Judge — May 7, 1927 — page 19: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a photojournalistic page documenting violence during a Chicago election, likely from the 1920s Prohibition era. The four photographs show: 1. **City Hall voting booth** during chaos 2. **Loop District voters** with bandaged heads, attempting to vote despite injuries from violence 3. **Shock troops** (military/police) repelling gangsters in the Lake Shore area; "103 doughboys" (soldiers) held position for three hours 4. **Silk Stocking District** polling place under armed guard; Mayor Thompson cast his vote amid heavy bombardment The page documents electoral intimidation and violence—gangsters physically preventing voters from casting ballots. The satire lies in the absurdity: soldiers deployed to protect voting, voters injured but persisting, and the casual framing of an election requiring military intervention. This reflects Chicago's notorious gang violence and corrupt politics of the Prohibition period, when organized crime effectively controlled city elections through force.