The Wasp — 1895 — page 904: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes California's judicial system, depicting the arduous journey to obtain justice as a perilous mountain climb. A figure struggles up a steep staircase labeled with successive obstacles: "CORONER'S JURY," "POLICE COURT TRIAL," "TECHNICALITIES," "DELAYS," "ALIBIS," and "CONVICTION AT SUPERIOR COURT." At the summit, crowds gather at "APPEALS TO SUPREME COURT," while a gallows stands ominously atop the peak. The surrounding chasm represents danger and difficulty. The caption indicates this cartoon critiques murder trials conducted "under the Moss-covered and Ridiculous Jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of California"—suggesting the state's legal system is outdated, convoluted, and fails to deliver swift justice. Multiple procedural delays and technical loopholes allow guilty parties to escape accountability.