Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, June 1922 · page 22 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #34 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous narrative poem (not a political cartoon) from *Captain Billy's Whiz Bang*, a popular American humor magazine. The piece is a tall tale by "Reckless Dan," a roguish drifter who brags about misadventures across America. The satire works through **puns and wordplay based on city names**: "pulled" in Pullman (train cars), "locks" in Locksport, "hack" in Hackensack, "fond" in Fondulac. The narrator claims increasingly absurd feats—selling Niagara Falls, stealing sleeping cars, romancing women—while his economic fortunes decline ("out of MON[ey]"). The humor reflects post-WWI American culture: a footloose drifter type, casual drinking references (Prohibition era), and lighthearted exaggeration. The "Koco Kolo Kiddo from Kareless Kokomo" signature is itself a joke—nonsense language mimicking the character's tall-tale style. This represents typical *Whiz Bang* content: bawdy, accessible humor for working-class readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
20 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang Rambling Robert Kirby Dear Folks, I reckon as how I'm— Reckless DAN from DANVILLE, I'm the terror of TERRE-HAUTE, I've sold the falls of NIAGARA, to a beauty up in BUTTE; Got full of gin in ELGIN, and started for LAMAR, But I got “pulled” in PULLMAN, for stealing a SLEEP- ING-CAR. I've locked the locks in LOCKSPORT, with a key from KANKA-KEE, And watched the water in WATERTOWN, flow into TENNESSEE. I left NEW YORK on NEW YEAR'S; got stewed in old ST. JOE, And WAKEFIELD couldn't wake me, in CINCY, O-HI-O, I met a guy in BOSTON, who fed me PORK and BEANS, Who told the janes in JANESVILLE, I came from NEW ORLEANS; Grabbed a HACK in HACKENSACK, intending to come back, But I found myself next morning, quite FOND of FONDULAC. I've sometimes washed in WASHINGTON, and DRESS- ED in DRESDEN, too, Met KATIE in DECATUR; 'shot B'AR in BARABOO, Had a hard boil lanced in LANSING, and have SUNG in OSSINING, Had a jolly time in JOLIET, and never done a thing. Made a date in DAYTON, with a GAL from GAL- VESTON, Ran shy on “JACK” in JACKSON, and now I'm out of “MON.” 'Tis true you've heard my story, and I hope you'll know it's so, From the KOCO KOLO KIDDO from KARELESS KOKOMO.