Puck — March 5, 1879 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon criticizes Purcell Brothers, identified as "Bankers," through religious allegory. Two figures wearing bishop's miters (tall pointed hats) sit atop a barrel labeled "LOTTERY," distributing money to supplicants below. The text reads: "Thou shalt not steal / The end doth justify the means." The satire suggests the Purcells are operating a lottery scheme, implying their banking practices amount to organized theft dressed in religious legitimacy. By depicting them as bishops presiding over a lottery "puzzle that puzzles porkopolis" (Cincinnati), the cartoonist mocks both their financial operations and the Catholic Church's perceived complicity or hypocrisy. The caption warns readers that finding where "the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing comes in" is the real puzzle.