STARLING.—­On July 27, at No. ——­ Snargate Street, Dover, Susan, highly esteemed and greatly beloved mother of Alfred Starling, Wesleyan Minister, in her 71st year.  Lost in the harbour.  Asleep in Jesus.

    TRETICKLER.—­On July 27, at No. ——­ The Terrace, St. Ives,
    Cornwall, Elizabeth, adored grandmother of Tobias Tretickler,
    Congregationalist, in her 91st year.  Fell over the Malatoff.  “Oh,
    Paradise!  Oh, Paradise!”

    BROOT.—­On July 27, at Charlton House, Queen’s Gate, S.W., Jane,
    greatly beloved mother of John Broot, Labour M.P., in her 83rd
    year.  Fell down the area.  Peace, blessed Peace.

    GUM.—­On July 27, at No. ——­ Church Road, Upper Norwood, Sophia,
    widow of the late Albert Gum, L.C.C., in her 85th year.  Choked
    whilst eating tripe.  Sadly missed!

    PAVEMAN.—­On July 27, at No. ——­ Queen’s Road, Clifton, Bristol,
    Anne Rebecca, dearly beloved mother of Alfred Paveman, grocer, in
    her 74th year.  Accidentally burned to death!  At rest at last.

But it must not be supposed from these few notices, selected from at least a hundred, that the applicants for spells were by any means confined to the upper and middle classes.  By far the greater number of spells were sold to the working people—­to those of them who, prudent and respectable, counted amongst their aged relatives, at least, one or two who were insured.

Nor was the sale of spells confined to adults; for among the numbers, that flocked to consult the trio, were countless County Council children.

“Can you give me a spell to make teacher break her neck?” was the most common request, though it was frequently varied with demands such as—­

“I’ll trouble you for a spell to pay mother out.  She won’t put more than three lumps of sugar in my tea;”—­or, “Mother has got very teazy lately.  I want a spell to make her fall downstairs”—­or, “Father only gives me twopence a week out of what I earn blacking boots; give me a spell to make him have an accident whilst he’s at work.”  And it was not seldom that the trio were petitioned thus:  “Please give us a spell to make our parents die quickly.  Teacher says at school ’perfect freedom is the birthright of all Englishmen,’ and we can’t have perfect freedom whilst our parents are alive."[22]

The statistics of those who died from the effects of accidents for the week ending August 1, of this year, in London alone, were—­over sixty years of age, five thousand; between the ages of twenty-five and sixty, six thousand; and, for the latter deaths, children alone were responsible.

The greatest number of these accidents occurred in Poplar, West Ham, Battersea, and Whitechapel; and at length the working class applicants became so numerous that the Modern Sorcery Company could not cope with them, and were forced to raise their charges.

Among other customers, as one might expect, were many militant Suffragettes; whom Hamar and Curtis palmed off on Kelson.