Life, 1911-10-12 · page 14 of 48
Life — October 12, 1911 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct articles: **"Acquitted"** discusses a high-profile murder trial (the "Lillington stabbing case"). The accompanying illustration shows a woman hanging upside down from a tree branch, labeled "Ah! A Four-Leaf Clover; How Lucky!" This visual pun satirizes the acquittal—the woman's inverted position suggests she "got away" with her crime through sheer luck, as if finding a four-leaf clover. **"Probably Disinterested"** reports on the Archbishop of Canterbury's involvement in preventing a scheduled boxing match between Jack Johnson (described as "our colored brother") and Wells. The article critiques the Archbishop's interference, suggesting racial bias influenced the decision. The accompanying cartoon shows chaotic figures, likely mocking the controversy surrounding Johnson, a Black boxer whose prominence generated significant racial tensions in early 20th-century Britain.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“an! A FOUR-LEAF CLOVER; How LUCKY!” Probably Disinterested Loxvox, September 19.—The Archbishop of Canterbury has interested himself in the campaign to prevent the sched- uled Johnson-Wells fight, and has written the Home Office arguing that action to suppress the contest be taken. T was taken. Summonses were issued on September 26 against Johnson, Wells and the promoters of the fight. Johnson is our colored brother who whipped Jeffries. Wells is the British heavy-weight champion. A London dispatch says: “It is the fear of the influence of a black victory on Great Britain’s colored subjects that weighs most with the authorities.” A newspaper (the World) finds “the suggestion openly made that the out- burst of sentiment which has prompted the interference has its origin in doubts of the native pugilist’s ability to beat the black champion.” Candor compels us to record the belief that the objec- tions of the Archbishop of Canterbury were not based on suspicion that Johnson is the better man. We do not be- lieve that his Grace had a shilling on the match. It isn’t our funeral, of course, but it would be interest- ing to have Jack Johnson stand up to some competent white pug who did not have to “come back” to meet him. Acquitted Lovely Prisoner Employed by Life is Re- leased From Charge of Stabbing Brother- in-Law—Stage Career Assured—Biffum's Wonderful Work S announced in our special extras issued at four o'clock this morning, the jury at noon to-day brought in a verdict of not guilty in the celebrated Lillington stab- bing case. It was proved that Andrew Carnegie had no connec- tion with the case, “T never lent five dollars to anyone in my life,” said the Laird of Skibo yesterday on landing from the steamer, “except on ample security For days now the interest in the case has excited the entire American people. The beauty of the prisoner, her wonderful costumes (which were the envy of every woman present) her inscrutable cyes, her marvelous com- plexion, and above all, her hair, which fell in luxuriant tresses almost to her fect, aroused the sympathy of the court and caused much excitement among our contempo- raries. To Mr. Biffum, of the firm of Messrs. Mudsticker, Cheltenham, Carbuncleton, Kibb, Punkleworthy, Ram- shackle & Biffum, is due the acquittal. After over four hundred witnesses—ineluding all of the chorus girls in town, many society ladies and all the John Doe Smith servants—had been examined and cross exam- ined until our artists had a chance to sketch them, Mr. Biffum’s peroration did the business. “We have proved,” he said, “that the lovely prisoner was temporarily insane when she committed the act. How do we know this? Well, for one reason, all of the experts are unanimous in stating that she was sane. But if any more evidence is necessary, it is sufficient for me to ob- serve that her great-great-grandmother betrayed un- doubted evidences of being queer. We have proved “The Flying Meet, While it Gave Great Satisfaction, Was a Financial Loss” comicbook