The Wasp, 1918 · page 280 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 280: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **text page, not a cartoon**—it's Chapter XVIII of what appears to be a serialized narrative fiction piece in *The Wasp* magazine. The passage describes a mysterious passenger named "James Fitzwalter" boarding a ship from Jamaica to London four months after someone named "John Trimmer" has died. The detailed physical description—eye patch, hunched shoulders, worn clothing, solitary bookish habits, and brooding manner—suggests this is **a disguised character**, likely the same person under an assumed identity. The satire or satirical point is unclear without seeing preceding chapters. This reads as either: a **mystery/crime narrative** mocking Victorian melodrama conventions, or **political satire** where a real contemporary figure is disguised and fleeing (the Jamaica-to-London route suggests colonial intrigue). Without additional context or images, we cannot identify who "John Trimmer" or "Fitzwalter" represent, or what specific event this references.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
XVIII Four months after the death of John Trimmer a gentleman who gave his name as James Fitzwalter engaged a passage from Kingston, Jamaica, to London, aboard the good ship Golden Crown. He wore a black patch over one eye, a scratch-wig, a decent blue coat, and white breeches something the worse for wear. The humpy roundness of his shoulders almost amounted to a deformity. His baggage con- . sisted of a box of clothing, a smaller box full of books, and a weighty leather bag. The captain of the Golden Crown considered Mr. Fitzwalter a very pleasant passenger, though of a remarkably quiet and retiring nature. He was a great student, it seemed, and would walk the deck for hours at a time with his nose-in a book, heavy-shouldered and sedate. He was a good listener, but never joined. in the conversation of the ship’s officers and his fellow passengers. His manner was detached, brooding, even sad ; and this, in connection with 271 Commichooks.com