The Press. — London, England, 1856-05-31 00:00:00

MAT 31, 1856. that they were chance lodgers. The landlord himself was one of the occupants of this miserable abode. The other ro mot of the house were in a similarly wretched state, and for the accommodation of the many families which tenanted them there was but one watercloset, in a small b ac k y ar d, w hich was so abominably filthy that I could not approach it. No. 6 The single room which formed the ground floor had an area of 967 cubic feet. In this there were three b i d s lying on the floor, upon which two men, five women, and flee children had been sleeping. In another small room at the top of the house there were two wretched fa milies o f six individuals, who had taken their night's rest upon a heap of shavings. The room was destitute of every article of furniture. At No. 9, which is a house of fifteen rooms. the largest of which is only 825 cubic feet, there were 67 occupants, consisting of 14 men, 26 women, and '27 children. In two of the rooms the poor creatures were wholly destitute, and they were taking their rest upon the bare floor. This house was so overcrowded that the ave• rage cubic space per in lividual was only 17'5 cubic feet ; in one room it was only 86t, awl in another 934. No. 24, which is a small house of three storeys in height, with four rooms, contained 40 individuals, consisting of 18 adults and 22 children. It has no back yard, and the ventilation is most imperfect. I might in this way ( continues Dr. Letheby) describe to you the miserable condition of every house in the court, but I am quite sure that I have presented to your notice a sufficient body of facts to indicate the necessity for your interference in the matter, and for the adoption of some means whereby the habits of the poor may be more health. fully regulated. Dr. Letheby then suggests that as these houses clearly come within the meaning of the term " lodging-honses," they be at once subjected to the rules and regulations accordingly—viz., " that when ever more than one family occupy a room together, the number of inmates shall be limited to the area of 300 cubic feet as a minimum for each adult, and that not more than two persons over fourteen years of age, if of different sexes, shall inhabit any one room at the same time ; and also that all the dwelling-houses througl.ou' the court be put into repair, and be cleansed and limewashed throu_ h - mt." The suggestions were ordered to be immediately carried out. (grelant. THE Freeman's Journal of Monday oontained an important announcement on the affairs of the Tipperary Bank—namely, that the assets have already been made available for striking a dividend of 24. in the pound, payable on and after the 17th of June; and that simultaneously with the dividend, the official assignee proposes to make a call on all the contributories of 401. per share, or four times the amount of the nominally paid up capital. The num , her of shares subject to this call is 5,439; but from bankruptcies and debts, the amount which the call will produce cannot possibly be estimated. The Freeman adds, that heavy as this demand upon the shareholders is, it is quite clear that it is only a first instalment, and gives the subjoined particulars:— The following is the amount of claims as near as can be estimated :—Deposit receipts admitted, 195,0001. • current accounts, 49,0101.; Bank of Ireland, Bank of Scotland, and unpaid letters of credit, 23,000/. ; English drafts overdue, 105,00Ct1.; seetptanees due 414th May, 17,3001 ; deposit receipts, 41,500/.: total, 430,5001. On the other side of the account there are—Cash in bank, Government Stock, and lulls remaining due, 25,0001.; bills overdue at date of official manager's appointment (a large proportion bad), 58900/.; bills since overdue. 12,0001.; overdrawn accounts, including John Sadleir's, 350,0001. The official manager states in his allithe it that he does not believe that 5,0001. in addition to the sum already realised can be got within three months, and it is of the greatest importance that an immediate cal should be made to prevent shareholders from being exposed to the ruinous consequences of hostile proceedings. THE LATE Cum BRAWL at Dublin bas resulted in the expulsion of eight officers of the 10th Lancers. A general meeting of the club wait held, at which the Marquis of Westmeath presided, and the motion for expulsion carried by a majority of fifty-four to four. ,"liyalv AO Volta. THE RUGELEY POISONINGS.-TRIAL OF W. PALMER. CENTRAL CRISIINAL COURT.—Settlantv. Tnn (treat case was resumed on the above morning, adjourned over till Monday, and Anally concluded on Tuesday afternoon, when the jury rsturned their verdict. On Satnrday, when the medical evidence for the defence was concluded, Mathews, a North Western Railway police inapector, was called to testify to the impossibility of Palmer being in Rugeley by nine p.m. on the Monday evening, as the train he travelled by did not reach Stafford (nine miles from Rageley) that night till 8.45 p.m. Foster, a farmer of Sibhertoft, lbforthamp'on, had known Cook for years. He was of a delicate con stitution, and subject to bilious attacks and sickness. Had known him to be attacked with gekllos4 out 44 4 041 *l4 14 Pimin 0494 THE PRESS. George Myatt, a Rugeley saddler, was at the Raven Hotel, at Shrewsbury, on the Wednesday previous t .C.iok's death. Cook and Palmer came in, and brandy and water was ordered. The brandy was brought in a decanter. They each had a glass. Nothing was or could have been put into the brandy or water without him seeing it done. Palmer and witness slept in the same room that night. The next day they returned to Rugeley, and Palmer was sick on the road. On cross-examination, this wit less swore that Palmer never left the room at the Raven until he went to bed. John Sergeant, a betting-man, swore to having noticed the state of Cook's throat at Liverpool. Cook showed it to him. It was full of ulcers, and much inflamed. Remembered Cook on the railway platform at Liverpool being tricked into eating a gingerbrea nut filled with cayenne pepper. Cook said afterwards that it nearly killed him. At Liverpool Cook was very poor. Mr. Jeremiah Smith, a Rugeley attorney, was then examined. The gist of his evidence amounted merely to his having slept in Cook's room at the Talbot Arms on the Saturday night previous to his death, Cook was very unwell during the night. Before Shrewsbury races Cook had his throat dressed with caustic, and kept by him a bottle of black wash. Mr. Smith was then cross examined at great length with reference to certain attestations he had made of proposals for insuring Walter Palmer's life. The witness" could not recollect," andr doubted" the signa ture of his name to the proposals handed in," did not like to speak from memory," and was " not quite positive" he was present when Walter Palmer executed the deed assigning his life policy over to the prisoner. With respect to the insurance upon Bat3s's life, Mr. Smith acknowledged to having pro posed to effect the insurance for 10,0001. This closed the case for the defence. The ATTORNEY GENESAL then rose to reply upon the whole evidence. The questions he first brought be fore the jury to decide were simply these—did Cook die from natural causes or from the poison of strych nine, and if so, by whom was that poison adminis tered ? Sir A'exander Cockburn then, severely ani madverting upon the feeling of partisanship and professional pique which had so evidently influenced the medical testimony, said that the medical wit nesses for the defence differed much in their views of Cook's symptoms, but they coincided remarkably with the Crown medical witnesses in declaring that, in the whole course of their experience, they knew no natural disease to which the symptoms of Cook's case could be referred. Now, argued the learned Attorney-General, this singular coincidence existing, and there being a known poison which will produce the effects Cook suffered from, how cogent and irre sistible became the conclusion that that poison was administered. The absence, however, of its detection in the body presented an obstacle, but that fact in the face of the other could not be regarded as con clusive evidence of non-administration. The ana lysis in this case was made under the most disad vantageous circumstances, and the cases of detection of the poison brought forward by the witnesses for the defence were cases when powerful doses of pure strychnine were given, and analysis carried on under every circumstance favorable to the discovery of the poison. But there was a great point which no evi dence on the part of the defence had attempted to grapple with. Had Palmer obtained possession of any strychnine previous to Cook's death ? There was undoubted evidence that he had first obtained three grains from Newton on the Monday night, and six grains more from Roberts on the Tuesday morning. If Newton's evidence were true—and it was incom prehensible to believe that, he was lying—Roberts' at least was incontestable, and had been completely passed over by the defence. The purchase of strych nine on the Tuesday at Roberts' shop took place under circumstances which could not fail to lead to the conclusion that Palmer shrank from the observation of Newton at the time of purchase, and no proof had been offered of the legitimate purpose to which those Wx grains, su ffi cient to kill a dozen people, were in tended to be, or were in point of fact, applied : If it were for professional use—for the benefit of some patient to whom small doses might be advantageous— where (asked the Attorney-Geneial) is that patient? Why is he not produced? My learned friend did not in bis powerful address even advert to the ques tion of the seoond day's purchase of strychnia. He passed it over in mysterious but significant silence. Account for that six grains of strychnis, the purchase of which is an undoubted and indisputable fact ! Throw doubt if you please—l blame you not—upon the story of the previous night, but it is unquestionably true that on the Tuesday six grains of strychnia were purchased by the prisoner. Purchased for whom—purchased for what? If for any patient, who is that patient? Produce him. If fur any other purpose, at least let us have it explained. Has there been the slightest shadow of an attempt to ex• plain it? Alss ! I grieve to say none—none. At the out set of the ease something was said about some dogs which had been troublesome in the paddocks where the mares and foals were kept, but that proved to have been in Sep. tausber. If there 4*4 been any reattrreusa of such a Otiuli, wkero Iwo tin scum* wl 1144 the charge qt Wes, baron t MS Why are they not here to state the fact ? If this poison WAR used to destroy dogs, some one most have asaiated Palmer in the attempts which he made for that purpose. Where are they ? Why are they not called? Not only are they not called, they are not even named. My learned friend does not venture to go into the question. I ask you, gentlemen, what conclusion can we draw from all these things, save one? Death in all the convulsive throes and agonies which that fatal poison produces in the frame of man—death with all the appearances which follow upon such an end, and mark how it has come to pass. These things leading in the minds of those who can discuss and consider them with calm and dispassionate attention, who do not mix themselves up with the case as advocates or partisans—leading to one anti but one conclusion ; and then the fact of strychnia having been purchased by the prisoner on the day of this horrible death—even if it were not, as sworn to, obtained by aim also on the previous night—and this part of the case left wholly uncovered, wholly unmet, without a shadow of explanation! Alas! is it possible that you can come to any other conclusion than the one dreadful one of guilt ? Sir Alexander Cockburn then reviewed all the evi dence seriatim, dwelling particularly upon the dis covery of antimony in Cook's body, to account fon which no evidence had been offered by the defence, and which indisputable fact left but one conclusion to be drawn from all the circumstances taken into connection—the preparation of broth for C Kok by Palmer, the maid-servant's sickness on tasting it, and the continued sickness of Cook after everything he took from the hands of Palmer—viz., that antimony was administered by Palmer with the design of produ cing certain natural effects which might not unreason, ably account for death. Then the conduct of Palmer throughout Cook's illness was not that of an innocent man. On the Tuesday morning when he met Dr. Bamford, and though it was just after Cook's dreadful attack on the night previous, he said not a word to Dr. Bamford of Cook's symptoms, and prevented Dr. Bamford from visiting Cook alone on two occasions in the day. Neither when Mr. Jones arrived did Palmer Pay • single word about Cook's attack the night before. He merely observed that he is suffating from a bilious attack! Again, where was the necessity of Dr. Bans ford making up such a simple medicine as a mor. phine pill? Why could not Palmer have made it up himself? Then showing Mr. Jones the handwriting on the pill-box ; what were all these facts, taken together—the discovery of antimony, the purchase of strychnia, the prevention of Bamford visiting Cook on Tuesday morning., the sending for Jones, the avoidance of all mention of Cook's frightful attack the night previous, the getting Dr. Bamford to write plain directions—but clear evidence of design of a deep scheme to silence suspicion when death ensued ? The learned Attorney-Geueral then entered upon the question as to whether Palmer had any motive for the murder of Cook, and contended that Palmer's only hope of escape from the embarrassment sur rounding him was by obtaining a large sum of money. Now, Cook had brought with him to Rugeley between 7001. and 8001., and his Shrewsbury winnings amounted to 1,0201. more. The 1,0201. was applied by Palmer on the Monday to his own uses in pay ments to Herring, Pratt, and Padwick. The money Cook had with him at Rugeley had never been ac counted for, while no sooner was Cook dead than Palmer wrote to Pratt claiming Polestar, the valuable mare which won her race at Shrewsbury, and asked Cheshire to attest a document purposed to be pre pared by Cook declaring that bills for 4,0001. for which he (Palmer) was liable had been negotiated for Cook's sole benefit Neither this document nor the bills had been produced in evidence ; and if these documents had been genuine, and not a forgery, who could doubt but that they would have been produced? Then, his conduct with respect to the missing betting book was at least suspicious. if that betting-book had been found, Mr. Stevens would have discovered that bets to the amount of 1,0201. were due oa Shrewsbury races. Who received, appropriated, or was interested in concealing the amount of those bets but Palmer? And, daring the inquiry into the cause of Cook's death, was all that restless anzte:y he displayed compatible with innocence? It might possibly be if it stool by itself alone, but it was one of a series of things which, though small perhaps in their individual capaciv, when grouped together did lead to the inevitable and irresistible conclusion that the prisoner was the clause of Cook's death : This (continued the Attorney General) is the case which you have to decide. You have in the prisoner a man labouring under a pressure almost overwhelming, with pecuniary lialgia lit ies which he is utterly unable to meet, involving penaltie, of the law which must bring down disaster and ruin upon him. The only mode by which he can prevent those consequeoee. is by obtaining money: awl under such circumstance we know that a comparatively small amount, if it wi4 meet the exigencies of the moment and will avert the ini t pending catastrophe of ruin, will operate with immense power. You then find that he had excess to the bedside of the man whose depth you have now to inquire into. You find that he has means of administering poison to and that within forty-eight houis of the death he bee I sequin(' poasoaaion of the poison whtoh we suppose ki to hare administered to the citteessetl. Thou you bate t Oailt Motif W lusigle 044 moitias oiroquilaßook in t it• lux eli