The Press.
London, England, 1856-02-02 00:00:00

THE RUGELEY POISONING CASE.

APPLICATION was made in the Court of Queen's
Bench on Tuesday, before Lord Campbell and
Justices Coleridge, Wightman, and Erle, by Mr.
Sergeant Wilkins, for a writ of certiorari, to bring
up the depositions, &c., in the case of the Queen v.
Palmer, with the view of obtaining for the prisoner
trial at the Court of Queen's Bench, or of removing
the venue to some other county than Stafford. Two
affidavits were banded in, one from William Palmer,
of ten counts, pleading that the prejudice against
him is so great in Stafford and the midland counties,
that he cannot hope to find twelve unbiassed jury-
men ; that the principal evidence he will have to
rely upon, will be that of scientific; men resident in
London; that the attendant expenses of obtaining
such witnesses at Stafford would be ruinous to his
friends; and, finally, that he is innocent of having
committed one of any of the murders he is charged
with. A second affidavit, by Mr. Smith, his solicitor,
corroborates Palmer's statement, and adds that the
local newspapers have so excited the public
mind against the prisoner that it is impossible to
hope for an impartial trial " at Stafford, Warwick, or
any of the midland counties." Lord Campbell, after
a brief conference with his brother judges, intimated
to Mr. Sergeant Wilkins, that as soon as the indict-
ments were laid before the court, the point should
be considered. A rule nisi was ultimately granted,
Lord Campbell promising to deliver judgment on the
last day of term.
On Thursday the case was again brought before
the Bench, when, Mr. James and Mr. Huddlestone
having appealed against the rule, Lord Campbell de-
livered judgment in favour of the rule being made
absolute, and that a writ of certiorari should issue.
His lordship then expressed his strong desire that
from this time until the trial should be over there
might be no more discussion on the subject. Mr.
Justice Coleridge, with Justices Wightman and
Crompton, concurred in the opinion of the Chief Jus-
tice, and the rule for the certiorari to bring up the
depositions, &c., was made absolute. After the trial
it would be quite legitimate to criticise the conduct
of the jury, or of the judge, or the guilt or innocence
of the prisoner; but pending the trial such discus-
sions were much to be deprecated, and if any case of
the kind were brought before the court where the
party was actuated by improper motives the court
would know how to deal with it. He (Lord Camp-
bell) had no doubt the prisoner would have what he
was entitled to—a fair and impartial trial. At pre-
sent the law presumed him to be innocent, but if
he should be eventually found to be guilty be would
suffer the penalty which the law provided.
The body of Mr. Cook was exhumed last Friday,
in order that Dr. Monckton, Dr. Harland, and Mr.
Bamford might make an examination of some por-
tions which were not, on the former occasion, sub-
jected to minu'e inspection. Before the medical
gentlemen commenced operations, Mr. George Pal-
mer, solicitor, and Mr. Smith, the prisoner's attorney,
gave notice to Messrs. Lander and Gardiner, the
solicitors for the prosecution at Ilugeley, that they
should insist upon being present, with a view to an
examination of the spinal marrow and brain; these
two important organs never having been examined
before, although they would be those primarily
affected by the administration of strychnine. Pro-
fessor Bolton and Mr. Oliver Pemberton, surgeon to
the Birmingham General Hospital, attended at
Rugeley on Saturday morning, where they met Dr.
Monckton, who was deputed by the Crown to make
the re-examination. The result is not yet officially
known, but it is credibly reported that so far as the
examination went there was nothing discovered to
show that death had resulted from the administra-
tion of strychnine. A re-examination of the brain
was impossible, from its having been thrown amongst
the abdominal viscera after the first examination.

Notice has been given to the solicitors for the
Crown, by Mr. Smith, calling on Dr. Taylor for his
reasons for supposing Mr. Cooke bad died from
tetanttaproduced by the administration of strychnine;

111

and also to know whether Dr. Taylor founded his
opinion before the spinal column and brain had been
examined, and also upon what data. Mr. Smith
also required a statement of the condition of each
organ he hail examined in reference to Dr. Taylor's
evidence, w herein he said that no other medicine but
iitrychnine could produce tetanus.
A long array of medical gentlemen have been con-
sulted with regard to Professor Taylor's opinion, and
a most voluminous correspondence (containing some
important instances contradictory of the effect said
to have been produced by the drugs found in the
body of the deceased) will be produced at the trial.

A PAINFUL CASE OF THE BRUTALITY OF A HUSBAND
towards his wife, was brought before Mr. Ingham,
at the Thames Police-court, on Tuesday. Nathan Fer-
nandez, aJew, was charged by his wife with gross and
cruel ill-treatment:—

On Wednesday fortnight, between one and two o'clock
in the morning, he came home in a sate of intoxication,
called her names, and, after knocking her down, kicked her
on the eye, and rendered her insensible ; when she re-
covered he attacked her again with great fury, threw her
down, kicked her on the arms, ribs, face, and other places,
as hard as he was able, accompanying his brutality with
the most dreadful oaths and exclamations. She became
insensible again, and in that state was removed to the
hospital. While she was there under medical treatment,
her husband visited her, and asked her to make it up,
which she refused to do, and lie then called her very bad
names, and said, " I'll rip you tip like a bullock." On
Friday evening last she left the hospital, and went home.
He asked her to make it up, and not go before a magis-
trate. She refused to make any promise, and he struck
her on the back of the head with his fist, and stunned her.
In answer to the magistrate, the complainant stated
that her seventeen years of married life had been
nothing but a series of cruelties; her ribs were
broken ; her bead, her arms, her whole body, in fact,
was scarred with the marks of his brutality. Several
witnesses having fully confirmed the complainant's
statement, and the prisoner being unable to get a
single neighbour to speak favorably of him, Mr.
Ingham sentenced him to six months' hard labour.
THE LATE FATAL POISONING AT DINGW.iiLL, by
which two Roman Catholic clergymen—Revs. J.
Gordon and Angus Mackenzie—and Mr. Mackenzie
of Findon, out of a dinner party of five, were killed,
has been inquired into, Lnd found to have arisen from
the cook mistaking a root of monkshood or wolfsbane
for horseradish, and using it as garnishing and
sauce to the roast beef. This root is exactly the
same size and colour as horseradish, but contains
the most deadly poison. The whole of the five
gentlemen shortly after dinner became suddenly and
seriously ill, with vomiting and burning sensation in
the throat. Provosts ➢l'lver and 11PDonald, who
were of the party, feeling afraid they were poisoned,
used violent active exercise to master the effect, and
took powerful medicines, which happily overcame
the disease. The three other gentlemen died very
shortly in great agony, in spite of every effort to
save them. The bodies of the deceased have been
dissected, but as coroners' inquests are not held in
Scotland, the report will not be made public.
THE BODIES OF THE Two CHILDREN, GREEN,
supposed to have been poisoned in Manchester, have
undergone a post-mortem examination. Scarlet fever
was pronounced the cause of death, and the coroner's
inquest resulted in a verdict accordingly.
THE INVESTIGATION into the late fall of Messrs.
Hopkinson's buildings in the New-road, causing the
death of one Elizabeth Saunder,, .;as licen adjourned
till Tuesday next for the purpose of obtaining the
evidence of the district surveyor.

FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE.
Tuesday, Jan. 29.
BANKRUPTS.—A. M. JUDD, Upper-Street, Islington,
licensed victualler—J. CLAYWORTII, Gracechurch-street, poul-
terer—J. H. Tauacorr, Sutherland-terrace, East Brixton,
stationer—J. nosEn, Lower Thames-street, wine, spirit, and.
beer merchant—H. FAIRWEATHER, Norwich, upholsterer—G.T.
BATE. West Bromwich, Staffordshire. grocer—S. BARNES, Old-
bury, Worcestershire, draper—G. Wai.Es, Worcester, licensed
victualler—S. B. WOODHOUSE, Leicester, dealer in general
hosiery•-W. Sin itTcErmLoughborough and Quorudon,Leicestei
shire, manufacturer of hosiery—B. FARMER, Bristol, builder—
F. BRAKE, Wißand. Devonshire, innkeeper—J. It. Gummow,
Wrexham, Denbighshire, builder—E. LEEcE, Whittle-lee-Woods,
Lancashire. cotton spinner—R. HUGHES, Bury, Little Lever,
Bolton. and Manchester, Lancashire, paper manufacturer.
SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIONS.—N. STEWART, Perth, wine
merchant—J. Is NES, Glasgow, sewed muslin manufacturer—H.
FEROUS, Kircaldy, brewer.
Friday, February 1.
BANKRUPTS. JAMES LOMAX, Wallington, victualler—
SAMUEL BAYLEY, Macclesfield, cotton spinner—JOSEPH Duos
SEWELL and THOMAS PaTriNsow, Newcastle•upon-Tyne,
chemists—HENßY FIELD, Staverton-row, Walworth-road,
grocer—sJogN SHOOLBRED, Jermytostreet, taiIor—RICHARD
GILL and HENRY Eng, St. Thomas, Cornwall, builders—
FREDERICK ROBERTS, Wrexham, provision dealer—EDGAß
CROWE, Colchester, boot and shoe maker—Timms' IlEstiso-
Tog, Birmingham, straw dealer—GEOßOE FossEr and JAMES
STEEL, Millwall, timber merchant—CHAßLES WILLIAMS, for-
merly of Wilby-terrace, Mile-end, and now of Whitecrosa
Prison, tea dealer.

"" THE BRIDGEWATER CASAI, With the old Quay
navigation, in all seventy miles of waterway, has
Al
just been leased for a long period to the North
Staffordshire Railway Company, iby which they at
once open a communication between the 3iersey sad
Humber.