The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-16 00:00:00

THE IiEGEL

fEY POISONING CASES.

--~----

INQUEST ON WALTER PALMER, BROTHER

OF THE ACCUSED.
RTJGELEY, JAN. 15,

After the despatch of the evidence ye,.terclay, the fol-
lowing additional statement of Thomas Walkenden was
taken :—Seeing Mr. Walter very black in the face, I
called to Mr. Williams Palmer, and said, " See what is
the matter with your brother." I cannot say whether
his eyes were open or shut, and he looked as if he was
asleep. Mr. Palmer said he was in a fit, and I went to a
neighbour. When William Palmer came he said, "Why,
good God, he is in a fit." I then asked him what was
to be done. He said he really did not know. He felt
his pulse, and ordered hot water to be got to his feet.
I put wet cloths to his head, and we did everything we
could think of. Mr. Wm. Palmer told me to go for a
doctor, and when I came back Walter Palmer was dead.

By Mr. Deane—lir7WaTtWiealiner has been a friend
to me. I will answer you another time whether he set
ma up in business or not. I wed to get gin for him, two
gaily as at a time. [The bill of exchange was handed to
the witness, and he was asked if the acceptance was in
M. William Palmer's handwriting, and he said he did
Wit know.]
Mr. Dear e stated that the bill had been paid by witness
out of Mr. William Palmer's money, which he denied.
By Mr. Deane—l never told you that I met his bro-
tber. I do not know that he bad any medicine. He
was sick before Mr. Palmer came. He was so every
morning. Mr. Palmer came about ten or half-paat ten.
He had about three-quarter parts of a tumbler of gin
and water. I did not see William give him any drug
for his sickness. He did not vomit more than usual.
He went with me into the kitchen and looked at it. He
said it was nasty bile, and I threw it away. After I
came into the room he did not vomit. He was in a fit,
and I gave him a little water. He had no brandy and
water or gin after his brother came into the house.
By Mr. Smith—Nothing was put to Walter Palmer's
mouth by me or his brother before he was taken with
fit.

A Juror asked who paid for the gin, and the witness
said he would answer it on another day.
By Mr. Smith—There was no glass used from the time
,Mr. Walter came in, and I gave him the water with a
spoon. Mr. Deane came to me in October last, accom-
panied by Mr. Field, an inspector, to make inquiries as
to Walter Palmer's death.

Mr. J. T. Harland—l aa'n a physician. I live at Staf-
ford. On the 24th of July I examined a policy of assur
ance, and reported to the Gresham Insurance•office, on
the life of Walter Palmer,

By Mr. Smith—l reported that he had delirium tre-
mens. I think he was a person likely to be attacked by
apoplexy, resulting from delirium, tremens. A violent
coughing would tend to apoplexy. I applied the stetho-
scope under the scapula, and I heard no unnatural mur-
muring either back or front. The breathing was perfect.
There was a nervous action of the heart, produced by
drink. That nervousness would be increased by drink, and
the action of the heart would become more irregular. The
irregularity at the heart denotes irregularity of the cir-
culation. With an irregularity of the heart there i.
often an absence of disease. The effect of the heart's
irregularity on the system produces faintness, flushing
of the face, determinatiost of blood to the head, and
poplexy.
Elizabeth Phillips examined—l lived next door to
Walter Palmer. I was cal led in on the day of his death.
It was on Thursday, the 16th of August, at about 11 in
the day. I went into the house and fuund Mr. Wm. Pal-
mer and his brother, who was in a fit. Mr. Wm. Palmer
was exceedingly agitated, and was walking to and fro
Mr. Walter Palmer was sitting on the sofa, with his head
reclining on one aide. He was alive then. I noticed hiA
face, and stood by him until he died. He appeared like
himself, breathing with a snoring groan. The colour lof
his fp-la was nothing particular. His eyes were partially
opez Ido not think hes moved his eyes at all ; they ap-
pear 2d quite fixed. Ha breathed heavily. I think be was
not convulsed in hand or foot. He lived about 15 minutes
after I got there. I neever saw a grown person die of apo-
plexy, but have a child. The symptoms of the child
were the same as those of Walter Palmer, so far as the

snoring noise.
By Mr. Deane—l was ready to do anything in my
power, but it was too late. Mr. Palmer said they were
about to put his feet. into hot water, but it was too late.
I did not offer to do so. The noise was like a person
in a very sound sleep, snoring loudly. I noticed no
particular smell in the room. Mr. Wm. Palmer, in very
feeling terms, lamented that his brother had drunk more
than a bottle of brandy a day. Nothing was given to
him whilst I was there.
By Mr. Smith—l was there about a quarter of an
hour before Walter Palmer died. I was not acquainted
with William Palmer. I did not know there was such
a person.
Martha Fern—l live at Stafford. I did not know
Walter Palmer. I was fetched to assist to lay out the
body. I found the corpse in the parlour. I found a
handkerchief over his face, his head aside, and his hands
on his thighs. There was nothing peculiar in the ap-
pearance of the body. The body was not cold. I got
there between one and two. Mr. Wm. Palmer was there
at the time.
By Mr. Deane—The limbs were "limber," and the
hands open and damp. The appearance of the corpse
was not horrible or ghastly, bet was very good indeed.
The next day there was a colour in the cheeks.
By Mr. Smith—l have laid out many persons in my
time.

Professor Alfred Taylor was then called—He said he
was fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, fellow of
the College of Physicians, and Professor of Chemistry at
Guy's Hospital. Tne viscera of the deceased were de-
livered to me at Guy's Hospital by Inspector Crisp on
the 24th of Dec. They were in three jars, labelled
" Walter Palmer." No. 1 contains the stomach and
duodenum ; No. 2, the large and small intestines, one
kidney, and a portion of the larynx ; No. 3, the liver,
spleen, heart, and p-rtion of the lungs. They were exa-
mined by Dr. Rees and myself. The first analysis was
made of the stomach. It was pale externally. The
coats of the stomach were then soft and putrified. The
lining membrane was covered with a thin putty coloured
substance, of the consistency of paste. At the greater
fond the stomach was slightly red, owing to post mortem
changes. There was no appearance of inflammation,
ulceration, or organic disease, and no blood or bile in•
fused into the stomach. The large and small intestines
• in jar No. 2 were healthy, the small intestines only con-
tained a small bilious-coloured substance on their surface
(on the lining membrane). The large intestines con-
tained fcecal matter of natural appearance, the kidney
was healthy, with the exception of havino some appear-
- /ice of congestion. No. 3, the liver and other viscera.
• heliver was of a pale brown colour, with disease, the
disease being of long standing. The spleen, heart, and
lungs healthy. He then proceeded to the chemical ana-
lysis, and the whole of the parts were separately exa-
mined for the detection of mineral and vegetable poison,
*Jut with the result that no poison of any kind was des
tected in any of these organs. Tne blood contained in
the jars was submitted to chemical analysis, and the
result was no poison in it. The pasty substance
scraped from the stomach was examined, and contained
no poison. The conclusions which he drew from
these analyses and examinations were these : first, with
the exception of the liver, the viscera of the deceased
presented no appearance of disease ' • secondly, the en-
largement of the liver was not such as to account for
such a sudden death ; thirdly, that no mineral or vege-
table poison could be detected in any part of the body ;
fourthly, that there was nothing in the appearance of
the viscera to account for death ; fifty, in the absence of
distinct evidence of the nature and duration of the ill-
ness of decease:, we are not able to give an opinion as
to the cause of death, whether from disease or poison.
Dr,Rees concurs in these conclusions, which were drawn
up and signed on the 4th of January last. I have since
beard the evidence given by witnesses as to the death of
the deceased, and my opinion is, assuming nothing to
have 13,1,43 taken by him an hour before he died, that the
cause of his death was apoplexy, arising from excessive
drinking.
By Mr. Deane—The symptoms of apoplexy are much
the same as those of narcotic poison. A man like Walter
Palmer, labouring under disease, would be mere suscep-
tible of poison. I have known persons to die from poison,
and yet a disease might appear to account for death.
After a lapse of four or five months all trace of narcotic
Poison would have left the body, or of prussic acid either.
Prussic acid would disappear in a fortnight after death.
A fatal dose would disappear in that time. Half a tea.
spoonful of prussic acid would be a fatal dose.
Be Mr. Smith—Having heard the evidence, I am of
opinion that Walter Palmer died of apoplexy, produced
by excessive drinking.
Mr. Smith—l will now ask Mr. Deane, after having
obtained this evidence—Do you intend to proceed any
further with the case, and can we go home ?
Mr. Deane—Certainly I do. Thera is some most im-
portant evidence yet to be brought forward.
It being now a quarter past 7 o'clock, the jury having
sat ten hours, the inquiry was adjourned until Tuesday
morning at nine o'clock.
This (Tuesday) morning the inquiry was resumed soon
after nine o'clock, and, notwithstanding the severity of
the weather, a large number of persons assembled at the
Town-hall.
Mr. Robert Hughes was the first witness. He said
lam a surgeon, and reside at Stafford. I received no-
tiee that Mr. Walter Palmer would call upon me for the
purpose of examination for a life assurance in the Solidi-
tors' and General Life Assurance Office. He came on
the 2 1 December, accompanied by Mr. Win. Palmer. I
examined him. I made a certificate in writing that his
general health was good, as I did not discover that be
was suffering from any disease. The only remark I
made was that his pulse was quick and feeble. I said
that his prospects of longevity were not so certain as in
a person of temperate habits. Walter Palmer was 32
years of age. In the proposal for insurance he was
stated to have had one fit of delirium tremens, and
that was confirmed by his own words on exami-
nation viva voce. The effect of delirium tremens might
be that of leaving the pulse in the state I found it.
Previous to that time I did not know the de-
cer"ed Personally. I heard Dr. Taylor give his evidence
yesterday. My opinion, before bearing Dr. Taylor's
evidence, entirely agreed' with it. My opinion was that
deceased was poisoned by gin.
By Mr. Smith—I believe the use of gin, in the way
described yesterday, would be sufficient to destroy life.
I adhere to the term " poisoned by gin." I did not exa-
mine his wine. I have never seen a person poisoned
• either by morphia or prussic acid. Prussic acid would
produce stertuous breathing. The effect of prussic acid
on the system would be to produce stertuous breathing,
which would stop the circulation of the blood. I never
saw death by prussic acid. I have heard no evidence to
change my opinion that Walter Palmer died from drink-
ing gin. . .
By a Juror—The time that a person could take two
quarts of gin a day would depend on the state of 'the