Stunning the Punters

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A week later, the police arrested Mrs de Melker and charged her with the murder of all three men. Public interest in the De Melker case grew, and the newspapers gave the story a great deal of coverage. The Turffontein chemist from whom she had bought the arson that killed her son, recognized De Melker from a newspaper photograph as being Mrs D.L. Sproat, who had signed the poisons register, and went to the police.

Stunning the Punters, is directed by Laurence Boswell, in which Dillon actually presents three short pieces of theatre by different authors of which I shall comment here: In March 1909, about eighteen months after the death of Bert Fuller, Daisy Hancorn-Smith married William Alfred Cowle, a plumber, in Johannesburg. She was 23; he was 36. The couple had five children, four of whom died. The first were twins, who died in infancy; their third child died of an abscess on the liver; and the fourth suffered convulsions and bowel trouble and died at the age of 15 months. Their last, and only surviving child, Rhodes Cecil, was born in June 1911. George Dillon is considered by many to be the finest exponent of Physical Theatre in the UK. In twenty years of occasionally watching him perform, I have seen nothing that would counter that claim. In fact, if anything, his shows continue to improve with time. This article contains interesting facts, statistics and the history of Scottish Immigration to America. The history of Scottish Immigration to America starts with the correct use of the name. Scottish or Scotch? Both are correct in the United States. In the UK the use of word Scotch for Scots or Scottish is felt to be incorrect, especially when applied to people.The last play of the trilogy is Dostoevsky’s The Dream of a Ridiculous Man. Here, the characters become symbolic of their age, society and profession, as we see Dillon the ridiculous, Dillon the corrupter, Dillon the primitive, and lastly Dillon the despairing evangelist with his time-dishonoured message: “ That ye should love one another as ye do yourself.” Rumour has it that De Melker's spirit haunts Ward 7 of the Transvaal Children's Hospital (now the Florence Transition Home) in Braamfontein. It is here that she worked as a nurse and learned about poisons. Here lys the corps of Alexander Broun, who died in the 75th year of his age, the 21 day of June 1725. Stay passenger. No farther seek his merit to disclose, or draw his frailties from their dread abode, there they alike in trembling hope repose, the bosom of his father and his God. Now reader step on, and remember judgement and eternity. J McTaggart.

Steven Berkoff’s Master Of Cafe Society gives us a resting actor’s stream of consciousness as he ritually breakfasts in a cafe – to identify with the workers – and shares his Oedipal fantasies and humiliating sense of frustration in a world where work, and television exposure, confers reality. Interesting facts about the history of Scottish Immigration to America and brief reasons for the changes in migration patterns For specific examples and a list of political, economic, environmental and social reasons and push and pull factors of Scottish Immigration to America refer to:

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Reasoning behind her son's murder At the time of his death, Daisy de Melker's only son Rhodes Cowle was 20. His sister in law, Eileen De Melker, thought him lazy and remarked that he was often unwilling to get up for work in the morning. However, another witness at his mother's trial described him as "bright and conscientious" and a "real gentleman".[citation needed] Certainly the evidence conflicted, but none of it explained why Daisy de Melker decided to kill Rhodes. In the case of her first two husbands, the motive seemed clearly to be financial gain.

On 21 January 1931, Daisy Sproat married for the third time. Her husband was a widower, Sydney Clarence De Melker, who like her previous two husbands, was a plumber. In September 2005, a drag musical "Daisy's Well Hung" starring Robert Coleman as "Daisy" was staged at the Women's Jail on Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, where de Melker had been imprisoned prior to her hanging. This show attempted to transform the dour figure of De Melker into a poltergeist of a husband-killing femme fatale.Scottish immigration accelerated after the 1717 Transportation Act established service in the colonies as a punishment for criminals, who were sent to spend 7 to 14 years in America in lieu of imprisonment or execution at home. The previous evening depression had set in with the sight of much second-rate acting from Kenneth Brannagh’s Renaissance Company. Now my spirits are restored by George Dillon’s display of theatrical technique, timing and diction of flawless precision in all three monologues. And if there are echoes of his colleague Berkoff in his style, it certainly serves Dostoevsky well. His Dream of a Ridiculous Man is my Fringe discovery. Joan Bakewell, THE SUNDAY TIMES, 19 August 1990 Here lyes John Carson of Balmangan, aged 59 years, who died ye 3d of Feb'y 1724. Here also lies Mrs Margaret Blair, firstly spouse to the above John Carson of Balmangan, afterwards to Mr John Gordon. She died Feb'y 6th 1763, aged 71 years.

She does not, however, rank extremely high on the scale of international serial killers, as she can boast of only three victims: her two husbands, William Cowle and Robert Sproat, and her son, Rhodes Cecil Cowle. She also bears a remarkable resemblance to the Rugeley Poisoner, William Palmer, in that they both appear to have fallen into the rather disturbing habit of poisoning their relatives and then collecting on their life insurance policies. Parallels can also be drawn between De Melker and Gesche Gottfried, who lived in early 19th century Germany and who systematically, and patiently, destroyed her close relatives and friends with "mouse butter" made of arsenic and fat. Like Palmer, however, strychnine was De Melker's weapon of choice and she used it in two out of three murders. In memory of John Sproat, in Conchieton, who died 23rd Sept'r 1829, aged 63 years. Also of his children: Alexander Sproat, died 26th July 1801, aged 7 months. Samuel Sproat, died 31st Oct. 1804, aged 9 months. Margaret Sproat, died 22nd Feb. 1824, aged 19 years. Samuel Sproat, died 25th Oct'r 1825, aged 10 years. Isabell Sproat, died 23rd Aug't 1829, aged 21 years. Also Isabella Thomson, spouse of the above John Sproat, who died at Ingleton of Kelton, 3rd March 1862, aged 88 years. In memory of Mary Sproat, born at Conchieton 3rd Oct. 1807, died at Fleet St., Gatehouse, 6th Dec. 1884, aged 77 years. John Sproat, his son, died at Gatehouse, 19th July 1890, aged 80 years. Front) Dedicated by his loving son Howard E Sproat II, May 20 1989, in memory of Howard E Sproat, USA, May 20 1889 - August 25 1963. Son of Josephus, 1862 - 1947. Son of Robert, 1821 - 1902. Son of William, 1782 - 1862. Son of Alexander, Borgue 1740 - 1825 Idaho. Son of John, Mill of Plunton 1720 - 1800 Penn'a. Son of John Sproat and Elizabeth Johnson of Brighouse.Brief Facts about Scottish Immigration to America - dates, numbers, law, history, reasons, impact and effect Tomlins, Marilyn Z. (2 December 2007). "Daisy de Melker: South Africa's First Serial Killer". Crime Magazine . Retrieved 14 June 2022. Dillon has performed this work to audiences up and down this land almost a thousand times, yet he never appears to tire or grow stale. Far from it; these same renditions just keep getting better and better. Sacred to the memory of Alexander Brown, mariner, who died 22nd March 1834, aged 52 years. A man who had seen much of mankind. Daisy de Melker (aged 46 years) was condemned to death by hanging. The sentence was carried out on the morning of 30 December 1932 at Pretoria Central Prison.