Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-08-21
Famous Poison Case.

Inc nfSt poison case IN Wnlcn Strych-
nine, poison of this century was used
was that of wainwright. whose deeds
Dickens has related and who effected
the murder of Miss Abercrombie in
1880. The second strychnine case was
that of William Palmer who murdered
young Cook in 1856. This trial is re-
garded as the most famous poisoning
case of the century. At the trial the
theory was promulgated that strych-
nine could not be detected in the body
of a victim after death by any known
test. 1t afterward turned out that, re-
lying on an alleged statement to that
effect, made at Paimers trial by DR..
Taylor, the eminent authority on poi
sons, William DOre. who became the
defendant in another celebrated trial.
was led to poison his wife with strych-
nine. At the present day, however it
is certainly not true that there is no
infallible test for strychnine, for if, by
the color test" so-called, a certain
succession of colors is produced, the
presence of strychnia is said to be de.
termined beyond a doubt. Yet strych-
MIA in fatal quantity can be so mi
nutely distributed in the system that
the failure of this test to produce the
proper color is no sign that the poison
is not present.
In the Palmer case. however, the
prosecution We're obliged to rely for
proof that Cook had been poisoned al
most entirely on the observed symp-
toms of the illness, for, whether
through carelessness or through the
imperfection of the appliances used, the
body furnished no certain evidence of
the presence of strychnia. The story
of the case was as follows: John Par
sons Cook, on coming into his fortune
Of G l2000, abandoned his profession of
law and took to the turf. Here his in
tim2cy with Palmer began. At this
time the latter. a surgeon by profession
but now occupied with breeding and
training race horses. was in severe Pc
cunlary straits. His wife's fortune be-.
ing only for her life, he had insured
her life for G13.000, at a premium ex-
ceedingly his yearly income. and,
strangely enough, within nine months
of this time the wife had died. Three
months afterWard he tried to effect an
insurance on the life of his brother
Walter. confirmed drunkard. for the
enormous sum of G80.000, but the in
surance officers were suspicious and re.
jected his application.
The insurance money from his wife
did not keep him long afioat. IN 1851
he had discounted bills to the amount
of nearly el2.000, to every one OF
which he had forged the acceptance OF
his mother, and these bills were all due
or maturing in November, 1855. the
month of the murder. On November 13
Cooks horse Polestar won at the
Shrewsbury races, and G1,700 fell tc
Cook, in cash or bets, payable in seven
days. On Wednesday, the 21st. Cook
lay dead, his pocketbook was empty
and his betting book was not to be
found. Beginning with November IA
Cook had shown symptoms of illness
and toward Monday night, the 18th
was seized with commissions, accom-.
panied by stiffness of muscles and in.
tense agony, recurring at times until
his death on Wednesday. His body al
death was SO bowed that when placed
on the back it rested on the head anG
feet. This was the characteristic anG
terrible symptom of strychnine poison
Though other physicians attended
Palmer, intimate as he was with Cook
was constantly at hand and admins.
tered to him, among other things
coffee, broth and pills. After his tax.
ing each of these an attack of vomiting
ensued. 1t was proved that on Monday
and Tuesday the days preceding
Cooks death, Palmer had made two
purchases of strychnia pills; he hat
given no reason at the time, nor was
he able to account for the pills,
The trial lasted twelve days, filling
tl.e minds of all England, and the jus
nf ~ iff.t nf 1trrp hnt
Eeyer been impugned.