The true Democrat., 1856-02-26
Wholesome Poisoning An Epis- ode in the Annals of Crime in Enpland

Extraordinary developments of series ol murders of wealthy persons for their money by man named Palmer of Rugeley, in Staf. fordshlre, have just transpired in England- The history of this mans wholesale poisonings -horr.d tales of heartless murder and villiany almost unparalleled-isg given in the London pa pers of the last days of December. The N Y. Tribune furnishes a brief synopsis:
 This MT. Palmer of Rugeley, in Stafford. shire, appears to have united to the profession of surgeon that of gambler; for the turf in England, to which this gentleman belongs, and which Mr. Disraeli has styled "the noble pas- time of the aristocracy," has all the worst and darkest features of gambling in the ruin it ef- tects, the temptation to crime it offers, and the hardness of heart 1t always begets. It appears that with this Mr. Palmer, another well Known turf gamescer a Mr. John Parsons Cook, had been for some time an intimate associate and confederate, and had entered into heavy bets, as supposed, in which Mr. Palmer was, or fear ed to be, heavy loser. Either with the object of wipng out this debt-death cancelling by the laws of the turf in England all existing bets and past losseS-or with view of possess sing himself of sum of f1 GOO which Mr. Cook had won at Shrewsbury race and carried about with him, and which was missing on his decease, or with both purposes, as is most pro- bable, Palmer commenced to sub ject him to a course of poisoning, which terminated in his death. The circumstances under which his sudden death took place, the mysterious dis appeance of his betting-book, which he invaria- ply carried about his person, and the absence of the q 900 he was known to have had on entering the house where he was last seen in company with Palmer, and where he was drug ged, fixed suspicion on the murderer and he was arrested Case case has risen up in cu- mulative horror, gradually developing an ar ray of murders which surpasses in terrible dark ness of incident anything the annals of crime for several centuries unfold.
 It appears that the poisoner, Palmer, entered on the turf some years since, and having had like all tyros to pay for his experience, became loser beyond his means. In those straits he adopted the course usually resorted to by men on the turf and had recourse to notorious bill discounter in Queen street Mayfair, by the name of Pratt. The debt, whatever it was doubtless doubled and trebled in year or two Pratt's usual rate of interest being about 12O per cent. In this sinking condition, catching recklessly at every means of escape, and pos slbly, as 1t now appears. having committed for gery 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 IL is but the first step which inhicts the agony that taken habit makes even murder of ligh, moment, sometimes even a passion, like opium or drink. The first victim appears to have been the mother of his wife, upon whose death he came in by right of his wife for a considera- ble sum. Four days after coming to res ide at his house she died. The next victim was Mir. Duffy, commercial traveller, with whom he had business transactions and who Is SUD- posed to have been buried in a we'll in Pamer's garden. The next was his own wife, who when ward with considerable fortune had married him against the desire of all his con nections, and whose life he had previous to the perpetration of his crime insured for ,OOO in three different English offices. After his wife followed his brother, whose life is insured ill dfferend offices for f23, ,45O. On the occa- sion of the two first deaths he contrved to elude the suspicion of either his own relatives or the public, but the death of his brother fol- lowing so close upon that of his wife, natural ly aroused suspicion which proposal to in- sure the life of his servant, one Bates, for nc less sum than f25OOO naturally increased, and few days before his arrest for the murder of Cook they had, after inquiry, declined tc pay over the amount. It has since turned out that the usurer Pratt received the amount of Mrs. Palmer's insurance, and would have re- ceived the greater part of that on William Palmer had it been paid. Since Palmer's com initial Pratt has presented to his mother, la- dy of some fortune, bills to the amout of f2O GOO, to which her name had been forged by Palmer, and which he doubtless with full kno w. iede of the fact, had cashed, in the coniden ce that on that account they were more valuable as forcing Palmer to stop at no crime in taking them up. For the rest there are rumors which ascribe to Palmer the death of Lord George Bentincll and others but they are merely those wild exaggeratons which always spring out o such events
 The bodies of both the wife and brother have been exhumed and Prof. Taylor's analy- sis substaRtates, without doubt, that both died from the effects of slow tut certain poison administered with great tact and knowledge of its etfects and that the system adopted is one of the most remarkable ever brought to light The wfetched poisoner himself will be tried in March, should he live to that time, but he appears determined to compass his own death. He was apparently in society quiet, inofensive person of rather pleasing manner and without bearing any of those outward marks which nature usually fixes on such men as a warning to avoid them.