The Press.
London, England, 1856-01-26 00:00:00

THE RUGELEY CASE.

THE adjourned inquest upon the body of Mr
Walter Palmer was resumed on Wednesday, at
Hugeley, before ➢lr. Webb Ward, the coroner. Pro-
fessor Taylor and Dr. Rees were both present by
request of the Home Secretary, and the evidence
already given having been read over by the coroner,
the inquiry was proceeded with.
1)r. Campbell, the medical attendant of Walter Pal-
mer from June, '53, to June, '54, deposed to the de-
ceased's habitual intemperance and general state of or-
ganic disease, he having suffered at various times fn m
enlargement of the liver, inflammation of the right
kidney, and dropsy, with pneumonia and congestion
of the brain. From the evidence which he L, d
heard, Dr. Campbell was of opinion that there was
nothing inconsistent in the last symptoms with death
by prussic acid, though death by alcohol would pro-
duce the same effects. Upon cross-Examination Dr.
Campbell said he believed that death in Walter
Palmer's ease resulted from "Apoplexy," because
stertorous breathing was inconsistent with death by
prussic acid. Upon further cross•examination, Dr.
Campbell admitted that death by apoplexy from
disease in fifteen or twenty minutes would be a very
exceptional case, as in such cases persons *ere
usually some hours dying. In cases of disease of the

,

heart, death by apoplexy was more sudden. Consi-
dering Walter Palmer's great intemperance, he
believed that congestion of the brain would take
place, and death under those circumstances be
so,vlerated.

Dr. Taylor, Ili on examination, sta < d his opinion
to be that death from apoplexy uniter t le most ia2id
eirciur cances would rot take place in less than two
or three hours, or even longer. The symptoms
de msed to by the various witnesses as affecting Mr.
Walter Palmer at the moment of death, were 'quite
consistent with death by prussic acid, which was
only a rapid sort of apoplexy.
Upon the chances of d Aecting prussic acid after
death, Dr. Taylor said, that if administered in two
tablespoonfuls of brandy and water the smell would
be destroyed at the time, and that all trace of
the presence of prussic acid in the body would be
lost after three months' interment. From its ex-
cessive volatility he could not hope to detect the
slightest trace if administered, unless the examina-
tion took place very shortly after death. In his opi-
nion, the symptoms of death in Walter Palmer's case
were quite consistent with death from excessive
drinking, or death from prussic acid :
And (continued Dr. Taylor) there is this great peculi-
arity in the case, assuming prussic acid to have been taken,
that the ordinary symptoms may have been somewhat
modified by the drinking habits of the deceased. The
stertorous breathing, for instance, which is always or gene-
rslly attendant on poisoning by alcohol, may have beau in
this case partly dependent on the quantity of alcoholic
liquid taken by the deceased. Besting upon medical data,
it is impossible to say, from the account given, whether he
died from prussic acid or from apoplexy, as the result of
excessive drinking. I am giving my opinion on medical
grounds alone. The only absolute solution of that ques-
tion would have been the examination of the stomach and
head of the deceased within two or three days sfter death.
Very rapid death like this, within half an hour, is, accord-
ing to my experience, very rare, unless, combined with the
apoplexy, there be disease of the heart also. In poison-
ing by prussic acid, the almost universal rule is, that death
taus place within half an hour, or the person recovers.
That is generally the result.

As to the state of the heart, Dr. Taylor deposed
that upon examination " there was no deposit of bony
matter, or anything about it to cause death." In
conclusion, Dr. Taylor said, that if the deceased died
from apoplexy, caused by poison, lie did not die
from morphine or narcotic poison, but from prussic
acid taken within half an hour before death, while
from the appearance of the visceral organs natural
apoplexy would not have killed him in half an hour.
" I should have said," obserVed Dr. Taylor, " that if
he had died from apoplexy, caused by disease, he
would have been some hours dying."
Dr. Rees corroborated the evidence given by Dr.
Taylor with respect to the absence of all appearance
of' disease about the heart, and to the effect that the
duration of a fit of apoplexy from disease, or from
excessive drinking, would lime lasted from four hours
to a day and a half, while death from apoplexy
caused by prussic acid would have ensued in about
a quarter of an hour. In answer to further ques-
tions, Dr. Rees admitted that the heart was usually
empty after death from prussic acid and death from
natural apoplexy.
Mr. Whyman, the assistant-druggist to Messrs.
Weaver at Wolverhampton, was next re•examined as to
his previous statement of having sold Mr. William
Palmer an ounce of prussic acid about the middle of
August last. The witness was closely questioned
aid cross-examined by Mr. Smith, but nothing could
a'nike his testimony that on the 14th of last August,
two days before Walter Palmer died, the accused
entered his employer's shop at Wolverhampton and
purchased an ounce of prussic acid, with certain other
articles. The witness sold the prussic acid because
he was personally acquainted with Mr. Palmer, and
knew him to be a surgeon at Rugeley.
Mr. Weaver, on examination, stated that at the
time of Cook's death, he asked the witness Whyman,
his assistant, whether any strychnine had been sold,
and that Whyman replied that he had sold an ounce
of prussic acid to Mr. Palmer. The evidence of the
undertaker, who provided the coffins for the body of
Walter Palmer on the night of his death, and of
Mr. Pratt, solicitor, who stated that he held a policy
of assurance on the life of William Palmer, having
been heard, the inquiry closed.
The coroner then proceeded to sum up the
evidence, especially pointing out to the jury
that out of the eight medical men examined
there was not one who would take upon him-
self to say that the deceased had died from the
effects of poison, as the symptoms were those
which might have been produced by excessive
drinking, or by disease ; that, moreover, all agreed
that if the deceased died from prussic acid, it must
have been administered to him within half an hour
of his death, whereas the witness Walkenden swore
that the deceased took nothing an hour before his
death. With respect to the evidence of Whyman,
the Wolverhampton druggist's assistant, the coroner
proceeded to point out that if his statement were
true that be sold an ounce of prussic acid to Mr.
William Palmer on Tuesday, the 14th, the bottles