Life, 1919-03-20 · page 13 of 44
Life — March 20, 1919 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the Bolshevik legal system under Lenin. The story describes a Soviet official (Nik) whose marriage is annulled by decree, then accused of murder for using a grenade—a weapon the Soviet state itself stockpiles. When he apologizes to the judge, he's told murder is a "serious offense," despite the state's hypocrisy about violence. The top cartoon shows Nik being arrested; the bottom depicts a Soviet courtroom trial with masses of spectators, captioned "Why not try him by a jury of his peers?"—sarcastically questioning whether fair trials exist in Bolshevik Russia. The satire targets Soviet legal arbitrariness: how the state weaponizes law against citizens while claiming revolutionary justice, and how trials serve propaganda rather than genuine accountability.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
In the Land of the Bolshevik NUTLOVITCH | loved ephanie woldoviteh loved } a nd beat er to the Bolshevik free-love So Nik had to marry Ste- phonie, as she had legally applied for him and the consent of the other party is not needed, according to the Bolshe- vik Rules and Regulations for the In- fiction of Matrimony upon the Unsus- 1 cr the marriage Nik promptly de- cared his wife null and void by means of a large hand-grenade. He was im- media zned before Miko Long- hairski, the chief legal Bol. “1 realize,” said Nik japologeti to the judge, “that murder is a seri- ousoviteh offense.” Murder!" laughed Miko. “ That's nothing serious! Everybody’s doing it! But by feloniously and illegally usingovitch for your private purposes © of the public grenades you have acted as a traitor to the state. You inly realize that this state is con- structed on a foundation of bombs, urenades, machine-guns and weapons “SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT?” THE GIRL WHO USED TO BE YOUR WIFE'S MAID generally. Thereforeovitch T must in- flict upon you the most severe punish- ment in my power—a punishment so terrific that I tremble at even pro- nouncing it—hard labor for life!” And amidst the awe-struck and fear- some glances of the Bolshevik specta- tors Nik was lec ay to his doom, wir close the “movies” on Sun- day when they are open the rest of the week? WHY NOT TRY HIM BY A JURY OP HIS PEERS? comicbooks.com