The Express.
London, England, 1856-05-14 00:00:00

WILLIAM PALMER AT THE

OLD BAILEY.

THIS DAY.

The trill, which commenced this morning at the
Central Criminal Court, whatever may be its results—and
heaven f rbid that we should anticipate them, will long bold
a di.tioguished plec amongst the causes celebres of this
country. Under oidinary circumstances it might seem ill-
judged to usher in wita more than ordinary solemnity
a criminal trial, but in this cue it would be
mere prudery t 3 ignore, while it would be im-
possible to exaggerate, the interest which the general
public takes in the solemn investigation which commenced
this morning at the Old Bailey. A variety of causes have
c notributed to create this extraordinary interest, and even
to make it cumulative from the first discovery of the
alleged crime down to the present moment, when it is tin-
divgoing judicial iuvs st.getion. In the first pl -ee, there was
the peculiar chance, of the offence itself, one which
in all times has had infinitely more terrors for soclsty
than any deed of open violence. The savage trusts
to the strong arm, or the craftily planned ambush
for the means of getting rid of his enemy, hut the more
civilised, and, therefore, more enervate man, shrinks from
each rude collisions and physical effort, and, turning
to his books and his science, finds a weapon which he may
wield without exertion, and with whi.b he expecte to kill
without detection. When these facts are thought of,
it is not to be wondered at that • trial for poisoning, at-
tended with circumstance, so prcaliar as those that sur-
round the case of William Palm, r, should stir up the public
cariosity from its depths, and create that eacitement
in the place of trial which were witnessed tc-iay at the
Old Bailey. Bat there are other and still stronger
essence fir the extraordinary c incentration of public atten-
tion on this p.rticular cue. Until of late years we have
f sadly nutted the beLef that the crime of poisoning, bow-
▪ r common it might be or have been in Southern Europe,
woe foreign t Eogliab soil, and hateful to English disposi-
tions. We read of the conspirecies of the B. man ladies,
the Philtres of Lr cults, the death bacquns of the Borgia',
or the crimes of the Marquise de Brinvilliers as we should •
strongly written romance, merely as harmless excitement
for oar imagination and wonder, and u having
no hearing oa our own habits or social con-
ditios. But, unhappily, a succeeuion of circum-
stances, the first of which is still froth in the public
reelllection, has given a horrid vitality to the interest which
is felt in poisoning class, and his sit men a thinking
whether in truth an near inrable change is not creepieg in
upon the national character—whether a social Mc ,r has not

commenced to form. which will require mere careful and
searching treatment than the mere judic;sl proems by which
• single case, only more prominent than the rest, is sub-
mitted is the ordeal of jotter, and jury. It is not long since
an obscure village in &sec furnished • series of poisonings,
more numerous and sore atrocious in character even than
those charged in the present ind ictment—more atrocious, be•

cause it was mothers that poisoned their children, but the
obscurity of the et iminals ant the seclusion of the locality pre
vented anytbiog like en extended or teeing interest in the
crime. Bat in " The Queen v. Palmer," the prisoner is one of
the educated middle slaws, at °tee a professional and a sport-
ing man, and in both charavers is well known to, and
popular with, an extended circle Of acquaintance. Ia ad-
dition to this, the crime for which he is now on his trial
would, if proved, shake the security of two wide
spread, but widely different equitation', one, that which
ewes each immense sums annually to change bends
I awarding to the vicissitudes of what is popularly called
"The Tarf," and tt e other, that which, when fairly admin-
istered, is looked up us as one of the most blessed fruits of
our 'dammed civiltsatioa, we mean the modern system of
life asearathe. If proofs were wanted that circanistasices
of peculiar interest invest this case, they might be Gaud in
the fact that so great was the local excitement created by
the MfCMILIVIPACM connected with its earlier stages,
that the prisoner's c sunset found it necessary to
apply for the removal of the trial to another county,
and that to carry out their (under the circumstances)
reasonable proposition, it was found necessary that the
legislature itself should interfere and pass a special act of
parliament authorising the change of venue. By such i/12-
posing and unusual machinery it was removed to the me.
tropolitan court, whither the public interest bee followed
ft in as smelt a cerrent as at Rugely and fitafford,—so
mach so that the court-house has had to be completely
nastamorpboeed to meet, in some degree, the situ rdinary
is of applicants for admission. The whole of the
large antral table has been removed, and the vacant
spaces tilled with seats and desks. as in the courts at West-
minster, to accommodate the bar; while in the other parts
of the court every possible device bas been resorted to, to
increase the amount of accommodation. The Lord Chief

Justice of England, awiced by two of our mo.t, eminent
criminal judges, tees the case, and the certainty of an im-
partial jury is obtained by the character of the panel,
which includes names from Esau, Bent, Surrey,
London, and Middlesex. The ablest names at the
bar are ranged on either side, and the most
suisest of our scientific men have been summoned
u witnesses to give their opinions as to the causes of the symp-
t nes by which the deaths of Cook and Mrs. Palmer are alleged
have been attended. We have good authority for be-
lieving that "in the multitude of counsellors there is
wisdom," but, if report speaks truth, there is region for
fearing, in the present case, that in the multitude of scien-
tific men, there wilt be nothing but c3nfusion. It is under-
st)od that a violent schism has been raging in the regions of
tosioologiral up-shunt, as to the symptoms following
the administration of strychnine and antimony, and

• relenting crusade has been waged against the
domestic animals to disprove or verify, as the case might
be, the different theories of the discordant protestor,. 1 he
results will possibly he felt in the contradictory character
of the scientific evidence given, and not the least difficult
portion of the solemn task devolving upon judge and jury
will be the elimination of • setisfactory conclusion from the
' variety of opinions that will be submitted to their decision.
However, no realisation of these expeotations could be ex-
pected is this the first day's proceedings, which
opened in a singularly quiet manner, considering the
space the case had occupied in the public mind
for some months before. The feet seems to have
been that the sheriffs, apprehensive of pressure, had
so limited the issue of tickets, as wholly to preclude the
probability of • rush either outside or inside. Blue tickets
admitted to the body of the court, and by 8 o'clock a.m.
nearly the whole of the persona who had been favoured with
this clan of admission were assembled round the appointed
postern. A rem uncertainty, however, prevailed, as to
whether this was the right entrance, as the tickets them-
selves gontained no instruction, sad the police on
slaty were equally reserved with regard to informs-
Ina. Two or three barrister,, in wigs and gowns,
Oa* lady, gad the representatives cf the pu' lie
press were all that seemed to have obtained tickets
for this entrance, and they might all have been admitted
as they arrived without the slightest inconvenience. How-
ever the police inside were at once excited and inexorable.
Neithertke rather uncom f arhable position of the solitary lady,
the oljargations of an outraged member of the senior bar,
nor the solicitations of those chose special business it was
to be there could procure either admission or information.
Once, at the eight of several savoury•anellieg trays from
the Albion, the inspector's heart relented for • moment and
he opened the wicket, but on the small band of
visitors attempting to follow, • column of the garrison
and a vigorous sr He which followed Immediately, was
was formed inside, In a moment, after the Rl:grist manner,
eminently successful in sending the besiegers, the lone
lady and the fur-robed barristers inclusive, into the mud,
with which, by a wise forethought, the centre of the street '
the
courtesy
udpu
the
City
had previously been amply supplied. This =etcetera
was zone than once repeated, and we ourselves were
up the matter in despair, when, by
of Mr. Alderman W re, we Wen
enabled
through the hostile forces. On en-
bring
we giving v
about
Land Committee comfortably
seated in their box, and the whole of the judicial bench It
the exclusive possession of AI terosen Humphrey and Wire,
who had, a few moments after, the honour of receiving the
Marquis of Angles's, the Earl of Derby, and Earl Grey, the
only members of the aristocracy we recogoind as being pre-
sent. Shortly after, the chaplain entered in clerical costume i
and occupied a seat almost immediately facing the dock, and
the remaining privileged teats were gradually filled by the
aldermen. At this time every one expected a tre-
mendous rush on the opening of the doors, but
here again the effect of the sparse distribution
of Make= was strikiegly apparent. The occupants
of the gallery took their outs in the usual quiet and
orderly manner, and even the barristers found the places
allotted them without disturbing anything, even their own
Mashy. The wart was soon Comfortably filled, bat on

an
of
e othi eil lookingdhe,
deuced
Judges,
oca • egar
ed
i:asnanthun.ot
unco At
vered
ootn unusual:r efii :vt,
d:hiannounced
:on.
um: tisce.t .:drit
oe
the
tinte,ainnoden:Liotit
rerbas:nes i
bench. ee ladies
cn:
pi
j of
ute au
tice.
The ordinary solemn preliminaries w-re got tbrongh in the
anal mechaeical mariner, and immediately that mg.
liar stir which either in • street crowd or i,edror awenthly in-
dicates the advent of some object of .urpaieing interest, told
as that the prisoner, William Palmer. was about to appear.
He walked rather quickly to the front of the lock, but
without haste or uncertainty, and looked all rued with a
seemingly composed air. He seemed older than is stated
in the indictment, and had evidently green much stouter
daring hie confinement. He is a man rather under
than over the middle height, of fair Ihrid com-
plexion, and linguine temperemeat, and with nothing
la his round, ordinary face, to indieste
11 aid inelinat one or dark and deep desigas. A cued
observer would set him &Awn ea a respectable, good-
humoured farmer; and • phy•iognimigt would be more in-
dined to give him credit for social and convivial habit'',
than thou elaborately planned crimes which the indictment
lays to his charge. His forehead is high and open, and
altogether the expression of his countenance is the reverse
of disagreeable. His manner during the day was en-
trely free from bravado; and, although oat the jury bein
called, he scrutinised the face of each man et'eetively as
he some up, he declined his right of challenge, and
consequently the first twelve were sworn, after an inquiry
from the Chief Justice as to wheti•er any of three were in-
terested in either of the three suer .nce c meanies Gummed
in the cue. One gentleman sub•equectly demurred on the
potted of "having a prejudice," and the plea being
admitted he was immediately discharged and another
subetituied. During the pexces of swearing the
interest of the audience was teen. ferred Irons the
dock to the jury box, and each juryman
he foie and took the book underwent a rcrutiaiiing
minatien. From the frequent recurrence of the words
" baker," " tailor," " confectioner," eic., during the calling
over of the panel, it would 'near that they were all of
the middle class of shopkeepers, and all from different dis-
tricts. They looked to be quiet, respectable men,
and their demeanour indicated a full seese of
the heavy respourbility that deceived on them of
deciding "without fear, favour, or affection," on
that most solemn of all queitiens, the life or death of a
fellow-creature. Next to the pelsoner, the pen ins whom
the public were most auxins" to see, were his brother from
Rugeley, with a strong family resemblance, but d , sad
Mr. Smith, his very active solicitor, whose name has been
so frequently Were the public. It was men Ixed In
exert that this gentleman had endeavoured to nears
the services of Sir Fitzroy Ke.ly, but that the latter had
demanded one thousand &new with his bre, and con-
sequently, and in the absence of Seejeant Wilkie', the
leadership was entreated to S.rjeant Shee. It was also said,
that on the side of the proseoution some confusion had
arisen in the carriage of the proceedings, in coosequence of
the change of solicitors that had more then once taken place.
la the first place, a gentleman from Rugeley was employed,
tun the case was entrusted is Mr. Rtyaolds, but that
gentleman becoming suddenly aftl c.ed at once with
illness and a severe domestic calamity, the ease
was handed back to the Rogeley solicitor again.
Seeing that the most trivial details of the great criminal
trials of former days are read with the deepest interest
whensoever they become matters of history, it may not be
amiss to notice that in this, not the least remarkable of the
present time, the Chief Justice himself took special charge of
the cue from the commencement, and indicated an earnest

nervous anxiety that tied and iwpartialjnatice should be done.
Nothing either could be more temperate then the state-
ment of the case by the Attorney.Oeneral, which was
merely a lucid auel connected narrative of the events con-
nected with the dean et John Parmens Cook, the charges
connected with which was the first in the order of trial.