Life — February 7, 1924 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Mr. Kleboe's Clinker" The cartoon shows Prohibition officers raiding a basement speakeasy, discovering illegal alcohol. The joke plays on the term "clinker"—slang for both a mistake and a defective product. The caption notes officers "having seen lights in Mr. Kleboe's basement windows" conducted a raid in December 1921, finding his home operation. The surrounding text discusses theatrical productions in Jonesville and a humorous piece about an automobile accident. The cartoon satirizes Prohibition enforcement during the 1920s, when such raids were common. The image's comic style mocks both the criminal operation and the law enforcement response, reflecting contemporary public skepticism about Prohibition's effectiveness and the absurdity of underground alcohol production.