Chapter Text
The Daily Revenge
Februrary 17th, 1929
The Skewer On Trial
The serialisation of Blackbeard’s Neptune in The Skewer is no stranger to controversy. Three issues of the magazine have previously been suppressed by Postmaster Nigel Badminton for what he described as ‘vulgar passages’, with all copies the post office could get their hands on seized and burned. However, the magazine’s editors, Ms Evelyn Higgins and Ms Mary Allamby-Bonnet, were not deterred and continued to publish what many consider to be a ground-breaking piece of modernist literature.
Though the identity of the author Blackbeard remains unknown, his impact on modern literature cannot be overstated. His first publication, The Queen Anne, was a series of short stories surrounding a group of pirates during the 18th century. Despite the historical setting, the characters and their ordeals rang true to any number of minority groups in the world today. He then published the novel “My Life At Sea”, a biographical account of a young boy growing up with an abusive father that some have postulated may be drawn from the mysterious author’s own experiences.
Neptune, a novel that spans the day in the life of the protagonist, initially struggled to find a publisher. That was until Ms Higgins and Ms Allamby-Bonnet began publishing the serialised version, with thirteen ‘chapters’ or ‘episodes’ appearing in The Skewer between 1926 and 1928.
Ms Higgins and Ms Allamby-Bonnet are long-time friends who went into publishing together after the death of their husbands. Mr Higgins, publisher of the now defunct Higgins Literary Magazine, passed away following a heart attack ten years ago, leaving his widow to inherit.
Ms Allamby-Bonnet’s story is somewhat infamous, after her husband Stede Bonnet ran off five years ago to try his luck as a writer in Paris, and was presumed dead after the ship he was on perished, only to resurface unexpectedly after six months. Two months later, however, he perished under dramatic and unusual circumstances, after being attacked by a jaguar, hit by a car, and then crushed under a falling piano.
During the initial time her husband was presumed dead, Ms Allamby-Bonnet was exhibiting artwork under the name ‘The Widow Bonnet’, and had become a painter of some renown. She continues to paint under that name to this day, with many of her pieces gracing the walls of galleries and private collectors. Her more risqué work has appeared in the pages of her own magazine.
The women, who now reside together, started The Skewer not long after Mr Bonnet’s second – more permanent – death.
The Skewer has drawn ire from the more conservative sections of society since its first edition. As an avant-garde literary magazine, it has always pushed the boundaries by publishing experimental works from authors and artists across the globe. As the motto on every cover says, “Making no compromise with the public taste”. The magazine has always advocated for feminist themes, and even anarchism.
There was considerable upset after a piece published by noted anarchist Mary Read, extolling the virtues of the elimination of private property and religion. Any other magazine may have struggled to survive such a moment if they were reliant on financial backers, however, Ms Allamby-Bonnet inherited considerable wealth on the death of her husband, which has allowed the magazine to continue publishing to its own agenda.
Until now. The April 1928 publication of episode thirteen, “Calypso,” caught the eye of Richard Banes, secretary of the Society for the Suppression of Vice, after an unsolicited copy was handed to him by a ‘concerned member of the public’. Banes lodged a complaint that led to the arrest of Ms Higgins and Ms Allamby-Bonnet in October, charged with obscenity.
Tomorrow, the trial begins.