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    murder of his brother" Walter . This is the third verdict passed against Mm . Two successive coroner ' s juries affirm upon oatb . their deliberate conviction that he has poisoned his friend , Ms wife , and his brother—all within the space of fifteen months . The chemical analysis of the viscera , &c , of John Parsons Cook failed to discover any vestiges of poison . But th « sei'vant-girl who attended ham in his last illness deposed to screams and convulsive spasms , which medical men of the highest eminence pronounce to be the result of strychnine . Venerable Dr . Bamfordhad prescribed nothing inore fatal than morphine , and that in a quantity utterly innocuous . And he displayed

    -w «» 4 > reofci » g .- -DwEnigWyiihe young lady ' s guardiattjtnoidoubtdid all thfctr could be demanded from AG-i » fiBistioaiafca »> zeol . No . doubt Miss Thornton le ^ SHxed to ; stcum > the " Battle , of . Prague" on- the pi ^ xo ;< andv ' was equally-skilled in the niceties , of orieoataliiriting . No . < doMbfc < she . waltzed to-perfection , and ^ gj-aeefully kicked , th rough the evolutions of the lately ¦ imported polka . N " o doubt she was curio . us j in embroidery , and in the knitting of aiJki purees and hair watob-guards . No doubt , * Ifio , i 8 h . ei ; lnewi . s 6 tne * hing of English history , , the geographical position of * metropolitan tovvus , the rule , nOf ; . three in auiihmetic , enough French to

    decypher P Charles XII ., " . and the various denominations of stitch from * ¦ ' herringbone" upwards . All this she may / have learned , and" much < . more—ia short , . everything-. ; that pertains to a " genteel . education . " But , in all human probability , she had been taught no social . / duty , nothing that could , fit her for the realities of life . . A * the same time , -that she was made painfully aware of . her * - osra false position as an illegitimate clijdy i and ( habituated to lookrvpon herself as an outeast > . a ieing . of an inferior order , one who should be deeply jgrateful to any man who would bestow his name upon acreatura lunreeognised by the la \ vs and tainted ; front her birth . Then , her first love was uuipropitiaus , as happily it usually is . But the fountains io £ that great deep , a woman ' s heart , had been

    broken < up . The ark of her existence now drifted to and . ifro , recklessness at the hehn , and hope in the hold , until the waters of disappointment decreased and the keel grated on the strand . Her mountain of Ararat was William Palmer . Fhencefemfchhewas her polar , star . To . him she implicitly yielded in all things . She only lived that life might ¦ be- sweet to him . At times ^ indeed , her woman ' s instinct : shrunk from his sporting companions . Kind , generous , and hospitable to all others , she would tnventua thousand excuses to prevent his racing friends from , sleeping in the house . Compelled to lodge in the humble hostelries of Rugeley they soon took , their departure , and the true English wife smiled hx her heart at her own inhospitality .

    And at the time when the alleged forgery was perpetrated , Mrs . William Palmer bore in her womb a pledge of their mutual love . Three babes already reposed beneath the green Mrf of the churchyard . Perchance , that summer ' s evening they had strolled forth together into the pleasant garden behind the house . The flw ^ rs of an English July offered tip their even-song of sweetest fragrance ; the birds on the topmost boughs were twittering tlicmselves to rest : the murmur of the distant mill-dam , the hushed sounds of human life sinking- into sleep , came "borne upon the breeze that sighed beueath even this light burden ; the moon smiled , clear aud sad , like an aged matron upon youthful lovers , as husband and wife stepped forth , upon the gravel walk and bowed to the genius

    of the hour . Perchance , he gently alluded to ¦ their bereavements , tenderly hoped that yet another babe might "be given to gladden their latter ,. days , then darkly , shadowed forth his fears for the future , hiuted something of present embarrassment , suggested that extrication was easy—but it rested with her alone , and ho knew she would not consent . Alas ! there was no ItTiuriePs spear at hand to make the vile temptation assume its own loathsome form . There was no " Voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day " to make them ashamed and cause all evil thoughts to hide themselves iu fear . Who shall blame the poor deluded wife , if then she fell ? Who would not rather shod a tear to think that aa she laid ill ia bed , dying of poison , her laet hour may have been embittered by the awakening suspicion tEnt she had erred that

    Bummor s eve , wlion « ho seated herself at that side table in the room below ? But did nho commit that crime ? Her hutibaud has awom to the fact . Villain us he may bo , ho ia too calm aud solf-colleoted to wasto a erfruo . Thero was nothing to gain by the accusation . If his wife did forgo his mother ' s signature , it was by his direction and for his benefit . His own position waa in no way infprpvod . Indeed , ho would have done far better to lvavo taken tho gxiilt upon himself , A roactiim had already sot in in bin favour . Poodle said , "This man is run down by envy and malice—bo is tlio scapegoat of tho neighbourhood aout forth into tho wilderness of society . " There wore some , too , who flippantly declared that ho had

    wollnigh redeemed hifl other ormxerf by tho groat moral lesson ho hud road to mothers-in-law who would settle themselves upon their daughter * ' husbands . And then , a « if to extenuate their gratitude , they < loclarocl that old MrB . Thornton had died of disease and appealed to their neighbours whothov sho hud not boon long oiling before her removal to Uuiroloy . But now all m ' e united in one common outburst of execration . They will not believe him upon tho mont solemn adjuration . They Buy tlmt bin own bandwriting wan nuia . ll and fomiuino , and that it would have been no arduous tnak for him to imitate hia mother ' s aignntiiro . Id ia not your correspondent , '« duty to decide ou buoIi a diffloulfc point—ho morolv tolls fiho tnlo ns it was told to him . . _ . Rnr / clcy , Jan , 28 . William Pnlnxor ban been found guilty of tho wi . l (\\ l

    burst a blood vessel after several days' delirium * and that his corpse was too horrible to behold . This looked suspicious , coupled with the fact that the body wasinclosed in a lead coffin without any apparent reason for the deviation from ordinary practice . One Myatt now appears on the stage , —the poppy-headed " Boots" at the Junction Hotel , Stafford . This lout , who has much the appearance of a certain hybrid pui'ple-top turnip , coloured engravings of which

    illustrate our railway stations , —pretends that he never sleeps , that sleep makes him . ill . He never was awake . His mother slept while he was born ; he was born asleep . He is himself a rustic Morpheus . He who looks him in the face straightway grows drowsy , calls for slippers , and begins to nod . Every five minutes in the day , every three minutes in the night , a train arrives at Stafford or departs therefrom . "Boots " w&a never known to zniss one . He

    somnambulatea from the station to the inn ., from the inn to the station . In the house he has evejt : a pair of slippers , or of shoes , in his hand ; on the road his legs only appear from beneath a load of carpet-bags , l'ailway rugs , and umbrellas . To this strange being Wm . Palmer entrusted two bottles of medicine , which he carefully stowed away in his clothes box . After a time Palmer asked for them , and withdrawing the cork from one , poured in something from a very tiny pnial . This operation was also observed by Mr . Lloyd , the landlord , a worthy in a permanent state of astonishment ; otherwise apparelled in black , with a shirt frill projecting in front , and having altogether the air of a very indifferent butler . He saw Palmer iu the act of pouring a colourless liquid out of an almost invisible bottle , and then shake up the mixture . This was previous to

    Walker ' s death . Soon after that event , Mr . Deane , the solicitor , and Field , the un-deteetive , came down to Stafford and made . sorne inquiries as to Walker ' s death , and also touching George Bates , Esq . This cam 9 to William Palmer ' s ears , and he forthwith interrogated the sleepless One as to what had passed between him and the strangers . A snore being the only response , he offered bis humble friend a glass of Mr . Lloyd ' s best British , cognac . "Boots" drank of it , and was sick unto death . " He attributed his illness to the B . B . — -or rather- to something introduced into it : probably , he had not witnessed . the tragic exit of "Dinah" on the boards of the "fiayniarket / ' from , similar indulgence . But whence came that invisible bottle with the colourless liquid ? The curtain now rises upon another debutant in thia . eventful drama .

    In .. the market-town of " Wolverhampton there d % vells one G-eorge Whyrnan , aiii apothecary ' s apprentice . This youth once beard a Scotch , drover , who had picked up a smattering of " Humanity " at a village school in Aberdeenslrii'e ,, declaiming about a certain philosopher who fired au ancient faue as his passport to the temple of fame ; nor did he forget to name that other blockhead wko leaped into the burning crater . George himself had seen a fly in amber . From that moment he was possessed of a fixed idea , He too would be a fly in amber—at least , bis statue

    in wax should be erected in Madame . Tussaud ' s gallery of Contemporary Notorieties . Fortune smiled upon his ambition . William Palmer bought prussic acid of George Why man . Ge-ovge quietly divulged the secret . It spread abroad . George was summoned to give evidence to hang bis customer , who bad- paid him la . 9 d . Alas ! the escitemeut proved too much , for George . He grievously contradicted himself . He did not remember whether Palmer came to him in the raco week or the -week before , but ho was certain that it Avas tbo race week . Ho bad never mentioned

    the circumstance to any one , but bo had told it to Mr . Devercll , of tli . Pack-horso , ' two months ago . He had not even biutod the things to his employers , Messrs . Man dor and Weaver , but he had informed Mr . Mandcr . " You may go down , " said Mr , Smith , sternly . " Go to ! " cry Messrs , Tuasaud , scornfully . Poor George will neither bo embahnod in amber nor miulo a nuvu of wax . But th * J jury wero nevertheless satisfied of tlio general correctness of his stateinont j for tho books record the . sale «> f tho poison to William Palmer on tbo second day of tho Wolverhampton

    Ri \ oos . Dr . Taylor now modified bin former statement . He much doubted " if apoplexy would prove fatal in so short a space of time as twenty minutes , iinless there wero somo dinoa « o of tlio hoart . A moderate doae oi prusaio auid , nay half a toaspcnmful in two tablespoon fuls of brandy , would not bo porooptiblo to the souse of nmoll , but would canso death within lmll-im-hour . Brandy had boon administered to tho deceived , foi Mr . Day wan ( sensible of tho odour about ; UU mouth Hud pruasio acid been mixed in this ? Porhapi ut will ho ! Roob

    Wulkodou oouUl toll / « Dr . wa somewhat nioro g » u \ rdod limn bin oolloaguo . Porbap ho cntcrtniiiM a moiv favourable view of mankind , an < lian no ploarturo in ilotuuting pi > i « on . Tho jury bogai to look morn lionignant . 'J'horo was at last worn ohanoo of u conviction . Lot n motive bo hIiowu f « William Pabnor ' H dinpoeal of Ihb brother . An hyttti rionl luwyor , credita posteri , ih now |> ut in ' o \ h vitnoHB-boK . ClaHping hia liend , burying bin face i Ilia hiuulrt , with toaia htriving to innuo from lu « eye anul u gUHpiug voice , ho iiuplorort tbo good gontlonic

    bottles still more venerable and patched up-than himself to show that he could not have made an accidental mistake of the drugs . Then , there was a motive for Cook's destruction . He had received £ 700 at Shrewsbury , he was entitled to £ 1 , 000 more in London . What has become of this money ? The London settlements were effected by William Palmer , but the Shrewsbury payments still remain a mystery . Moved by the strange suddenness of Cook ' s death , the positive evidence of Dr . Taylor as to the administration of poison , and Palmer ' s interest in his removal , a coroner ' s jury brought in a very reasonable verdict against the latter .

    Suspicions being thus roused , me bodies of his "wife and brother were exhumed , opened , and examined . In the former case death was shown to be the result of saturation by antimony . This medicine bad been improperly exhibited * Of thai ; there could be no doubt ; but who was to blame 3 Might itnot have been an error of judgment ? Both Drs . Bamford and Knight had been called in- ^—both honourable men , both above eighty . These patriarchs of the healing art ordered saline mixtures and other harmless abominations , but their patient escap-ed from their hands . Anne Palmer died , and William Palmer took the sacrament . He seemed " muchput about , " says the nur 3 e ; "he seduced Hie , " says the maid-servant . Certainly , ¦ nine months afterwards . she was confined in her . master ' s house ; his last no-te , one of the Bank ; of

    England for < £ 50 , be forced mto > her hand as the police were haling * him to prison : and she is again " expecting to be a mother . But there was a far stronger motive for desiring his wife ' s death titan mere satiety . Her life was insured in his favour for - £ 13 , 000 , which has since been paid to him . And he now further declares that she had forged his mother ' s acceptance for . £ 2 , 000 , of which sxim only a moiety has ' yet beeji paid . It is possible that by misrepresentations , threats , ' . and cajolery , he may . have induced .. ; her to commit ihis crime , or she may have been innocently tricked into attempting the imitation on a . blank piece of paper . lint , -assuredly , nothing would ever have induced her to forswear herself ;' and thus ail intractable witness lins been disposed of . On these grounds a second jury "brought in a verdict of wilful murder against "William Palmer .

    The third case presented greater difficulties . Hi . s brother Walter was a confirmed drunkard . So far back as 1852 be had been under medical treatment ; and again , in 1854 , he was suffering from enlargement of the liver ,-and . extreme irritability of the stomach , together -with , dropsy in the legs , and inflammation of the right ' kidney . He had also at one time a severe attack of delirium , tremen * , xincler the influenco of which he attempted to cut his own throat . JNotwithstauding all this , satisfactory certificates were giveii by medical practitioners of good

    standing , and insuiMnce offices wore induced by present groed and hope of future * immunity to grunt a policy on his life . The amount was £ 13 , 000 , to which no objection appears to liavo been made , though professedly intended to cover an advance of only £ -100 . From this period it is not easy to speak with any degree of certainty . It ia clesir that a follow named Walkodon was at least permitted to incite Walter Palmer to indulge iu alcoholic spirits , which everybody must havo « eon would terminate in tho death of . the latter . Wallkcilcu himself avowed .

    without hesitation , that ho Jmd always supplied his master with as much gin as he choso to order . On no occasion does ho protund aven to havo remonstrated with him . After tlio seooiul day of tho Wolvorhampton races , Walter Palmer i « stated to havo drank inordinately for about Bix and thirty hours , when he was suddenly soiled with apoplexy , and in twenty mimitoa afterwards was a corpse . Ilia bio ' . her William opportunely arrived to closo his eyes . Walkoilen afurnis that ho hsid not boon in the liouso boforo , winco Saturday or Sunday ; bin own cliavy roports " a daily visit to " W « Her . who was very ill . " A ports a daily visit to " W « Her . who was very ill . " A

    medical goutlomon , named Day , who had nltondcd him for boiuo littlo timo pant , \ v «« called in , but arrived too lato to * lo more than ovrtify that lii « pntiunt died from apoploxy . A post-mortem examination , at a Inter period , confirmed this view of tlio cane , ami all Dr . Taylor ' s wan ; j ; uina skill failed to detect tho presence- of poison . Tlum far tho ovideneo wont , no further than to iprovo donlli by apoplexy , produced by oxoopsivo drinking . The hmimmnn might , osoapo , but t . bo ulterior ends of justice would not bo vimlicatod . Then Mrs . Walter Pahnor « loponeil t ' uvt William ha < l assvire 1 lior that her hunb : md had

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    January 26 , 1856 . ] TEE L JE A D . E R . 79

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 26, 1856, page 79, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2125/page/7/