Life, 1923-02-08 · page 14 of 36
Life — February 8, 1923 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a cumulative poem/nursery rhyme parody titled "The Quart that Jack Drank"—a play on the traditional children's verse "The House That Jack Built." The text humorously traces a chain of corruption involving: a quart (of alcohol, likely liquor), Jack who drank it, the case holding it, the man who delivered it, a bootlegger, a sheriff, a leader, a jurist, a cop, and a sergeant. The satire targets Prohibition-era corruption, depicting how bootlegging, bribery, and law enforcement misconduct were interconnected—each official from sheriff to cop implicated in an elaborate criminal conspiracy. The illustration shows two women in period dress, with captions reading "She's a dumb-bell," "Nevertheless a belle," "Nevertheless dumb." The joke critiques how widespread corruption made Prohibition enforcement absurd and hypocritical.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE The Quart that Jack Drank ’ I ‘HIS is the quart that Jack drank. “This is the case that held the quart that Jack drank. This is the man who delivered the case that held the _ quart that Jack drank. This is the bootlegger who hired the man who delivered the case that held the quart that Jack drank. This is the sheriff who was bribed by the bootlegger who hired the man who delivered the case that held the quart that Jack drank. This is the leader who split with the sheriff who was bribed by the bootlegger who hired the man who delivered the case that held the quart that Jack drank. This is the jurist who was made by the leader who split with the sheriff who was bribed by the bootlegger who hired the man who’ delivered the case that held the quart that Jack drank. This is the cop who asked a warrant from the juris was made by the leader who split with the sherii was bribed by the bootlegger who hired the man w! who who 0 de- livered the case that held the quart that Jack drank. This is the sergeant who made the arrest with t! who asked a warrant from the jurist who was by the leader who split with the sheriff who was bril the bootlegger who hired the man who delivered th that held the quart that Jack drank. > cop made 2d by case This is the case that was seized by the sergeant made the arrest with the cop who asked a werrant from the jurist who was made by the leader who split with the sheriff who was bribed by the bootlegger who hired the man who delivered the case that held all but the quart that Jack drank, J.K.M. who “She’s a dumb-bell.” “Nevertheless a belle.” “Nevertheless dumb.” comicbooks.com