The Wasp — 1891 — page 272: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a short story by Joaquin Miller satirizing San Francisco's handling of the dead. The narrative centers on "Gentleman Mike," a perpetually drunk man depicted in the illustration as shabby and disheveled. The story mocks the city's new crematory system and local officials' attempts to address problems with burial grounds. When Mike dies, his body becomes entangled in a dispute involving the coroner, newspaper reporters, and competing crematory interests—each exploiting the situation for their own benefit. The satire targets San Francisco's incompetent bureaucracy and the sensationalism of local press coverage. Through Mike's death, Miller critiques how the poor are treated as mere fodder for official negligence and journalistic opportunism rather than with human dignity.