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    m falls the drop with a slight crash—the arms arc ) Wn up froui'the elbow , with the hands clenchedbpdy . whirls round— 'the hangman from below seizes legs—pne escapes from his grasp , and by a mighty ranis once drawn up—the chest thrice heaves conlively—; the hangman loosens his hold- —the bodkin whirls round , then becomes steady , and hangs a > grey , shapeless mass , facing the newly risen sun . minute and a half had elapsed since the bolt was pd , but whither had the spirit sped in that brief inal ? -Oh' ! ' twas ; a fearsome sight—ah me ! A thing to shudder at , not to see .

    few faint screams , a solemn hush , a swaying to fro of the dense multitude , then the confused ' mnr of many voices , a slow breaking up of the ng , and presently an almost deserted space , in the re of which still hung from the beam that dull , grey , leless mass which once was William Palmer . The ons , scared by the noise of many thousand footfalls , -high into the air , and eddying round once and again , off in search of their morning meal . The clouds jrsed and the sun shone out brightly and warm i the felon's corpse , now insensible of pain or jure . The motley rabble , inspirited by its cheerful , quickened-their steps , swarmed into every place of rtainment for man and beast , called lustily for

    breakaffirmed Palmer s guilt because he had refused to ess them , and declared that a man who could face tisoboldly was not likely to confess—therefore he suffered justly . The remainder of the day was dei to business and pleasure . It was market day . Some 'led'for fish—others pinched the cabbages , burst the g pea-pods , or crunched a green gooseberry—while s laid in their weekly supplies of meat , groceries , luch-like household matters . The pleasure-seekers lanimously paid their penny and visited the asling collection of animals , comprising , among other ers of nature , a porcupine and a boa-constrictor . i were the intellectual idlers ; the sensualists fritaway their casual coppers on cakes and oranges ,

    ind ginger-pop . And still the sun shone on , and rooping flowers raised their heads and returned his s-loving smile , and the birds sang out merrily from ¦ coppice and tree and hedgerow . But where now Filliam Palmer ? er hanging one hour , the body was cut down and d into the gaol , the machine at the same time wheeled off into the coach-house in the yard on > posite side of the road . The criminal had been ted in the grey garb of the prison , as his own 13 bad been sent to his family from London , will thus escape the doubtful honour of being exd in Baker-street , though the rope may yet be rable from the officer who superintends the old

    3 department of the gaol . Perhaps the Messrs . mi may not ^ be sorry to learn that this same funcy possesses the dress and lethal rope rendered [ 8 , according to their idiosyncrasy , by being conl with the last moments of William Moore , exeat Stafford , in 1853 , for murdering an aged couple 1 JJlackburn , residing at Ash Flatts , and then setto to their cottage . But if nothing short of Wil-Palmer will satisfy their idolatry , let them proceed se to Tipton , and there , in a tailor ' s shop window , till behold a waistcoat that once belonged to that istorieal . personage . This waistcoat fell into the of the notorious Walkeden , sometime bottlo-• to poor Walter Palmer , and he , wise in his

    geno-, exchanged it for an entire « uit of clothes , in he may bo seen brazening it—with the worst—in feets of Wolverliampton ; Stafford having become teful to him . To return to Palmer , i head was now closely shaven—the'hair had been ualy cut close-at Palmer ' s request , because ho was Lowed to use his own brush and comb—and Mr . from Manchester , and Mr .-Bridges from Liverui mediately set about taking-a cast of his features , ras the . more easy that they had escaped all distor-He looked like a man oppressed with the sleep Lriscs from utter exhaustion . His -eyelids were , anil his eyes not evon bloodshot . Beneath tho r , indeed , there was a blue mark where the knot rased ; otherwise , no traces of violence were diale in tho npper part of his person . On the seaflowever , tho soft , white , dimpled hands , of which

    Lboen so vain , were tho lirat to iudioato the general ition of the heart ' s blood . They Biiddonly became ben blue , aud finally black . In stature , William r was a little over fivo foot seven inches , but ubly broad-3 houlderexl and thick-set . When sd ,. the Kuuculnr development of his frame struck » e / with admiration . His weight exceeded fifteen all boao and muscle , though not in lighting trim . orat part df his conformation was his head . Tho I « xg » J > s tirere . excessively l urgo—secrctiveness i a deformity- —veneration and benevolence better tt ftht t ^ avo been expected by those who were untof IJuanrogulAr attendance at church , his kindness wJtejftHd < * bftd , [** ul Ms Affability and liberality to Mutants . &Ufc even with ' -these good points it was telly , tmpoaaible for him ever to . ' have been a good lJ uat . •¦^ itwould bo impossible for Mr . Wri ght , nhiliiwtlmHfot , " tto ho aoloah aud oynicul . Tho

    one was organized to care for nothing , the other for everything , but self . The two casts being taken , the naked body was carried out to the back of the chapel and thrown into a hole a fathom deep , a couple of feet from the last resting place of the murderer Moore . A quantity of quicklime and some buckets of water were then poured in , and the grave filled up-with earth as rapidly as possible . No useless coffin confines his breast , Nor in sheet nor in shroud they wound him ; But he lies like a felon taking his rest , With quicklime all about him .

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    In my last letter I spoke of Palmer s walk from the station to the gaol . It would seem that he himself was not so deeply impressed with the solemnity of the occasion as the majority of the bystanders . On alighting at the station , he was received by Wollaston , the superintendent of the borough police , whom he recognized with a pleasant smile and tbe ordinary salutation . As soon as they were in the road , he inquired at what hour the news of his conviction was known in Stafford , and if the Advertiser had issued a special number . Stepping into a puddle , he asked if it had been raining , and remarked that the townspeople were very economical in not lighting the gas during the summer months . Somebody

    having brought out a candle to the door of a house , one of the crowd attempted to get on to the pavement to have a better view , but tripped against the kerbstone , and fell forward . Palmer laughed , and cried , " That's it—go it ! " Soon afterwards he complained that his fetters > revented him from walking properly , and expressed a wish that he was snug within the gaol . He also acknowledged that the trial had fatigued him a good deal , and added that there were some people who seemed very anxious to make him out guilty . " I don ' t mind , " he said , " people having their own opinions , but when medical men pretend to give evidence , and do nothing but tell lies , that ' s ratliertoo bad . "

    When Palmer first appeared on the scaffold , the representatives of the Press , crowding together in front , suddenly pulled out their note-books and stood ready , pencil in hand , to take down his last dying speech and confession . There was something ludicrous in this exhibition of discipline . They were quite as anxious as the vulgar herd to observe the demeanour of such an unparalleled culprit , but their duty was to note down his words . So there they stood , gazing at their note-books , with the pencil ready poised—intenti ora tenebant . Could Palmer have turned his thoughts from his own awful position , he must have tsmiled at their eagerness for a paragraph , or perhaps he would have fancied himself once moVe in tbe midst of the betting ring .

    As might be expected , Eugeley ha 3 become the resort of pilgrims from all parts of the kingdom . Some yards of the courtyard in front of William Palmer ' s house have been broken up , and the huge pebbles carried off as mementos . Our ancestors ^ ae early Britons , would have acted very differently . Wfnstead of carrying off these stones as so many trophies , they would have piled up a cairn upon the accursed spot . In what are we wiser than they ? Other persons content themselves with breaking off twigs from the young yew-tree beside Cooke ' s grave , or with having their own photographic likenesses taken by an artist who " solicits their patronage at the rear of the premises lately occupied by William Palmer . " One young man , last Saturday , performed his his

    pilgrimage in a manner to command the envy of fellow-boobies . He passed the night in the bed wherein poor Cooke had breathed hia last , and on the following Sunday had the impertinence to seat himself in Palmer ' s pew , and make use of his prayer-book—it is a marvel that ho did not steal it . Others , with equal good tusto and feeling , stand about in front of old Mrs . Palmer's house , in the hope of seeing her little grandson , happily unconscious of his sad fate , playing in the garden ; or of catching a glimpse of her own mature charms . William Palmer ' s house will probably be pulled down , and anew street opened out , facing tho Talbot Arms . Accompnnyiug the pilgrims , burglara have made their appearance . Ah I rural felicity I Ah ! rustic virtue I

    It has been frequently stated that Mrs . William Palmer ' s life was embittered by the suspicion that her husband was n poisoner , ami the murderer of his own children . Tho statement in almost too absurd to need refutation . It is triw that tue unfortunate lutly hud become low-spirited and melancholy some time before her death . But this is attributable to her knowledge of her husband ' s pecuniary embarrassments , and her consequent anticipation of ruin . It in universally acknowledged that Palmer treated bin ¦ wife with uniform tenderness .

    Ho was not an ordinary rulHim . His disposition waa not naturally addicted to cruelty or violence . His manners wero habitually plausible , and , had they not been underbred , would hav « been insinuating . He was what is commonly called " too civil by half . " It was no part of bin character to torture his victims unnccosaanly . It they atood in his path , an < l their removal could bo oi positive , however temporary , advantage , ho put them aside with as little remorse as if ho had been " nobbling" a homo . And then wont on smiling ah before , and remained " a nice , pleasant sort of gentleman" to tUo lust . Liko Eban ,

    He smiled at self , and , smiling , ehow'd his teeth , And , seeing his white teeth , he smiled the more ; Lifted his -eyebrows ,, spurnid the path beneath , Show'd teeth again , and smiled as heretofore . His approach was stealthy and feline . * He purred until he sprang . " Intense selfishness taught him that if he would use his neighbours , he must keep them in good

    humour , and dispose them favourably to himself . . Having nicely calculated the chances of detection on the one band , and the benefit to be derived on the other , "he made his choice , and never lost sight of his purpose until it was accomplished . But it is ridiculous to suppose that his wife would have consorted with a man whom she suspected of having murdered her mother and four of . her own infant children . The knowledge of a husband ' s infidelity would alone be sufficient'to render a wife unhappy , and in this case she was also aware that his circumstances were hopelessly involved . That she may have suspected him of dishonourable practices is also quite possible—and if she did forge old Mrs . Palmer ' s name , she iad even a guilty knowledge of the fact . It

    is certain that none of his . neighbours respected him . His associates were horse-trainers , or such fellows as George Bate and Jeremiah Smith .: latterly he inveigled poor Cooke within his net . On one occasion , at least , his brother George , addressing him as " Wni . Palmer , " declined to have any further transactions with him , and boldly charged him with dishonesty . This noble-minded brother , if report be true , has generously made out a heavy bill of costs — includiug various writs served upon newspapers—the payment of which he demands from his mother , the golden milch-cow of that hopeful family . It is estimated that the expence of Palmer ' s defence , from first to last , will not fall short of 5000 / .

    William Palmer was essentially a coarse , sensual , selfish man . He was not a drunkard , or ever much addicted to drink ; but no man could do more justice to a good dinner . Not that he was a dainty feeder—he asked for quantity rather than variety . His appetite needed no stirtwlants . Writing once from York to his " dearest Annie , " he announces his safe arrival , and then goes on to tell her how heartily he had enjoyed his beefsteak and potatoes ; he cannot yet name the winning horses , but hopes that his wife and the baby are quite well . Tbe table , the turf , and then the domestic relations . ' Perhaps , however , the turf occupied the . prominent point in his thoughts and character . Horse-rracing was a family weakness . The Palmers , one and alj , yielded to the spell , though not to such an extent as the medical gentleman . A fatal propensity did it prove to the latter . And it is remarkable how seldom he was a

    winner . His best chance of success waa in running Nettle for the Oaks , when he stood to win 10 , 0001 . Bu , t the mare bolted , fell over tho chains , and threw her jockey , whose leg was fractured . Even this disappointment made no visible impression on his iron nerves . He scarcely noticed the accident beyond remarking to an acquaintance , " It is a bore , though , is it not ? ' Success or misadventure he bore with equal equanimity , and waa never either elated or depressed . From his earliest boyhood William Palmer was addicted to falsehood and fraud . Though always eager to oblige , ho never commanded esteem . No one ever placed confidence in him without being deceived . More than once , in his youth , he robbed his employers and cheated his companions . It is believed that he seduced no

    fewer than fourteen women from the paths of virtue , his last exploit being reserved for tho night after his wife ' s death . Ilia extravagance dates from his childhood . He would borrow money under false pretences from his / ather ' s labourers ) , in order to treat hid playfellows . As an apprentice , be abstracted money from letters . entrusted to his care , that he might indulge hia nascent passion for gambling . While walking the hospital—St . Bartholomew ' s—ho committed his first forgery , aud diasipated a fortune in riotous living . As a married man , ho was notoriously unfaithful to his marriage vow- Hia wife , liis mother-in-law , his brother , four legitimate and at least three illegitimate children , his confidential associate , at least one other sporting companion , u woman ho had deceived , and a muu ho Imd wronged—all those mysteriously perished . The death of every ono . of these

    perwons was a gain to him , either immediuto or prospective . Ho hud a motive for their removal—and they were removed . Besides these criminal offcnccd , ho was guilty of tho baseness of accusing his dead wifo , murdered by his own hands , of forging tho name , of hqr mother-in-law , though avowedly for his solo bonofit ; and ho certainly connived at the prostitution of his own mother . On tho other baud , ho was a very civil-spoken , gentleman . Ho had a sniilo and a shilling for ovcry groom , oatlor , chambermaid , andwuitress in the couuty . He was a regular attendant at church , made notes oT tho sermon , subscribed to charities und missionary objects , and took tlio Sacrument . And , had ho been tt free man at tho thno , Avould no doubt have addresaod His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury on the Impropriety of allowing innocent recreation on tho Sabbath .

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    ALLEGED MiVNSJ ^ AUGIITKIt OF A LUNATJC . Mr . Ohurloa Suape , tho resident surgeon of tue , OQUi » tar Lunatic Asylum ut Wundsworth , uppoiired . * t . Wow ~ utreet , on Monday , upon a summons , to answer tuo

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    ^ tmu % l , H-856- ] THE LEABEE . ^ 5 # S

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), June 21, 1856, page 583, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2146/page/7/