The Sun.
London, England, 1832-06-12 00:00:00

THE LATE MRS. PALMER.

The circumstances attending the death of Mrs.
Palmer,of Ham Common, near Richmond, have been
made the subject of a most serious and lengthened
investigation. It would appear that on Thursday
evening se'nnight Mrs. Palmer had been engaged
in conversation with her nephew, Richard Sharpe,
Esq., in the drawing-room, and about eight o'clock
she retired to an adjoining apartment, and com-
plained of slight indisposition. At half-past nine
o'clock Mrs. Palmer desired her maid to inform
Mr. Sharpe, to whom she was greatly attached, that
feeling herself rather indisposed, she should not be
able to see him again that night. The servant ac-
cordingly proceeded down stairs for that purpose,
leaving her mistress at the door of her bed-chamber,
with a lighted candle in her hand. Scarcely had
the young woman left Mrs. Palmer, than Miss Pot-
ter, the housekeeper, who was reading in the front
parlour, heard a noise as if some person was gasp-
ing for breath. She immediately ran into the hall ;
but before any answer could be made to her in-
quiries, she distinctly heard the same sound again,
issuing from an apartment on the first floor, and it
instantly occurred to her that Mrs. Palmer was
either in a fit, or had met with some accident.—
Miss Potter rushed up stairs, when the first ob-
ject that met her view, was her mistress enve-
loped. in flames, and standing with both arms ex-
tended in the door-way of a passage leading and im-
mediately contiguous to her bed room. The horrify-
ing sight for the instant paralysed her exertions;
but momentarily recovering herself, she attempted
to extinguish the flames, but without effect.—
The cries of Miss Potter for assistance alarmed
Mr. Sharpe, who also in vain tried to put out
the fire, which completely enveloped the unfor-
tunate lady. There was nothing near sufficiently
incombustible with which they could smother the
flames, and they continued to endeavour to extin.
guish them with their hands. The smoke, how-
ever, was so dense that it nearly suffocated them, and
they were under the necessity of leaving Mrs. Pal.
mer to her lamentable fate, as they would them-
selves have met their deaths by suffocation. As it

was they were much burnt, but more particularly
Mr. Sharpe, who received some severe burns on his
face and hands. The smoke, it would seem, pre-
vented Mrs. Palmer calling loudly for aid ; and from
the period at which she was discovered on fire until
she fell on the floor insensible and half burnt, she
was unable to utter a word. There can be no doubt
she died from suffocation, and when she fell her
head struck against the outer door immediately
facing the stairs. The flames from her head-dress
had partially ignited the canvass which formed the
interior covering of the door, and left a burnt hole.
about the size of the unfortunate lady's head. When
Mr. Sharpe recovered from the effects of the smoke
he ran into Mrs. Palmer's bed-room, and for the
first time ascertained that it was on fire ; the flames
were extending their ravages throughout the room,
which was very shortly completely filled with fire.
An alarm was given, and about fifty persons, who
were at the time attending the fair on the common
most promptly lent their aid. Water was plenti-
fully supplied to them, and they succeeded in con-
fining the flames to the room in which they origi-
nated. Thus the extensive building, with its costly
furniture, was preserved from the destruction
which, at one period, appeared almost inevita-
ble. In the apartments above, there were
the brother of Mrs. Palmer, an infirm old gentle-
man, aged 80, and her son. They had retired to
bed, and much difficulty was experienced in making
the old gentleman acquainted with his perilous situ-
ation, and conveying him to a place of safety. The
body of Mrs. Palmer was as soon as possible after
she fell on the floor conveyed to the dwelling of one
of the cottagers adjoining. Mrs. Palmer, at the
time of the dreadful occurrence, was attired in a full
muslin dress, with a quantity of loose trimming

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about it, and it is conjectured tnat some portion of
it caught fire from the candle which she held in her
hand, and being at the time close to the bed-curtains
they also became ignited, which may account for the
destruction of the whole of the furniture in the
apartment. On the following day a Coroner's In-
quest was held on the remains of Mrs. Palmer, when
a verdict of " Accidental Death" was recorded.
Notwithstanding this inquiry, rumours of an un-
pleasant nature were propagated, and as it was well
known that Mrs. Palmer was of recluse habits, and
reported to have kept large sums of money by her,
added to the fact that the conflagration was exceedingly
rapid, it was deemed advisable to thoroughly inves-
tigate the matter, not only for the satisfaction of the
relations and friends of the deceased, but of the public
at large. Saturday last Mr. Jemmett, the Coroner; Sir
Peter Laurie, Mr. Mackinnon, M.P. for Lymington,
son-in-law to Mrs. Palmer, and about fifty other
gentlemen, several of whom are in the commission
of the peace, assembled at the mansion on ham
Common, and were occupied upwards of four hours
in the examination. The whole of the domestics
and other persons in the house at the time of the
fire were called upon to give evidence, and it would
appear that their testimony was of so satisfactory
and corroborative a nature as to remove all doubts as
ro the manner in which the deceased came by her
death. That it was purely the result of accident,
was the opinion of every gentleman present.
On Saturday the funeral of Mrs. Palmer took
place. The procession was followed by a great
number of poor persons residing in the vicinity.
Their lamentations were indescribable. Mrs. Pal-
trier was about seventy years of age.

SIIIPWRECK.—A vessel, supposed to be a
Urge smack, was wrecked o❑ the sands, about three miles
io the westward of the lighthouse now erecting on the
Sass Point, and we lament to add, all hands on board pe-
rished. A piece of sail attached to a beam that was
picked up, has the words '° Christopher Davies sail-maker,
Plymouth," marked on Cumbrian.