The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-01-08 00:00:00

THE RUGELEY POISONINGS

A. London cotemporary of last night, publishes the
following, under ithe astoundingh:ead, " Supposed murder
of the late Lord George Bentinck: "
The inquiries instituted at Rugeley and Stafford, with
relation to the antecedents of William Palmer and his
associates, have brought several new circumstances to
light of a mysterious and appalling character. The
names of other persons, either missing or known to be
deceased, have been mentioned as having suddenly dis-
appeared from Rugeley, and it is now ascertained, upon
the evidence of two or three persons, that Palmer was
seen in the company of the lite George Bentinck on
the day of his death. It it also said that he had had
betting transactions with the noble lord, and owed him
a considerable sum of money at the time of his death.
This information has tended to heighten the excitement
already prevailing in Stafford, Nottingham, and Lichfield,
where the accused, Palmer, is well known, Additional
inquiries have been set on foot to trace Palmer's move-
ments on the day on which Lord George Bentinck's body
was found in the field, and it is stated that there are
witnesses in Nottingham who can depose to having seen
Palmer and Lord George Bentinck together for some time
before the death of the latter."

Another London evening journal of last night also refers
to the rumours suggested by the preceding article :
" Is it true that Palmer, the Rugeley surgeon, was seen
in company with Lord George Bentinck a short time
before his death ? It is so stated, with the addition that
Palmer was a loser in heav3 bets with Lord George.
Things of this kind are so likely to be said, if there is the
shadow of a fact to rest them upon, that they must be
received with something more than caution—with the
presumption that of all the stories afloat much must be
idle gossip. It would, however, be a caricature of
judicial delicacy, to affect ignorance of some great facts
that heap suspicion on suspicion. The amounts of insur-
ance affected by Palmer on persens who have since died,
and who are not supposed to have had expectations at all
commensurate with the sums insured, the successive insur-
ance of a brother's life, and a wife's, followed up by the pro-
posal, to insure the life of a servant, the fraudulent
character of the last transaction, with several other cir-
cumstances, contribute
to the darkest incidents of a
romance which is developing itself slowly before our aight.
As it now stands, there is no English story which vies
with the Rugeley poisoning case in its interest and horrors.
We must go abroad, we must seek beyond tne case of
Laffarge, and pass to Brinvilliers, or Borgia, to find a
parallel. Should the investigation before a judge acquit
the accused man, the case will excel even those of Brin-
villiers and Borgia, since it will add the surprise of
acquittal to the suspended interest of accusal—to the
drama of Borgia, modernised a la Wainwright, adding
the innocence of Eliza Fenning, only with a " a happy
ending." Certainly Palmer will have a fair trial. No
"discussion" can injure him; to avoid allusion to his case
would be the cant of forbearance ; for the suspicious facts
have theniselves accumulated a weight of " prejudice "
which discussion can only qnalify, not increase. As the
story stands thus' far unfolded, we are forced to the
shuddering suspicion that there had been a man amongst
us who would, and could, sacrifice a fellow-sportsman, a
brother, a wife, a visitor,—his constant or casual com-
panions in all ranks, from his own servant to the hope of
a political party. If the story is at all as it now looks,
that man would assail the highest in the laud, and would
use his victims as his accomplices and instruments, and
all under cover of the refinements and guarantees of our
civilization. Mis certainly is a tale of mystery that
ought to be explored to its last recesses,

[We abstain from comment, beyond the remark that a
Coroner's verdict pronounced the death of the late leader
of the Protectionist party in the House of Commons to
have arisen:from natural causes—no doubt from disease of
the heart. In common with the whole community, we
await the adjourned inquiry at Rugeley with increasing
anxiety.—En. N. D. T.]