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    12l6 T H E L, EADE R. [No. 300, Saturday...

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    POISON OF " THE TURF." An inquest, exten...

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    Ml Is. Pew And Hkit "Pine Applic." Mas. ...

    the part of the gentleman , had been signed by the odorous and romantic cognomen of "Pineapple ) Sow c ^ sed ; and Mrs . Pew was left to mourn . . But , oS the wine-merchant ' s return , the lady receded a letter , appointing Tier to meet him at the < great Western Railway Hotel ; she went , and the faithless vine-merchant introduced the proprietor of the hotel , and assured him that Mrs . Pew was " an infamous bad woman , " who had come there to extort money from him . This conduct caused Mrs . Pew , according to her own account , to be " excited , " and she determined to be revenged . All correspondence , of course , was at an end ; but , on the trial , the fair plaintiff stated that the " pine-appleing" ( which must be xinderstood as a synonym for letter-writing ) had continued up to the time of the rupture . The revenge was carried out in

    the usual way under such circumstances . The lady haunted the counting-house of Mr . Rosenthal day after day ; " kicked up rows , " according to the vernacular expression of the German wine-merchant ; tracked him to hotels ; threatened , in the hearing of hia clerks , that she would " expose" him ; and introduced herself to his friends . At length she was told T > y one of the clerks that Mr . Rosenthal would be obliged to send for a policeman to take her into custody ; upon which she valorously replied , " That ' s the very thing I want , and then I shall be able to expose him , " adding that she was quite willing to be taken before a just judge . She was therefore given in custody , but was discharged by Alderman Hunter . She now brought her action for the debt and the "false imprisonment .

    Mr . Rosenthal contended that he had paid the debt , and that he was justified in giving hia tormentor into custody . In cross-examination , Mrs . Pew was shown two receipts of hers for the joint sum of £ 62 ; but she swore that she had not Received that money , and that she had sent the receipts at the same time that she had requested loans to that amount , because she knew that she could , not have got the money otherwise . Being asked by Mr . James , counsel for Mr . Rosenthal ., whether she would swear that she paid the household expenses at Brighton , she replied , " To be sure I will . Don't talk your nonsense to me , Mr . James ! I used to give nine shillings a brace for partridges . " Mr . Jame 3 pressed for the name of one of the

    tradesmen . ; to which the fair plaintiff replied that she could have giv . en the names of twenty . She was told one would do ; whereupon she burst out with "Oh , Txow can I recollect their names now ? " and pleaded that her brain had been turned since her imprisonment . She then indulged in criticisms on Mr . Rosenthal , whom she described as " not a man at all . " " He is a pine-apple , I suppose , " suggested Mr . James . The lady also revealed a tender declaration made , after his return from Germany , by the enamoured wine-merchant , who , calling at the house of his divinity , said that he would not leave the place ; that he was "ironed" to the spot ( Mr . James observed that he ought to have added . —" and mangled too" );

    and that he loved no other woman than the fair Pew . *' In one respect , " remarked Mr . James , "Mr . Rosenthal is fortunate : he is a single man , and there will "be no account to settle with Mrs . Rosenthal when he gets home . " A suggestion was made by the Chief Baron that the matter had better be compromised ; to which Mr James was willing to assent , but the counsel for Mrs Pew would not . agree . Ultimately the jury retired , but could not come to a decision , eleven being in favour of a verdict with forty shillings damages , while the twelfth stood out for granting no more than one farthing . At length , however , he gave way , and a verdict for Mrs . Pew , with forty shillings damages , was returned ,

    12l6 T H E L, Eade R. [No. 300, Saturday...

    12 l 6 T H E L , EADE R . [ No . 300 , Saturday ,

    Poison Of " The Turf." An Inquest, Exten...

    POISON OF " THE TURF . " An inquest , extending over three days , has been held at Rugeley , and has revealed a frightful atory of ByBtematio poisoning . The inquiry had reference to the death of Mr . John Parsons Cook , and it has terminated in the arrest of Mr . Palmer , a medical man , who had attended the deceased . Mr . Cook was a gentleman of independent property , of about eight-and-twenty yeara of age , and largely interested in horBe-raqing transactions . Mr . ' Palmer was a friend of hia , and they frequently joined In bets . Both attended the- Shrewsbury races about the middle of last November ; and on Tuesday , the

    18 th , a horse called Poleator , belonging to Mr . Cook , ran and won . Mr . Cook was excited at this , but nob bo as to require medical treatment . He and some friends , after the result , drove down from the racecourse to the Raven Hotel , where they dined ; and Mr . Palmer was of the party . After dinner , while they were all in Mr . Cook ' s mtting-room , Mr . Fisher , a friend of Mr . Cook ' s , entered the room , and Bat down , though to some extent deterred by an expree-Bion on the face of Mr . Palmer , which Beomed to indioate dissatisfaction at his presence . However , he remained . The party were drinking grog . Mr . Cook ' s glass waa full , and he eaid to Mr . Palmer , " Palmer , you'll have some more grog ? " Mr . Palraor replied ,

    "No , I will not have any more until you have drunk yours ; " and Mr . Cook , rejoining , "Oh , I will drink mine , " took up the glasa , and drank off the contents . Immediately after , he exclaimed , "There is something in it—it burns my throat awfully ! " Mr . Palmer rose from his seat , went across the room , took hold of the glas 3 , in which a teaspoonful of the liquid was left , drank it , and observed , "There is nothing in it . " He then pushed the glass over to Mr . Fisher , asking , " Do you think there is anything in it ? " Mr . Cook left the room ; returned in about ten minutes ; called Mr . Fisher aside , and went with him into that gentleman ' s sitting-room . Here he said

    that he had been dreadfully sick , and that he believed Mr . Palmer had " dosed" him , for that the stuff had burned his throat . He gave Mr . Fisher his money ( amounting to between seven aud eight hundred pounds ) to take care of , adding that he believed he had been "dosed" for the sake of the amount . Again he was seized with sickness , and was obliged to send for a medical man . The next morning he was better , and he told Mr . Fisher that he had taxed Mr . Palmer with putting something into his brandy-andwafcer , and that Mr . Palmer denied it ; to which Mr . Cook added , speaking to Mr . Fisher , " I suppose he did not do it . " Mr . Fisher then returned Mr . Cook his money .

    On the morning of Thursday , November 15 th , Mr . Cook , who seemed to be then recovered , was in the sitting-room of another friend staying at the Raven Hotel , a Mr . Herring ; and , in answer to a question from that gentleman about the brandy-and-water , replied , " Oh , that villain did me ! " " You mean Palmer ? " interrogated Mr . Herring . "Yes , " replied Mr . Cookl Mr . Hen-ing remarked , " It is a Very curious thing to accuse a gentleman of such an act . What could be his motive ? " Mr . Cook , in a sorrowful tone , replied , "You don't know all ; " and then

    turned the conversation to racing matters in general . But Mr . Herring interrupted him , exclaiming , " Good God ! if you suspect this man of such a thing , how can you go back and breakfast with him ? " Mr . Cook again replied , but in an absent manner , " Ah , you don't know all ; " and left the room . On the "Wednesday morning following the afternoon when Mr . Cook vomited from the effects of the brandy-and-water , Mr . Herring had been very ill from diarrhoea and pains in the stomach ; and other persons in the town , but all strangers and connected with the turf , had been similarly affected .

    Mr . Herring returned to London ; and , on the following Monday , he saw Mr . Palmer at 8 , Beaufortbuildings , Strand , in compliance with a letter which he received the same morning from him . In answer to an inquiry about Mr . Cook , Mr . Palmor said , " Oh , he is all right ; the physician has given him some calomel , and recommended him not to go out ; " and he added , producing a document , " What I want to see you about is setbling his aocount . " Mr . Herring rose slightly to take the document , when Mr . Palmer paid , " You had better take it down , " handing over some paper , pens , and ink . " What I have here , " he added , " will be a check against you . " It appears that from various persons Mr . Herring was to receive sums amounting to about £ 1 , 000 , out of

    which he was to pay himself £ 200 on account of an overdue bill of exchange , £ 450 to a Mr . Pratt , and £ 350 to a Mr . Padwick ; but , only receiving £ 890 , he did not pay Mr . Padwick ' s account , but retained in hia hands the balance of £ 240 . Having advised Mr . Cook , who was then with Mr . Palmer , of this , he received a telegraphic message from Rugeley , asking him to furnish the £ 110 deficient to makeup Podwick ' a account , which , however , he refused to do . Mr . Herring suspected that the £ 350 to Padwick was not Mr . Cook's bet , but Mr . Palmer ' s ; and on the inquest various witnesses were examined to prove that the telegraphic message to Mr . Herring was not seat by Mr . Cook , but by Mr . Palmer . The original copy of the message was asked for ; but it appeared that Mr . Palmer had Bent for it two or three days before , and it had been

    given up . Notwithstanding that , on Monday , the 19 th of November , Mr . Palmer had told Mr . Herring that Mr . Cook was going on well , he had , on Saturday , the 17 th , sent for Mr . William Bamforcl , surgeon , of Rugeley , to attend on him ; and that gentleman twice on Saturday prescribed and made up medicines , which Mr . Palmer took away with him , previous to which ho had himself administered some pills . Mr . Cook was very sick , and was violently purged . On Sunday , Mr . Palmer Bent for Mr . Jones , a surgeon , living at

    Luttorworth , Leicestershire , and a friend of Mr . Cook , saying that Mr , Cook had been taken ill at Shrewsbury , and that ho " thought it advisable for Mr . Jones to come and bob him as soon as possible . " Mr . Jones went , arriving on Tuesday , the 20 th , and was told by Mr . Palmer that the patient had had a violent bilioua and diarrhoea attack ; but tho symptoms did not confirm this . Mr . Bamf ord thought matters were going on favourably ; and tho three medical men left the tiiok room to arrange what should be given during the night . Mr . Palmer and Mr . Bamford agreed that the morphine pills should be repeated , the former

    suggesting that Mr . Cook should not know what the pills contained , as he strongly objected to them on the previous night , saying that they made him ill . Mr Palmer , having made the pills , gave them to Mi-Cook , who protested against them , and , immediately after swallowing them , vomited . Mr . Jones and Mr . Palmer searched for the pills , and could not find them . At Mr . Cook ' s request , Mr . Jones slept with him ; but , shortly after the medical man got into bed , the patient exclaimed , "Doctor , get up ; I am going to be ill . Ring the bell for Mr . Palmer . " He called to the chambermaid , "Fetch Mr . Palmer directl y . " Mr . Palmer came in about two minutes , saying he had .

    never dressed so quickly in his , life before , and gave Mr . Cook two pills , on taking which the patient , uttering loud screams , threw himself back on the bed , in very strong convulsions . He then requested to be raised up , saying , "I shall be suffocated . " The medical men endeavoured to raise him , but he was so stiffened out with spasms that they could not . He cried , ' Turn me over ! " and Mr . Jones turned him on his right side . The action of the heart then gradually ceased , and he expired . The body , after death , rested on the heels and head , the intermediate parts being drawn inwards like a bow .

    On the previous night , a similar scene , with the exception of the fatal termination , had taken place . The chambermaid was roused , and ordered to go for Mr . Palmer . Having sent for that gentleman , who was stopping over the way , she returned to the room , and found Mr . Cook looking very wild with his eyes , screaming , and rolling his head about convulsively . He beat about the bed with his anna , which subsequently became perfectly straight , and so did his legs ; and he observed that his illness was in congequence of some pills he had taken . To Mr . Palmer ( who quickly arrived ) he observed , " Oh , doctor , I shall die ! " Mr . Palmer replied , " Oh , no , my lad , you won ' t ! " and , leaving the room , fetched two pills and some mixture of a dark , thick kind , smelling like opium . These the patient took , and immediately vomited the potion , but the pills could not be found .

    After the death of Mr . Cook , the chambermaid found Mr . Palmer ( in the absence of Mr . Jones ) feeling in the pockets of the dead man ' s coat , and looking under the pillow . He afterwards said to Mr . Jones , " You , as his nearest friend , had better search his pockets , and take possession of what there may be in them . " Mr . Jones searched , and only found five guineas in money . A bettiug-book which Mi * . Cook had had with him . was missed ; but Mr . Palmer said that all the bets were void , and that the book was of no uae to any one . The book has not since been found .

    Several medical witnesses were brought forward at the inquest , and , speaking from au examination of the h ody , were unable to assign the cause of death . Dr . Taylor , of the College of Physicians , \ . ho made a post-mortem investigation of the stomach , liver , & c , said he came to the following conclusions : — " 1 . That antimony , derived from some antinaonial preparation taken during life , was present in the body of tha deceased . 2 . That it had been absorbed and carried into the blood , and deposited in the various parts in which it wa 3 found . 3 . That the quantities found were small , and might be the residue of a large dose , or of various smaller doses taken some hours or days before death . 4 . That the quantity actually taken

    by the deceased cannot be inferred from the small quantities found in the body , or from the appearances of tho stomach and intestines . 5 . The antimony , under the form of tartaric emetic , may produce nausea , violent vomitings , purging , and other symptoms aud irritation of tho stomach and . bowels . 1 here was also auother symptom produced by tartaric emetic , arsenic , or mercury , viz ., restriction of the throat or a sense of choking . 6 . That the viscera of the deceased , so far as they were examined by us , presented no appearance whatever to account for

    death from natural oauaes . 7 . And lastly , that tartario emetic may be used as a safe and innocent medicine , or as a poison , according to cii-cunistnncos . We have no evidence before us to enable ua to form a judgment as to the circumstances under which it was taken by or administered to the deceased , or to enable ua to say in thia case whether it wns or was not tho cause of death ; therefore , the result is , that wo touud antimony in the body , which must have been tnkou while living , but there wore no cauaoa of death . Ur . Reea . who made the analysis with mo , fully concuw

    in these conclusions . Dr . Reea is assistant physioia " to Guy ' s Hospital . Convulsions would precede deatli by antimony if the doeea wore large . " Replying to queationa by tho coronor , Dr . Taylor said that no believed death was causod by totauua , and that tuo pills administered on Mouday and Tuesday nigUts contained strychnine—a poison bo soou absorbed into the blood that ita presence cannot be , detected . *« oorroboration of this opinion , the assistant to » ohemiat at Rugeley stated that , on the 20 th of November , he eold six grtuns of strychnin © to Mr . I aimer , together with two drachma of prusaio acid , ana two of Ba . tley a nolution of opium . Tho coroner eont ft

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 22, 1855, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_22121855/page/4/