The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-04 00:00:00

n the country markets this

I demand not so active.

lragee, about 6

ileraine, and Cookstown,

demand in these markets
was driller, but prices without change, except for coarse
qualities which were cheaper. In the Derry district the
supplies have been abouttan average. The demand has
been rialto inactive, and prices hive given Is to 2s per
cwt for coarse, whilst good and fine cannot be quoted
lower.—Belfast Daily Mercury.

shown. The

THE RUGELEY CASES

-----,.5y..-....-

Mr. John Smith, acting on the part of William Palmer, has
addressed Dr. Taylor tbrough Messrs. Chubb, Deane, and
Chubb, of Gray's-inn, Lotdon, the solicitors engaged in Anne
Palmer's case, in reference to the professor's opinion regard—
cinal doses," and his

n by antimony i

f during life in fifteen

or twenty days. " Mr. Smith informs him that several men
of high standing deny both propositions," and that " as
he considers it bat fair that Professor Taylor's reasons
should be given to those gentlemen, he requests to be
furnished with a fail report of the case, and Dr. Taylor's
reasons for arriving at his conclusions already given."
Messrs. Chubb, Deane, and Chubb have replied, that they
Lave forwarded Mr. Smith's letter to Dr. Taylor, but have,
at the same time, advised him not to comply with Mr.
Smith's request, which appears to be an unreasonable one.
The Writs of certiorari granted by the Court of Queen's
Bench to bring np the depositions and inquisitions in the
cases of John Parsons Cook, Ann Palmer, and Walter
Palmer are made returnable on the 15th of April, the
first day of next (Easter) term. By that period the
indictments will have been returned to this court, and am
application will be made to remove the venue. From
what transpired at the recent issuing of the writs, there
is little doubt that their lordships will grant the removal
of the trial from Stafford; and as its taking place in
some other county town would involve a further delay of
a few months until the Autumn Assizes, and as the rela-
tives and friends of the accused have expressed a desire
that the case should be taken in London, it is anticipated
that the trial will be fixed to be heard at the May sittings
of the Central Criminal Court. It is stated that Lord
Campbell or the Lord Chief Baron will preside; the
Attorney-general, Mr. Edwin James, Q.C., and Mr. Hud-
dlestone twill conduct the prosecution ; and Sir F.
Thesiger and Mr. Sergeant Wilkins have been entrusted
with the defence.

It has been mentioned that the body of Mr. J. Parsons
Cook had been exhumed in order to make a more minute
examination of some portions of the remains. That was
proceeded with by Dr. Harland, Dr. Monckton, and Mr.
Dawford, and in the presence of the two medical gewle-
men named by Mr. Geo. Palmer, brother of Wm. Palmer,
viz., Professor Bolton and Mr. Pemberton, of Birming-
ham. Both the body and coffin exhibited symptoms of
decomposition; but we understand that the spinal cord
(which was alone the object of investigation, and not the
brain, which had been previously examined) was in a
state of preservation, which allowed a full and proper
examination of its whole length. The spine was entirely
free from disease. We believe that the healthy appear-
ance presented by the hair and upper part of the spinal
marrow on the first examination, was the reason which
led the medical gentlemen to deem it necessary to examine
the :whole of the spinal cord on that occasion. After the
examination had closed, the body, which had been left in
charge of the police, was replaced in the grave. The
medical gentlemen drew up a report, which they signed,
and which, we believe, has been transmitted to Professor
Taylor, at Guy's Hospital.

It is considered probable that William Palmer will
undergo an examination before the magistrates, before
the trial comes on. It appears that Captain Hatton, the
chief superintendent of the Staffordshire constabulary,
has collected some further evidence bearing upon the
cases charged against Palmer, and as it is deemed desirable
that he should be put in possession of all additional facts,
he will have to be taken before the magistrates, in order
that they may be received as evidence, the coroner's
inquiries having closed. The examination will ti4ke place
in Stafford gaol.

Another attempt to, declare Palmer a bankrupt is likely
to be made. His liabilities are stated to be 15.0001.

The following communication froml Professor Taylor
appears in the columns of the Lancet of Saturday last. It
is addressed to the editor of that medical journal, and if;
in these terms :

Sir,--I have great pleasure in replying to the inquiries
contained in your leading article of January 19.

1. I stated that I had never known antiroonial powder,
when given in a medical doses (i.e., from five to eight
grains at a dose), to produce violent vomiting and purging.

I am aware that experience differs on this point; that
some have found this substance inert, while others have
found it very active. From some recent experiments on
antimonal pr.parations, I think it not unlikely that the
powder may sometimes contain arseniate of lime. Dr.
Pereira mentions that in the large dose of halt a teaspoon-
-1111, it, on one occasion, produced violent vomitine, purg-
ing, and sweating ; while in still larger doses (120 grains
at a dose), prescribed by Dr. Elliotson, it occasioned in
some instances only nausea. I have never met with any
ease in which serious symptoms could be referred to its
operation ; and, in the case of Ann Palmer, this medicinal
preparation would not account for the antimony found in
her body.

2. My statement as to the cause of death was that the
deceased died from the effects of tartar emetic, and from
no other cause. That is the opinion which Dr. Rees and
I formed from the result of our examination, and from the
description of the symptoms under which the deceased
laboured during the eight days which preceded his death.
It is an opinion which I believe is now equally shared by
the two medical attendants of the deceased. We are quite
prepared to maintain this opinion on the trial. You will
excuse me from not entering into our reasons for this opi-
nion on the present occasion, as this may form a very fair
and proper subject for cross-examination at the trial.
Possibly the defence may be that tartar emetic in small
dosess is not a poison ; that it cannot, under any circum-
stances destroy life, and that it was the very best remedy
for the disease (English cholera) under which it was
stated the deceased was labouring.

One other point connected with this inquiry may be
here adverted to. The examination of the organs was
made fifteen months, not "fifteen weeks," after death, and
the viscera examined were as well preserved as I have
seen them in many cases of arsenical poisoning. They
were in a better state of, preservation than the viscera of
Walter Palmer, whose body had been buried for a period
of three months only, in a leaden coffin. The viscera in
Ann Palmer's case were in such a state of preservation
as to allow us to form an opinion of their condition.

3. This enquiry refers to the elimination of antimony
from the body. According to my experience, antimony
is analogous to arsenic in the rapidity with which it enters
into the blood and passes out of the system. Those two
metals are Nvholly different in this respect from mercury
and lead, probably from copper. I shall be most happy,
after the trial, to furnish you with facts and authorities.
so far as I can, in reference to those interesting points.
In the meantime, as the question may also form a fair sub-
ject for cross-examinat iou, a detailed answer to it may be
for the present reserved.

4. The fourth inquiry involves, as you have justly sus-
pected, an error of the press. What I said was to the
effect, that if there were symptoms of fever, antimontal
medicines might be fairly prescribed.

In concluding this letter, I would observe that during a
quarter of a century which I have now specialty devoted to
toxicological inquiries, I have never met ,with any cases
like these suspected cases of poisoning at Rugeley. The
mode in which they will affect the person accused is of
minor importance compared with their probable influence
on society. I have no hesitation in saying that the future
security of life in this country will mainly depend on the
judge, the jury, and the counsel, who may have to dispose
of the charges of murder which have arisen out of these
investizations.—l um, Sir, your obedient servant,

ALFRED S. TAYLOR, M.D., F.R.S

St. James's Terrace, Regent's Park, Jan. 1856.
In reference to the statement of William Palmer, in
respect of the evidence given by Whyman, the druggist's
assistant, a letter has been addressed to Mr. Smith by Mr.
I.lancox, a surgeon of Bilston, in which he states that he
saw William Palmer and a friend going out of the Swan
aotel yard, in a gig, on the afternoon of August 14.