Puck — August 21, 1878 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three sequential comic panels satirizing urban crime and the justice system. **"The Gang"** (top): Depicts a group of well-dressed men with a large barrel, likely representing organized criminals or a criminal organization. **"The police on duty"** (middle): Shows a police officer confronting street children or young gang members. **"How the Gang's lawyer gets hold of the judge's ear"** (bottom): Illustrates a lawyer whispering to a judge outside the courthouse, satirizing judicial corruption—suggesting that criminal gangs employed lawyers to bribe or influence judges. The satire targets urban organized crime and the corrupt relationships between criminal enterprises, their legal representatives, and the judiciary. It reflects turn-of-century concerns about criminal gangs exploiting legal systems through corrupt judges.