Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, June 1921 · page 39 of 67
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #21 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page announces upcoming content in *Captain Billy's Whiz Bang*, a humor magazine. The main feature promotes George J. Liebst, "The Hobo Jungle Poet of the West," who writes poetry about hobo life and conventions, using the rhythm of train wheels for meter. The poem samples characters like "Texas Slim" and "The San Diego Kid"—colorful hobo nicknames typical of Depression-era railroad culture. The teaser references a future "Mighty Casey" baseball story, likely playing on the famous "Casey at the Bat" poem, suggesting a comedic comeback narrative. The final verse parodies the sentimental 1910 song "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree," subversively reimagining Adam and Eve as lazy rather than innocent—a mild sexual joke for the era. The page reflects *Whiz Bang's* blend of working-class humor, literary parody, and irreverent takes on established culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
38 Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang Smokehouse Poetry Introducing, in our July issue, George J. Liebst, alias “The Hobo Jungle Poet of the West!” Swing under Number Nine of the Santa Fe line with our knight of the bumpers and beams next issue and attend, in verse, Mr. Liebst’s “Hobo Convention” at Portland, Oregon! The author explains that the clickitty-clack of the wheels on the rails, as he hears them from a swinging position on the rods of Number Nine, furnish the metre of his jungle poem. He tells you who was at the great convention— “Texas Slim from Lone Star, “And Jack, the Katydid; “Lonesome Lew from Kalamazoo, “And the San Diego Kid.” Put on your hobo clothes and travel with the Whiz Bang to the “convention” in the July issue! Next month we’re to witness a great ball game, in which the Mighty Casey, who, as you may recall, struck out in the famous ninth and lost the same for Mudville, stages a comeback! Get ready for this “curve.” It’s a home-run winner! • • • Way down in the Garden of Eden Was Adam with Eve on his knee. They never sat down. But just laid around, In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree.