Notts County's Meadow Lane hoodoo struck again, this being their fifth appearance in front of their own fans without a win.
Those fans who turned up to endure it - only 4,000 of them - greeted the performance and the result with boos and slow hand-clapping as Notts trudged off the field after an embarrassing display.
Southend were always the better side once they had adapted and found their rhythmYet both their goals should have been prevented and would have been by a better defence.
On 28 and again on 55 minutes corners were delivered which central defender Adam Barrett headed home at the back post with unchallenged ease.
Southend also carved the better and more numerous chances from open play and should have won more emphatically.
Lawrie Dudfield failed to hit one shot with sufficient power early in the second half and Ian Richardson was grateful to clear off the line.
Then towards the end, substitute striker Wayne Gray found himself with the perfect opening, lobbed goalkeeper Wayne Henderson and saw his effort go wide for a bad miss.
Notts never produced chances of the same order and when their belated goal arrived four minutes from the finish it was no more than consolation.
Glynn Hurst, brought off the bench at half-time, received the ball from Paul Bolland with his back to goal, but wriggled free of the attentions of Spencer Prior to rifle the ball home.
It was the only moment of cheer for the disconsolate Notts fans.
Worse was to follow when Notts discovered that the defeat had plunged them to the bottom of the League Two Table, the worst ranking ever for the League's oldest club.
Players did not reappear afterwards for their customary warm down and manager Gary Mills failed to attend his usual post-match press interviews, all of it adding to a sense of heightened crisis at Meadow Lane.
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