Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1856-02-02
TIE EXTRAORDINARY POISONING CASE
IN ENGLAND

IN ENGLAND
Frauds on the Life Insurance Companies. 2
The revelations in the London Times, the
Liverpool Journal, and other English papers
Of the crimes supposed to be committed by
DR.. Palmer, surgeon and gentleman OF the
fancy, are causing high degree Of excite
ment in that country. The facts were first
made public at q Coroner's inquest, held al
Hugely, England on the body Of j. Parsons
Cooke, sporting man, and owner of the fa-
nous racer Polar Star. The investigation
showed that Palmer had entered into heavy
bets with Cook, by which he feared he would
be o looser. Either with the object of wiping
out this debt-death cancelling by the laws
of the turf in England all existing bets and
past losses-or with view Of possessing him
self Of a sum Of fl000, which Mr. Cooke had
won Mt Shrewsbury race, and carried about
with him which was missing on his decease,
or with both purposes, as is most probable
Palmer, the accusation is, commenced to sub
1ect him to course Of poisoning which termi-
which bis sudden death took place, the mys-
terious disappearance of his betting book
which he invariably carried about his person,
md the absence of the G100 he was known
TO have had on entering the house where he
was last seen in company with Palmer, ana
where he was drugged, fixed suspicion on
Palmer as the murderer, and be was arrested.
Case on case has since risen up in cumula-
tive horror, surprising in terrible darkness Oh
Incident ANYTHING the annals Of crime for
Heyeral centuries unfold. Palmer entered on
the turf some years since, and became loser
beyond his means. In these straits he adopt
cd the course usually resorted by men on
the turf, and had recourse 10 notorious
bill discounter in Queen street, Mayfair, by
the name of Pratt. The debt whatever ii
was, doubtless doubled or trebled in year
or two, Pratts usual rate Of interest being
about l20 per cent In this sinking condl-
ton, catching reckeesiy at every means Of
cecape, ard possibly, as it now appears, hav-
ing committed forgery to extricate himself in
the mad effort to escape from his difficulties,
Or the consequences Of his crime, some such
horrible idea as that he has since carried out
stole on his senses The first victim appears
TO have been the mother Of his wife, upon
whose death he came in by right of his wife
for considerable sum. Four days after
coming to reside at his house she died.
The next victim was Mr.. Duffy, COM
mercal traveller. with whom he had business
transactions and who is supposed to have
been barred in q we'll in Palmer's garden.
The next was his own wife, who, when
ward with considerable fortune, had married
him against the desire Of all her connections,
and whose life he had previous to the per-
petraton Of his crime insured for el3000 in
three different English Offices. After his
wife followed his brother, whose life he in
sured in different Offices for f23,460. On the
occasion Of the first two deaths he contrived
o elude the suspicion of either his own rela-
lives Of the public, but the death Of his
Al RI IL, IL al, nf ht-
gife, naturally reused q suspicion which
proposal TO insure the life Of his servant, one
Bates, FOR no less sum than .e25000 natu-
-ally increased, and few days before his ar
est for the murder of Cooke they had, after
inquiry, declined to pay over the amonnt.
1t has since turned out that the usurer Pratt
'eceivod the amount of Mrs. Palmer's insu-
'ance, and would have received the greater
oart ofthat on William Palmer, had it been
0aid. Since Palmer's committal, Pratt has
presented to his mother a lady Of some for
une, bills to the amount of $40 900, TO which
Ter name had been forged by Palmer, and
Shich he, doubtless with the full knowledge
u the fact, had cashed, in the confidence that
n thct account they were more valuable, as
'orciug Palmer TO stop at no crime in taking
hem up. Fer the rest there are rumors
which ascribe to Palmer, the death Of Lord
ieorge Bentick and others, but they are
merely those neutrality-suspicious. which always
pring ont OF such events.
The bodies Of both the wife and brother
ave been exhumed. Although the result
I Dr.. Taylor's analysis has not yet officially
ranspired. il is known that lie has decover-
a antimony in considerable quantities in the
stomach and viscera of Mrs. Palmer, and also
,rscnic; but the quantity of the latter is not
uiiicicnt to justify the suspicion that death
sas caused by its agency--arsenic being
oand, in more or less quantity, in almost
very substance.
Since the committal Of Palmer to Stafford
all no one has been permitted to communi-
ate with him. lie is reserved in manner
nd two turnkeys are with him night and
lay, to prevent him from committing self
destruction. On bis first admission to the
,yison he refused all food, taking soda water
nly, and expressing his determination to
tarve himself On the eighth day after his
Incarceration, the medical officers Of the
)rison had n consultation on his case, and
esolved to give him food by the medium of
he stomach pump if all persuasive measures
allied. When Palmer was informed Of this
determination he yielded, and has since taken
ha foOd nrlnrad hIy fhn sinnaon