door is burst open and Steven, Pete = enter drunkenly. Rutit points the gun at the intruders but it misses fire. While Joe lights the candle, Rut attacks Pere with a knife, but is disarmed) Pere: Game little devil, damned ef she ain’t!.. Boys, thar she is.—for the highest bidder. We'll shake for her, eh? Whar’s the dice?