Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-04-04
EVENING STAR.
PALMER, THE PoIsoNER.

deeper than any in the war banners. and
which makes a dark line in the moral woof of
the nation. If Dickens has given us any tale
of English provincial life, or racing life, with
such a character as William Palmer in it, how
we should have made outcry at the extrava-
gance.
We take out from the overfowiDg para
graphs Of the British papers a few of the
strong points in the story Of this William Pal.
mer, Esq:
In the valley of the Trent. on the line of the
Northwestern Railway of England, lies the
midway between the great sporting ground.
of Derby and of Chester, and is we'll known
| for its jockeys and its horse-fair
| Among the fields and the trees which make
the town-like almost every English country
town-enchantingy beautiful, is an old square
house of brick, standing on the shores of the
river, with gardens sloping to the margin
| With the generations to come, it will very
likely be called a haunted house, and the
yews which darken the door step will nourish
| murderous memories in their shadow
A wood merchant lived years ago in this
] square brick house, who made the building
what 1t is, only after acquiring very suddenly
aad very mysteriOusly large fortune His
business was not extensive he was known to
be betting man; yet he lived extravagant
| ly, reared family of five sons and two daugh-
died
| The widow still lives, with her only suryiy-
ing daughter, in the brick house by the bank
of the river. Of the FIVE sons, one became a
| clergyman, one grain merchant, another an
| advocate, fourth lumber merchant, and
the fifth, whose name was William Palmer,
studied chemistry in Liverpool, and became a
surgeon (or, as we should say-a doctor.)
He is now but thirty-fve years Of age he
is represented to be large man, of rather
winning manners; has played, in his youth,
| the country r0ue and married, some years
since, the natural daughter of a Col. Brooks,
| of the East India service.
Colonel Brooks was a man of fortune. He
was mysteriously assassinated not long after
the marriage of his daughter. By his will he
had bestowed upon the mother of his child a
life-lease of his estate. The daughter MRS
William Palmer) was remarkable for her
beauty, as well as for her kindness Of heart.
good word for the memory of Mrs. Palmer.
William Palmer, aside from his propensities
| as rake (Which he INDUCED as well after as
before marriage,) seemed to give himself up
| to two fancies of very opposite nature, to
| wit horse racing and chemical experiments
| In his private laboratory.
The first involved a full purse his priyate
resources became speedily exhausted /; he ap-
pealed to his mother-inlaw who, anxious in
regard to her daughters happiness. and sus-
picious of the dissOlute habits of her son-in
law, left her own home, and came to estab-
lish herself with her daughter at Hugely
Four days after her entrance into Palmer's
house she died suddenly. The property of
which she was in possession passed into the
hands of Mrs Palmer, and under the control
of the husband
New stables were built at Hugely, new
horses purchased, new bets entered, new ac-
9uaintances made, and new debts contracted.
The Jewish money lenders of London were
appealed to, and money loaned at enormous
rates.
Meantime four Of his children died sudden
ly, at Intervals of one or two years Only one
remained as heir to the fortune Of the mo
ther, which at her death was to pass to the
child
Mr. William Palmer, as a measure of pre-
Mrs. Palmer of S75, 900 The physicians tes-
tify to her perfect good health, and the pre-
MUM paid is not exorbitantly high.
A troublesome claim of f7OO "a debt of
honor is held against Palmer by one of his
sporting friends named Bladen. This gentle
man visits Hugely to collect the sum, is a |
guest of Palmer, falls sick at his house, is
visited by an old hysician, (the family ad- |
wiser of Palmer, is drugged, and dies. The |
debt is cancelled, and the old physician re-
ports the case as one of cerebral fever
In little time, perhaps after year, Mrs
Palmer, whose kindness proverbial to-
ward the poor people of Hugely, took slight |
cold upon pleasure excursion to Liverpool |
the old family physician and a deaf nurse at
tended her; the husband insisted upon active
treatment; the poor lady fingered for q |
month, and died. |
The pleasant old physician made out his |
certificate Of the cause, and time Of her de-
cease; which was signed by the nurse, and
accepted by the authorities of Hugely, who all |
aAf iroA and Aatt hot e.
William Palmer, Esquire,
The London Company Of Life Insurance
paid promptly their losses, and the Surgeon |
Palmer was again afoOt for new enterprises on
4" the Derby" But he finds occasion shortly /
to negotiate, through his Jew friends of Lon |
don, for insurance upon the life Of a brother, /
Walter Palmer, who had been addicted to /
drinking; who had been threatened with de- Il
lirium trsmens; but who. subject to the spe 1
cial guardianship of his brother William, and /
of the @ old physician" OF the family, will, it /
is hoped, and confirmed by competent exam
liners, live for many years to come.
The insurance il effected for a large sum
The surgeon Palmer employs man to attend |
upon his brother, and to supply regularly all /
his wants. Even his old inclination for the /
bottle is not forgotten by the new guardian
Walter Palmer resists, however, the infu- /
ences Of gin; until a visit from the brother,
in the autumn of 1855, supplies some stronger /
stimulant, and the wretched drunkard dies.
Application is made to the London Office for /
the payment of the amount insured, but is |
refused. The application is not renewed.
There were those who had seen Palmer on |
the turf who spoke suspiciously of this cir |
cumstance; but who should venture to ac-
cuse William Palmer, Esquire, Of foul deal |
ing Did he not own one of the best studs in |
the country? Had he not been on terms of |
familiarity with Lord Bentinck Was he not |
regular and prompt in mis- contributions to the |
parish church Of hugely? Did not the rector |
dine with him from time to time, and admire /
his horses Strychnine and Chicken? Was he
not become altogether an English country |
gentleman
Late in November last Palmer set off in
company with sporting friend of the name
of Cook for a steeple-chase which was to
come off near Shrewsbury. Both gentlemen
bet heavily and Cook was a winner in a sum |
of sonna 70n In calehration of his SUCCESS