The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-01-14 00:00:00

Gardner, the solicitor, an'l which contained
his report on the analysis made of the contents of the

lor to NI

stomach of M

Cook, is exciting an amount of interest
tittle short of that created by the alleged poisoner himself.
It is 1:n awn now that Cheshire was one of the referees in
nearly all he p"npnsals made to the insurance offices by
er. and he is supposed to have been cl,,sely mixed up
•imer in many of his mysterious and 4ionable

trangaet ion.. What adds to the importance attracted to this

ice robbery, is t

being sum

of his receiving a present of game from Palmer, together

with two letters which the man Geo. Bates conveyed from

a• circumstances of much secrecy. Gr.ssip

is very busy respecting those two letters, and the alleged

acy between Palmer and the Corm

hut it would

be unfair to give currency to any rumours at present, or

until the coroner has given evidence on the subject

which

he will do at the adjourned hearing of the case ,on

Thursday next

There is no truth in the report that Sergeant Wilkins
is yet engaged on behalf of the prisoner ; and Mr. Huddle-
ston, instead of being retained for him, has been secured

for the prosecution.

A host of representatives from the insurance offices
arrived to-day.

FURTFIF,TZ SUSPICIONS

Among the persons who have pith- enefir;(l;uddenly at,
or disappeared mysteriously from. Tingeley, y; as the
mother: of Mrs. Palmer, who had formerly sprung
from a very humble origin. She was a person of eccentric
habits, living at Stafford, and not keeping any servants,
although possessed of considerable pronerty. Shortly
before her death in the year 1818 or 1849. Palmer called
upon her at Stafford, and she refused to admit himalleg.
ing that she was afraid of him, as he had once given her
something to drink which had made "her sick. Palmer,
finding he entail not get admission, Induced the wife
of her next door neighbour to go to 'her to prevail upon
her to admit hlm, alleging that she was ill, and that as he
was her son-in-law. and a medical man, he must see her.
She refused for a long time. but at length consented to
see him, not in her own house, but in thp next house. and
in the presence of a witness. At the interview. Palmer
en to lend him some money, and also ask
requested h
her to go and live at his house, stating that she would he
far more comfortable with her daughter. She refused to
give him the money, and he left her much incensed.
The poor woman afterwards, fearing that Palmer world
ill-treat her daughter on his • return home if she did
not give him 'some money, went to the bank, and, having
procured £29, forwarded it to him. She also said that, i f
she were to go and reside under the same roof with hltn.
she would not live a fortok,h.. Her forebodings proved
to
he true. as, notwithstanding her dread of personal vio-
lence, she afterwards went to reside with her daughter
(ITrs. Palmer), and died in four days of erwards. An-
other person who disappeared mysterionsly a few ye Ira
ago was a commercial traveller, named Duffy, who
annears to have been on terms of intimacy, not only with
Palmer's mother, but with her sans. This person was
known to have some misunderstanding with the Palmers,
and to have abruptly left the house, repairing to a small
inn in Rugeley. He ordered his dinner and went nut, hut
has never since been heard of. The only luggage he brought
with him was a Carpet hag, and this has since been found to
contain a number of letters from Mrs. Palmer, sen., and
from Willi^m Palmer, which leave no doubt as to the
nature of the intimacy between the former and Dawn, and
of the fact of William Palmer being cognisant of it. It is
now stated that. shortly after the disappearance of Duffy.
a well in Palmer's garden w vs filled up and another sunk
9 its supply of water. A gentleman named
at a short distance, it being alleged that, the first well was
deficient i
Stevens, who married the deceased Cook's mother, is dour
everything in his power to serye,the ends of justice. The
coolness of Palmer with respect to the death of Cook al-
most exceeds belief. He himself proposed to Mr. Stevens
to conduct the cost-mort-m examination on the body of
Cook, and in his diary, now in the hands of the police, is
an entry in the following words :—" Attended pest-mortem
examination upon poor Cook." Mr. Henry A, Deane. of
Gray's Tnn, the solieltor engaged by the assurance offices
for the prosecution, has been indefatigable in hieexertions
to collect information. and has most imnnrtant
obtained
evidence relation. to the deaths of Mrs. Wm, Palmer and
of. Mr. Walter Palmer. The diaries and private papers of
William Palmer contain entries of those persons, and in
the search which took place Mr. Deane Was enabled to
make some discoveries tending to throw light „non other
matters enonected with the personal history of the Reused.
Duringthe inquest, on the body of Conk, Palmer ex-
cused himself from attending,on the ground that he was
unwell. After the jury had returned their verdict, Cant.
Batton, the chief constable of the county, requested Mr.
Monckton, surgeon, of Rugeley. to accomecan—
y him to
Palmer's house to ascertain the state of his health before
he took him into custody on the charge. Palmer was
found in bed. He had three feather beds under him,
and eight blankets over him, and was evidently what is
called in snorting phraseology, "sweating himself
clown." Captain 'Hatton having informed him of the finding of the
jury, told
him that be arrested him for the wilful murder
of Mr. Cook, Palmier said, with great composure, " Very
well," and then cotnpiained of great weakness.
Captain
Hatton said that if he required any assistance in d-essing
himself, the police who were in the house would assist
him.- Palmer then prepared to leave the house, but
subsequently to doing got threw his arms round the nook