The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-01-28 00:00:00

by the Vice

6stler, and

ightful evening,

1 by a tender: to the landing stage,
Morrish was duly acknowledged

I'HE RUGELEY POISONING

CASES.

LATEST PARTICULARS

THE INTENDED DEFENCE

(nom OUR OWN

IRTER.)

We understand that the reason why the body of Mr.

John Parsons Cook w

re-ex hum

morning

was in consequence of an expkiment having been made
on a cit. Strychnine, we believe, was administered to the

animal, and the

iult was its deat

A. subset'

ueut ex-

amination disclosed the existence of strychnine in the

spinal marrow, and it was then resolved to re-exhume the
body of the late Mr. Cook, in order to ascertain if strych-
nine was deposited in this portion of his body. The sur-
geon named by Mr. George Palmer, on behalf of hie
brother, was expected to be present on Saturday, and the
result of the examination will, it is expected, be made
known at the trial.

From all we can gather, the defence is intended to be a
powerful one. Mr. Sergeant Wilkins. Mr. Keneally, and
two other juniors have been retained. As regards the
case of Mr. Cook, we learn that there will be an absolute
denial of the charge.
With reference to that of Mrs. William Palmer, there►
will al-- - • -

ld that as regards the supposed
y her life, viz.,the desire to recover
, for which her life was insured by-
eto e that Palmer g
uuly wisn was to insurempte hed r lifeb forshown 5,0001., and that he
made the proposal two months before her last accouchement,
in consequence of danger having been attendant upon her
two previous confinements, and also in dread of an.
opinion from medical men that death might
probably ensue on the third; that he further
took) this precaution in consequence of Col. Brooke's heir
at law having threatened an action to recover possession
of Mrs. Palmer's property; and, lastly, that he made all
the proposals at the same time, intending only to insure
for 50001, but did not wish to have to admit that his wife's
life had been refused, and, therefore, made the several
proposals at the same time, thinking that some of them
would be accepted ; that, ultimately, three of them were
accepted, and that he then completed the three after cal—
culating his risk in the event of his wife's death, coupled
with the threat of Col. Brooke's heir at law.

••••., IMO •.•
As regards Walter Palmer's case, we learn that it will
be attempted to <be established that the deceased
had: had considerable advances from his mother,
prejudicial to the other members of the family,
and that the insurance upon his_ life was effected solely
with the view of protecting the interests of his brothers
and sisters. We also learn that the proposal upon the
life of George Bate will be explained, upon the ground
that he wished to take a brewery, in the negociations for
which Palmer was assisting him ; that .5,000/. was the
amount required, and that that sum could not be raised
except upon the collateral security of a policy of insur-
ance for 25,0001.

STATEMENT OF WILLIAM PALMER.
It will be observed that in the late inquest on Walter
Palmer, Mr. J. Smith, of Birmingham, the prisoner's soli-
citor, made strong assertions against Mr. Whyman, the
assistant to Messrs. Mander & Weaver. druggists, of
Wolverhampton, who deposed to serving William Palmer
with two ounces of prussic acid on Tuesday, the day of
Wolverhampton races, previous to the Thursday on which
Walter Palmer died suddenl7. Upon the evidence of this
witness the verdict of the jury appears to have for the
most part rested, the medical witnesses going no farther
than to suggest that the symptoms of death, although
similar to. those of apoplexy, might have been occasioned
by prussT acid. William Palmer, in giving instructions
to his solicitor on this point, says as follows in writing :
" 1 will swear most solemnly and sacredly that I never
was in a druggist's shop in Wolverhampton in my life, and
that I do not even know where Mander & Weaver's
shon is.

"Ask him what time of the day (he says) he sold me
the acid.

" On Monday, Wolverhampton race day, I went with
Mr. Dyke in a fly of Southern's from Rugeley.
"On Tuesday I left the Stafford station at 12—(Whyman
says it was a quarter-past 12—and persists in it—that
Palmer was in Messrs. Brander & Weaver's shop, at
Wolverhampton, 20 miles distant)—with Mr. Painter,
went to the Talbot with Mr. Painter. from thence to the
Swan, then on with Mr. Dyke in a by from the Swan to
the course ; from the course with Mr. Dyke, in the same
fly back to the Swan, and straight off- home in my gig,
which Mr. Dyke drove from Rugeley in the morning.''
As the several persons implicated corroborate this
statement, the friends of Palmer assert with confidence
that Whyman must either have mistaken some other havingper-
made the statement boast-
'(as it is called) when driven
isnogniy, for
rhPalmer,
hasos
trutchkat to
it
into a corner, and so committed perjury. They assert
that it can be incontestibly proved that Palmer could not
have been at Messrs. Mender and Weaver's, in Wolver•
hampton, at the time stated, or within several hours after-
wards.
The manner of William Palmer exercises its influences
even under present circumstances. On Wednesday last,
at Walsall sessions, one of the head turnkeys of Stafford Jail (who is a keen observer and a most trust-worthy roan,
having held his position 50 years), said, " he never before knew a prisoner who impressed every one in the jail with
a more favourable impression, or with a greater appear-
ance of beirg innocent of the charges brought against him,
than Palmer."