Life — September 19, 1930 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Simple Arithmetic" by Berton Brealey This satirical poem uses dark humor to comment on urban gang violence and prohibition-era crime. The illustration depicts a scantily-clad woman juggling gangsters as circus performers, with police activity below—visualizing the chaotic criminal underworld. The poem traces "ten little gangsters" through a series of violent episodes: fights over women, gang rivalries, arrests, betrayals, and murders. Each stanza subtracts gangsters through increasingly brutal means (shootouts, truck violence, police action) until none remain. The final punchline—"Which did the coppers catch? Nota darn one!"—satirizes law enforcement's inability to control organized crime during Prohibition. The title "Simple Arithmetic" is ironic: the math of gangster life simply means death, with no accountability for those running the criminal operations.