Judge, 1921-10-29 · page 5 of 36
Judge — October 29, 1921 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Stick 'Em Up!" by Edwin Baird This is a humorous short story rather than a political cartoon. It depicts a classic urban crime scenario from the early 20th century: Reilly McNab, a "stick-up man" (armed robber), encounters another criminal—a bond salesman—who robs him first. The illustration shows a child and dog waiting by water, presumably referencing the story's narrative. The satire appears to target the financial/bond-selling industry of the era, suggesting that legitimate businessmen who sell bonds are themselves "criminals" engaging in theft through commerce—implying these transactions are as dishonest as street robbery. It's commentary on perceived fraud or manipulation in financial markets, presented through the ironic device of a petty criminal being robbed by a respectable businessman.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Waiting for his ship to come in. “Stick Em Up!” EILLY McNAB, the stick-up R man, was in a gloomy mood that night, and no wonder! It was a dismal night and business was wretched. For upward of two hours he had been covering this fashionable neighborhood without encountering a victim. Grumbling disgustedly, he turned up his coat collar against the No- vember rain slanting icily from the north, and started for an adjacent thoroughfare. Suddenly he stopped, then swiftly hid behind a tree. His revolver ready, his cap pulled low upon his brow, he hopefully watched the lone pedestrian coming toward him through the rain. When the By Epwin Batrp man drew abreast of the tree Reilly stepped out and poked him with his gun, “Stick ’em up!” growled Reilly. The man promptly stuck ’em up; and Reilly went through his pockets with admirable speed and deftness. He was an excellent stick-up man, was Reilly, and he took much pride in his profession. But when he had “cleaned” this gentleman he found the net result of his quest was one dime, two nickels and a one-cent piece—twenty-one cents. He scowled contemptuously at the coins. “What’s your business, pal, that you got less’n two-bits?” “I’m a bond salesman,” said the 5 man. “I was walking home to save carfare. That twenty-one cents was all I had left for breakfast.” Reilly handed back the twenty-one cents and added a silver half-dollar. “Beat it!” he snarled. ‘And buy yourself a decent feed.” He pocketed his gun and strode on through the cold downpour. Sev- eral blocks away he stopped another man, searched him thoroughly, and got a dollar watch, seventy-three cents and a stick of stale chewing- gum. “What d’you mean,” demanded Reilly, “by walkin’ around this city without nothin’ on you ’cept this junk?” comicbooks.com