The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-05-28 00:00:00

RUGELEY

THE
POISONINGS.

TRIAL OP PALMER AT THE CENTRAL

CRIMINAL COURT

TWELFrH DAY

(FROM OUR OWN REPORTER)
,?.o•
hce. trial was LONDON, TUESDAY NIGHT.
7112,_ k, the court being
proceeded with this morning at ten
Bi..lval of
uered to the again crowded long before the
Public wastejudges As the investigation was cen-
drawing. to a close, the excitement- o t the
Beribabie d this morning heightened to an almost inde•
afternoon egree. From the latter part of yesterdayth,
%amine ' when the opinion became general that
against of the Lord Chief Justice was decidett
aPpeeseiase`!e prisoner, the Old Bailey,. and all
eon' _
purse 0,73 thereto, was crowded with
.an immense
_a
spectators who remained during the entirec,asde
tats,
the aarrf nau.iring the latest appearances of the
Niels ea Chief Justice proceeded with analysing the
This of the various witnesses for the prosecution.
to
ha; morning the excitement of the populace seemed
ha;
shrto'clock,be, if possible, still greater ; for before
ai the holders of tickets were in attendance,
aPen. le a rush into court the moment the doors were
014 Morbid taste on the part of several, to have a
Ills triaithe prisoner in the dock, on this, the last day of
severe. was evinced by the tact that, as much as a.
atheisr was many instances offered for a ticket of
coesidereit! and we are informed, that in this respect, a
lia• le.otuele amount of "business " was transacted.
the
come '"e Judges entered the court, accompanied by ht
Lee hat r and Sheriffs, the prisoner was at ?nee placed. a
'first at' He made his accustomed bow, ana then looking
the j thees, judgf.es a- nd subseauently casting a glance at
few sort', ,s.tstecl'upon the fr-ont of the dock, and for a
deee-ue,tts buried his face in his hands. He betrayed
the ie ;Mu restless anxiety. During the continuance Dr
3trunallillreing up to-day, however, notwithstandlng the
tiatna'giretnarks of Lord-Campbell with reference to the
"eine(' nsg, Points of evidence against the prisoner, he pre-
ekhieitaa! coolness and indifference he has all along
tl3aene a most remarkable and extraordinary
• h trh'e repeatedly took notes of the summing up,
trainass deliberate and systematic manner of a p.erson
Pains interested in the case, and when any particular
%tuts Street.
him he communicated it in writing to his
all ai It was done in a quiet easy manner, devoid of
ing the" „.3/ display, and not with the intention of attract-
s'etice of the nublic
e Jury •
e• s,having been called over and answered to their
4,0 d
,"ezti„,, Campbell, who was aain very inaudible, said-
last e;e7tl of the ury,-At the adjournment of the Court
the esaeling I finished the task of laving before you all
tllte does'aelita en the part. of the prosec.iition, and certainly
"Maw Ares en serious case against the prisoner, if
ere&
" arrars that in the middle of November
tbas,Plisoner
wirateewee,w.Ps involved in pecuniary difficulties of the
a 6 meeeate nature. He had engagements, to perform
.rr Was unable to meet without the most extra. ordi-
a•a;:Xertie
irs• He had to make payments for which. he
s'enerePared, and an action had been brought against
tooted his mother on a forged bill of exchange. He lead
tesise't, and he had no property on which money could
'Lee dee d• It so happened that on the 13th of November.no.
'of his heased became possessed of. .1,900 by the winning
orse Polestar, and there is evidence from which
tleaigthe ilefeereellee may be drawn that the prisoner framed the
C 1.411 aPPropriating the money of the decease.d to his
3' cal 10-71; He took means to accomplish that object, for
hem
sett
find that he appropriated Cook's money to the.
also „,,,`,et of debts of which he alone was liable. There is
es,;'luence from which it may be inferred that he drew
• foraue in the name of Cook upon Weatherby which. was
tool,—Ye; in order to obtain part of the money belonging to
lestils„ This was in Weatherby's hands, and you have the
move evidence that he employed Fisher to collect Cook's
'EN% Yeatisti apply it to his owu use. It also appehars a
eolest Cook's death he would become possessed of the horse
°Med ar' and You have the evidence of his having ab .
that
ea do.ennseas, which was to be produced, to the effect.
liable ertam bills of exchange on which they were jointly
/Thical:isera negociated for Cook's advantage only and fromi
Wail esSS'e prisoner derived no benefit, was brought. or-
that after Cook's death. If, however, Cook had survived,
Paniel;raad must have been exposed, and the prisoner.
13114 ett
It is said that, with respect to the joint Ba-
be ter , Cook and Palmer,hat by Cook's death it must all
If pap
a% on him. That rather a distant object, for.
seean mer got possession of all Cook's property by this
the iS' iae would not be a sufferer by his death. As to
1308-taliertant question, whether Cook might be lsuo-
oisT to have died from natural disease, or from
iaa4l, You have heard the evidence of Sir Benjamin
and other most honourable and able men in
Proees -
m
41ut a; on, who said that, in their opinion, he did
'dig": of natural disease-that they knew of no natural
avaiei;erlhat would account for those symptoms under
sonar Cook laboured previous to his death ; but, on the
Vee,;arY, that they believed that the symptoms described
sine ainieh as might be expected from the use of strych-
tetaa-'iat, comparing those symptoms with natural
baelfts, they did not correspond, but they did with those
atateg4 htl by strychnine. Then with regard to. the
etuirielrnt that no strychnine was found in the bod onoe
law vs for your consideration but there is no pointade!
eessST which poison must be found in the bodyof
pois(7?erson, who has died from the administration of
beee' and respecting poison not being found in Cook's
coet",,h3' Professor Taylor and Dr. Rees, who analysed the
You lints Of that part of it which was forwarded to
htrhesmt them,
4304 a aye Witnesses of great reputation, and Dr. Ci
certaini-
leireorneng the number, who stated that under h
Ased.prnstances strychnine cannot be found in the human
andijealli You have the evidence of Professor Taylor
stem tikes, Who experimented on animals destroyed
.by
121 tholilhe, that they were unable to find it in the bodies.
"eteeCe animals by resorting to the same method of
eook:°11 that they employed in examining the body. ofi
Nate" in which no strychnine was found. With
'ration `,.,0 the length of time between the alleged adminis-
44ear "et. the strychnine as the time the symptoms
that „seu, the evidence seems to lead to this conclusion,
is sgle!te.h depends on the state of the person whom it
teeedlhistred, aud the manner in whic it is a rtinme
eatatea4tthat in many instances a greats space o i
'hssisa hetsveen the ingestion of the poison anddeath in
hie, bsings than in animals
Lo• Sergant
Shee That's not in evidence, my lord.
'euuesred 9ampbell : el't was agreed on both sides in the
Nitnp: (3' the trial that reference might be made
.by the
zeegaes to known cases of medical writers bearnig on
as -are and in the works referred to that principle.
itienowledged, and I therefore am justified in
kr,
Lord esQ'rgeant Shee shook his head.
Heart o,;'aetnPbell : There being no blood found in the
Vreed on-i Lie Post mortem examination appears to be re- •
Lieata -ey the prosecution, and the result is this, t.ha
teryo be produced by the obstruction of the re.spitria:
heart,t regans producing asphyxia, blood is found in e
blood is if by spasms of the heart it contracts, thei.
°theasee seexPelled and none is found in it. And th
'itknws that in two instances it has proved to lace etvhe
h un human subject. Under these circumstances.
Which a've to look at the evidence of the prosecution
With eFhes to show that the prisoner first tampered
his bran victim by administering to him something. in
tWas pr,all:lY and water and in broth, the latter of which
• lie-"aken of by then female Mills, and, accordin.g
Aredu re evidence and that of Lavinia Barnes, it
have Cod the same symptoms on her as it did on Cook. You
hady,"Nclheree of antimony being found in the deceased's
von:kith, veeh shows that tartar emetic, which produces
hadsource been administered to him, but from what
have than ti for what purpose you are to say. Then you
the a evidence that the prisoner procured strychnine on
1101 b :11,,daLY and Tuesday nights, but for what purpose
.has
I)eaeheti; shown; neither had the prisoner attempted to im-
"Was ,474 e evidence of the witnesses in respect to it. What
110 eipuiea intention ?-what was the application of it .
Th)t to nation had been given of it, and it was impossible
at the Pay attention to the conduct of the prisoner
siitiati bar, in reference to Cook's death, without c:n-
bond ngt Whether it was such as was consistent with the
tage"-v, °f a guilty or innocent man. He was most
eofenr t" at the body should be fastened down in the
have 'es,a,ll,cl with regard to the deceased's betting-book
.you
hook '''Lnence from which you may infer that the betting-
tsyin Was abstracted by the prisoner. Tuen, in
was lito bribe the postboy to overturn the fly in which
aatinnl •a jar containing the parts of the body for analy-
Nyhe4 and we might c ;twelve the evidence of his guilt.
RUN. We find him tampering with the postmaster of
Tas,h);rl and getting him to open a letter from Dr.
after he had examined the contents of the. jar, to
also eatdiner, the attorney for the prosecution. We
Indeeelleit, the prisoner tampering with the coroner, to
'that w-„`",nl_, to procure a verdict from the coroners jury,
Inatter,alcut amount to an acquittal. These are serious
moat for Your consideration, and you, and you alone,
then; 81,:ve what inference is to be drawn from
bl' the e ,-14 they are not answered satisfactorily
if prisoner they present a serious case against him ;
fiad °lt ale satisfied that they are, you will, of. course,
The e at the prosecution has failed to make out its case.
consisqsilsosvfer which the prisoner has given to the charge.
"den,. two parts ; the first consisting of medical
to and the second as to the fact. With regard
t
ho "'rifler, a number of gentlemen of the high, s:
Isoowit, unsullied integrity, and of profound scientific
speak edg; have come forward with a sincere desire to
a pr, the truth, and to bring the investigation to
their'Per issue; but it is for you to say whether, from
manner in the witness-box, either of them had
sated
the character of a witness into that of an advo-
extre„r, if so, such conduct was reprehensible in the
seeds The :earned judge then proceeded, and read the
Ie e`-nee of the defence, commencing with Dr. Nunnel3's.
vva:lB evidence he stated that in the case he had seen there
flootn,°t !Lore than the ordinary amount of rigidity; steel
Was, t important pirt of the statement of Dr. Nunnely
,vari, that on the post mortem examinations he had in-
st, 41)1Y found the heart full after death. This circum-
_
differs from the state of the heart of Cook, as it was
she, "hats!. At the conclusion of the evidence his lord-
'juts "aid—i am sure you will
give your most serious atten-
„, it to the facts mentioned by this witness, as they differ
iretesrfially from the medical evidence for the prosecution.
of
r. 'ate3 there was no more than the ordinary amount
It_lgidity after death, and he also attaches great import-
come to t
tis the heart of Mr.
en Cook bsing found empty
is. I now
he evidence giv by Mr. Herepath. H lordship