Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, February 1922 · page 9 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #30 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate humorous anecdotes from *Captain Billy's Whiz Bang*, a 1920s satirical magazine known for ribald humor and social commentary. The second story mocks a suspicious character in San Francisco's red-light district. A young man in a red necktie claims to be a "businessman," but the police officer notes his peculiar walk—suggesting he's engaged in illegal activity (likely prostitution or drug dealing). The joke's punchline—"you don't know what kind of business I'm in!"—is a veiled reference to vice work. He receives thirty days jail time. The third anecdote contrasts Prohibition-era America with Canada and Mexico. In Montreal, the narrator legally purchased champagne (Canada hadn't enacted Prohibition), while in Tiajuana, Mexico, alcohol was also freely available. The implication: American laws were absurdly restrictive compared to neighboring countries, making the U.S. appear foolishly puritanical. Both stories satirize early 1920s law enforcement and Prohibition's unpopularity among satirists.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang 7 per and deer hunter, and I am sure that the small buck never would have fallen for me had he not enticed the animal to leave his forest retreat. * * * WHILE touring the San Francisco under- world as the guest of the police vice squad on my recent tour of the Pacific coast, we encountered what the police consid- ered a suspicious party. He was one of those dapper young men with a red necktie that frequent this section of Famous Frisco. “What’s your occupation?” asked one of the policemen of the young man. “I’m a business man,” was the answer as the young man started to trip blithely away. “Wait a minute,” said the cop. “I never saw a business man walk like that.” “Oh,” replied the dapper youth, “but you don’t know what kind of business I’m in!” Thirty days for him. * * * DURING my recent rampage about the American continent it was my pleasure to appreciate the service of Tiajuana, and I could not resist the temptation to con- trast this Mexican village with the Canadian metropolis, Montreal. In Montreal I enjoyed a bottle of Pom Roger champagne without be- ing a law breaker, even though it cost me ten cents for a two by four sandwich. From Mon-