The Wasp — 1879 — page 295: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The main cartoon titled "Human Trash and their Deserts" depicts a figure wielding a club or stick, illustrating the page's satirical content about San Francisco legal/political figures. The accompanying text is a table listing people fined or punished for various offenses—including Bartlett Flynn (vulgar language), Henry Glade (mischief), Peter Mackey (perjury), and others—with specific dollar amounts and jail sentences. The satire appears to mock the inconsistent or lenient justice system, suggesting these punishments don't fit crimes. References to "Wasp Publishing Company" and local figures indicate this targeted San Francisco's contemporaneous corruption or judicial inadequacy. The remainder of the page contains unrelated advertisements and notices, typical of 19th-century magazines.