The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-01-15 00:00:00

SATURDAY.

The adjourned inquest on the body of Mrs. Palmer was re-
turned, and Professor Taylor, of Guy's Hospital, was examined.
ue said he received six. jars on the 24th Deceinber. Three
Of them were labelled " Ann Palmer." I locked them up
Until the 26th, keeping the key in my possession, and then, in
conjunction with Dr. Rees, I proceeded to examine them. We
first examined the stomach contained in jar No. 1. The coats
were firm and well preserved, considering that fifteen months
had elapsed since death. On the stomach, on its greater end
and outside, there was a yellowish-coloured streak, which,
When examined with a magnifying glass, .presented the ap-
pearance of mineral matter. It was such an appearance as
nave never seen within twenty-five years, except when there
"as mineral poison in the stomach. We opened the stomach,
„_
and found neither liquid nor solid contents, bui a thin pasty-
looking substance, of a brownish colour, spread over the lining
kenabrane. The full quantity of this amounted to about half
a teaspoonful. The lining membrane presented slight patches
It
redness. Its surface was examined by a magnifying glass.
tt was quite free from.putrefaction, ulceration, or any organic
disease. The small intestines were next examined. They were
empty, but covered on the inside, in parts, with a thin brownish
substance. The large intestines were then examined. There
Was a feetid manna. The inner surface of the rectum, or lower
bowels, was coloured with a deep orange red-coloured sub-
Stance. On removing this, and examining the lower bowels,
there was no appearance of disease. The intestines, compara-
tively speaking, were well preserved, like the stomach. One
of the kidneys, which was enclosed in one of the jars, was cut
open and found to be perfectly healthy. We then examined
the jar No. 3, containing the liver, lungs, heart, and spleen.
They had undergone some change from putrefaction, but were
in a healthy condition. The gall bladder was especially
examined, and it contained about the usual quantity of gall
found in the dead, That bile was thickened, owing to the long
Interment, to the consistency of a house paste. The cavities of
Fie heart were empty : all the valves were free from putrefac-
tion, firm and healthy. The lungs and spleen were softened,
"wing to putrefaction, but perfectly free from disease, as far
,as we could judge. We then proceeded to make an analysis of
the different parts. The first we took was the brown paste
matter found ou the surface of the stomach. In these contents,
about half a teaspoonful, we found a rather large proportion
ofa preparation of antimony. We also found a minute
Proportion of arsenic ; but as arsenic was not found
deposited in any of the viscera, and is occasieually an
Impurity in ordinary tartar emetic, we consider that
'arsenic in this case was owing to such impurity, and not to
Its having been administered. Other poisons were sought
fey, but there were none. The second analysis was directed
to the coats of the stomach, and they yielded antimony.
birdly, te lae and small intestines were examined, and
Leund to contain antimony in all parts. Fourthly, the ors tie-
red deposit found on the surface of the rectum, was removed
and separately examined. Antimony was found in this in
larger proportions than in any other part. The orange-red
colour of this material was found to be owing to a portion of
antimony which had become converted sulphuret, as a result
Of Putrefaction in the dead body. The coats of the rectum
Were also examined, and yielded antimony. The bile was
separately examined, and also yielded antimony in large pro-
portions, nearly as large as that found in the rectum. The
jet', spleen, kidneys, the substance of the heart,, and of the
;"Ilgg, all yielded antimony. The blood drained from the jar
ilvhich these viscera were contained was then analyzed, and
0 yielded antimony. A portion of the lining of the shell
part of the shroud were separately examined, and it
tilielcled no trace of antimony or any mineral substance. All
e tests used were themselves tested before the analysis was
In ad,
and found to be perfectly pure. In this investiga-
te)
u fifteen different analysis were made of the bodies,
'acuPying us from the 26th to the 31st of December,and the
conclusions at which we arrived from the result of our in-
tleCtigation were these : first, that all parts of the body of
_ee deceased examined by us contained antimony. In the
Ltomach and intestines the antimony was partly in a soluble
hadlll7 while in the liver, heart, kidneys, spleen, and lungs, it
e been deposited as the result of absorption during life.
crilY, the largest quantity of antimony was found in the
t2jala and its contents, next in the stomach and its con-
cute, then in the bile taken from the gall bladder, and the

smallest quantity was found in the lungs. Thirdly, the pre-
sence of antimony in the rectum or lower bowels proved that
the discharges of the bowels of the deceased contained anti-
mony up to the time of her death, that she was passing anti-
mony by purging when she died. We came to that con•
elusion before, of course, we had heard the evidence of yes-
terday, and the presence of this mineral is sufficient to_ac-
count for the vomiting or diarrhoea, or both, from which ,the
deceased is said to have suffered. Fourthly, the conclusion
is from the discovery of antimony in the stomach, we infer
that a preparation of antimony must have been taken by the
deceased within a few hours before her death. Fifthly, from
the discovery of antimony in the • intestines, especially the
rectum, or lower bowel, we infer that the antimonial copper,
if not taken by the deceased, was not the result of a series
of accidents, and improperly administered to her either
by ignorance or design. Sixthly, it is our opinion that
the antimony found by us in the body of the deceased was
not the result of one dose, but of several doses, taken at
intervals, some days before her death, and till a few hours
before her death. Seventhly, that the antimonial preparation
taken by the deceased is what is commonly called tartar
emetic, and this may or may not have acted as poison, accord-
ing to circumstances. It may or may not lis\ve been the cause
of deceased's death. In the event of the absence of any natu-
ral cause for the deceased's death, it may have accelerated
death by producing great depression and exhaustion of the
bowels of life. Eighthly, on examination of the stomach,
bowels, and other organs of the deceased, we could not detect
any changes as the result of natural disease. There was no
thing to account for that, on the other hand there was nothing
iu those appearances inconsistent with the death of the de-
ceased from tartar emetic. Ido not think that tartar emetic
could have been given the deceased by Mr. Bamford in mistake
for tartar of potash; because, if so, more severe symptoms
would have shown themselves than I have heard described.
I must add to that, that in my opinion, she was suffering
from tartar emetic before Mr. Bamford first saw her on
the Sunday. Tartar emetic, when administered in small '
quantities, in wine, or other liquid, would not be percep-'
tible to the taste. The smallest dose of tartar emetic I have
ever known taken at one time is ten grains. A person Would
stand a better chance of recovery from rejecting a large dose
of poison taken at once than he would when taken in small
quantities. The killing of a person by antimony depends
more upon the manner of administering it than by the
quantity given. Antimony may be taken in small quantities
with safety, but I do not believe that any person could live .1
with the amount of antimony in the system that we found in
the deceased's body. It was saturated with antimony. When
I found antimony in all parts of the deceased's body, ,the only
conclusion I could form was that it was the cause of the
retching and severe vomiting which has been deposed to. The
liver of the deceased was 42 oz., and we found 2 oz. of anti-
mony in it, which was more than-one-twentieth of the whole,
and we therefore considered that the body was saturated with
it. I have made a note of the medical evidence yesterday as
to the condition of the deceased within eight days of her
death, and from the discovery of antimony in all parts of her
body, it is my opinion that -she .died from tartar emetic,
and from no other cause. The long orange-red streak
on the coat of the stomach satisfies me that it was caused
by antimony having been
.administered for some time in
small doses. ' The witness was cross-examined at some
length with a view of showing that the evidence, be had
now given was irreconcilable with Professor's Taylor's own
work on poisons, in which it is stated that poisoning by anti-
mony is accompanied by violent pains. He stated that there
was no analogy between the circumstances of poisoning by
antimony referred to in his book, and the circumstances re-
vealed by the appearance of the deceased Mrs. Palmer's body.
The opinion given in his book referred to antimony adminis-
tered in large doses, whilst in the case of the deceased the
appearance of the body showed that antimony had been ad-
.ministered for some time in small doses, and become absorbed
in the blood.
Dr. Rees, Fellow of the Royal College of Physiciani, Fel-
low of the Royal Society, and also Professor of Materia Me-
dico at Guy's Hospital, who was associated with Professor
Taylor in making the analysis, confirmed the evidence of the
last-named gentleman in every respect.
Dr. Knight, of Stafford, was recalled, and said : —My opinion
as to the cause of the death of Mrs. Anne Palmer has been
considerably modified and altered since I have heard the evi-
dence of Professors Taylor and Rees, and I am inclined to
think that I must be mistaken in the opinion which I gave.
yesterday under the circumstances stated to me by Mr. Palmer.
on my visit to the deceased, Mrs. Palmer, and am now disposed
to think that the-true cause of death has been assigned by Pro-
fessors Taylor and Rees. Having heard those opinions, I now
believe that when I saw Mrs. Palmer she was suffering from
poison by antimony. Mr. Palmer did not tell me' what medi-
cine, if any, he had prescribed before Dr. Bat-Ilford was called
in. After hearing the statements of Professors Taylor and
Rees, and the description . given yesterday by Dr. Monckton
of the condition of the body after death, there is nothing in-
consistent with Mrs. Palmer having died from vomiting from
natural causes; yet I don't believe that she did. From the
appearance of the viscera, as riven by Dr. Monckton, my
opinion is, that vomiting was not the cause of death. I found
Mrs. Palmer in so exhausted a state that I could not get from
her a statement as to her feelings.
Mr. Benjamin Miller, surgeon, of Barton-under-Needwood,
said, that in January and February, 1854, he examined Mrs.
Palmer, on a proposal. made by her husband to insure her life
for £5OOO in the Scottish Equitable Insurance Company.
Subseqtiently, he examined her in the months of January and
February, 1854, on proposals made on her life by Mr. Palmer,
in the Liverpool Life, the Rock, and the Atlas offices. He
found her healthy, and not suffering frcm ally organic disease.
He gave a second certificate as to Mrs. Palmer's state of
health, in the case of the Scottish Equitable, at the request of
Mr: Palmer, who asked him to give _the certificate without
again examining Mrs. Palmer, as he had so recently examined
her, and she might feel alarmed. From the symptoms
spoken to by the medical men in attendance upon the
deceased, the post niortein examination, and the analysis,
I em of opinion that the cause of death arose from the repeated
administration of small doses of antimony.
Mr. Henry T. Lomax, surgeon, of Stafford, stated that, on
the Bth of January, 1854, he examined Mrs. Palmer on a pro-
posal by her husband
_to insure her life for £3OO, and on the
19th of January he made another examination on a further
proposal rof Mr. Palmer to insure his wife's lite for. i:3,000. In
both cases he certified that Mrs. Palmer was a good life for
insurance.
Mr. Wakley, manager of the New Equitable Life Assurance
Company, said—On the 13th of January, 1854, I received from
the last witness the certificate of a proposal for £3OO on the
life of Mrs. Palmer, by her husband. On the 19th it was
accepted. On the 26th of January, 1854, a further proposal
for £3,000 on the life of Mrs. Palmer was received by the
office and accepted the same day, but afterwards, on further
investigation, it was declined, in consequence of some informa-
tion received from one of the other offices, and because we
heard that proposals had been made by Mr. Palmer on the
life of his wife at other offices, and declined.
Mr. John Goddard„ actuary to the Rock Life Insurance
Company, deposed to a proposal being made to their office on
the 26th of January, 1854, by W. Palmer, for the assurance
of his wife's life for £5,000, for six years. After the proposal
was made, the directory wished to know the interest which
Mr. Palmer had in his wife's life, the amount for which he was
going to insure in other offices, the amount he was about to
borrow, and why the proposal was made for six years only.
The proposal was ultimately declined.
Mr. T. M. Sawbridge, manager of the National Provincial
Branch Bank, at Rugeley, and also agent at Rugeley to the
Scottish Equitable Insurance Company, deposed to a policy
being effected in January, 1854, for £5,000, by W. Palmer, on
the life of his wife, Mrs. Anne Palmer, and also to the amount
of the policy being paid to Palmer, in March, 1855, after Mrs.
Palmer's death.
Mr. A. B. Butterfield, a .clerk in the Sun Life Insurance
Company, produced a proposal made by NV. Palmer, on the life
of his wife, for £5,000, dated the 10th of February, 1354. The
amount of the policy. was paid to Mr. W. Pratt, of Mayfair,
after Mrs. Palmer's death, in accordance with a written order
by W. Palmer.
Mr. J. E. Koch, secretary to the Scottish Amicable In-
surance Company, said that a proposal was made to that office
on the 3rd.of January, 1854, by W. Palmer, on the life of his
wife, for £3,000. The proposal, after inquiry, was declined.
Dr. Monckton produced a bottle which he received from
Mr. Bagen, the superintendent of police, at Rugeley, in Win.
Palmer's house, the day on which Palmer was removed froni,
Rugeley to Stafford, on the 17th December. The contents of
the bottle were composed of tartarized antimony. He had
satisfied himself by tasting it that it was tartarized antimony.
It was better known to the public as tartar emetic.
The jury,;after an7absence of twenty minutes, returned with
a verdict of " Wilful murder against the prisoner." The Co-
roner having prepared a warrant for the committal of the
prisoner for trial under this charge, the jury adjourned till
yesterday (Monday), when the inquest on the body of
Walter Palmer was to be proceeded with..

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

PORTUGAL.

By the Royal mail steamer Tay, we have intelligence from
Lisbon to the 7th inst. The Cortes were opened by his majesty
Dom Pedro V. on the 2nd inst., and the deputies elected the
same president, vice-president, and secretaries as last year.
The royal speech referred to the cholera as being nearly
extinct in Portugal; it laments the continued progress of the
grape diseases; shows that the grain harvest had been
generally good, and promises a ministerial bill with reference
to the necessaries of life whenever a general rise takei place
in the price of food. His majesty acknowledges having received
upon his accession to the throne cordial congratulations from
the sovereigns, allies of Portugal, the Holy See, the Queen of
England, the King of Saxony, the Emperor of Austria, the
King of the Belgians, and the Queen of Spain having ap-
pointed for that purpose special envoys.
The royal speech also refers to the necessity of providing for
the continuation of
.public works, particularly for facilities of
transit, and his majesty states, " The position of the public
finances inspires no fears, but rather confidence in its r
impove-
ment. The government has reason to expect happy results
for the national credit and the progress of public works, in
consequence of the negotiations confided to one of my ministers
(DI. Fontes) in London and Paris,—negotiations which will be
opportunely submitted to the examination of the Cortes."