Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, January 1921 · page 60 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #16 — page 60: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a letters-to-the-editor page from *Captain Billy's Whiz Bang*, a humor magazine. The content includes: **First letter**: A joke about Manhattan being "traded for 24 cases of whisky"—likely referencing the historical (1626) purchase of Manhattan from Native Americans, repurposed as absurdist humor suggesting it's now worthless enough to trade back. **Second letter**: A reader asks about military hospital slang terms—"depth bombs" and "submarine chasers." The editor's response and reader follow-up suggest these are euphemisms for venereal diseases (likely syphilis/gonorrhea), common among soldiers. The coy handling reflects 1920s-era squeamishness about discussing STIs directly. **Final item**: A cryptic one-liner responding to someone identified only as "Dot," advising physical exercise rather than unspecified behavior. The page exemplifies the magazine's bawdy, irreverent humor mixing historical jokes, sexual innuendo, and contemporary soldier culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
58 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang Our Rural Mail Box Dear Bill—Did you hear that they traded Man- hattan for 24 cases of whisky and that now they want to trade it back? Yours till the Statue of Liberty shimmies up the Hudson, Flo. * * * Dear Captain Billy—I live at 268 W. Rayen Ave., Youngstown, Ohio, and the other evening I saw this question and answer in your July issue: Dear Bill—What does my brother mean when he speaks of the “depth bombs” and “submarine chasers” in army hospitals?— Miss Curiosity. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope for reply. I am sending same and hope to hear from you. Resp. yours, John Wilson. (Editor’s Note—Dear Mr. Wilson: I have referred your letter to Miss Curiosity, who undoubtedly will answer you personally.) * * * Dot—A. is right. Get out and walk.