But, of
course you did not believe the statements of such witnesses. How could
you? How could you expect anything but falsehood from women who, upon
cross-examination, had owned that their object in obtaining the spells
was a far more dangerous object than they had at first led you to
suppose. They sought spells that would do evil, and that evil was not
accomplished. Now, I ask you, if the Firm worked their spells through
the instrumentality of evil spirits--for it is assuredly only evil
spirits that are associated with Sorcery--would not the spells they
sold naturally have brought about the sinister results for which they
were required? Undoubtedly they would! And they failed to produce the
desired effect, simply because their efficacy depended, not on spirit
agency, but on human will power; which power one could only too
plainly see the society ladies--who had witnessed for the
prosecution--did not possess.
"It may be asked, why the defendants, if they do not accomplish their
spells through black magic, style themselves 'The Sorcery Company'--and
so mislead the public? Obviously they do so purely for advertisement.
'The Sorcery Company' is an attractive title, a 'catchy' title, and
for this reason, which is surely a legitimate one, since it is
strictly in accordance with the prevailing custom of advertisement--the
firm of Hamar, Curtis and Kelson adopted it. They did not expect--they
were not so extraordinarily foolish as to expect--any one would take
them literally.
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