Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1922-01-20
Famous Trials
WILLIAM PALMER

The most remarkable trial for poison
ing in England. in which the guilty par
ty was brought to justice occurred during
the middle Of the past century. The poi
soner was William Palmer, who was con- |
nected with a good family and numbered |
among his victims not only members Of |
his own family, but well-known persons |
of his day.
While number of crimes could have
been charged against Palmer, that
causing the de...- II airs friend. John
Parsons Cook at Rug=ley. Staffardshire,
was the one for which ne was tried, con-
victed and executed
It was on Dec. Is, 1855, that Palmer
was arrested for the poisoning of Cook.
The prisoner had been an habitue of the
race track and Cock had been a betting
man. When the lated died under sus-
! picious circumstances an inquest was
| was held which ddFeloFed SIC hremarka-
| BILE evidence connecting Palmer with the
crime ti2at at once it was recalled than
many suspicious deaths had occurred in
his family.
In consequence of these suspicious the
bodies of Palmer's wife and brother were
eXhU1ned and at the Inquest verdlcts of
wilful murder were found against Pal
nner in both cases. 1t was also common
ly reported that he had murdered several
other persons by means of poison.
When all this evidence of his crimes
was brought cut it was deemed advisable
to try the prisoner at the Stafford assiZes.
The Lord Chancellor accordingly introdHe-
ed into the House of Lords a Gill en-
poweri4g the Qu&zn's bench % crR.r
certain offenders to be tried at the CEN
trail criminal court, and consequently Pal
/ mer'G case came up at the Old Bailey
on May II, 1855, before Lord Chief JUS
| tice Campbell. He was assisted by the At
torney General, Sir Alexander Coclzburn
and others.
II required only 10 days to find true
bills against Palmer fer the murder of
his wife and his brother William He was
removed from Newgate at the completion
; of the trial to Stafford jail and was hang-
ed at the latter place on June IA, 1855
The trial created an extraordinary
t amount of excitement not only in Eng
land but al over the cDJmtr-1 Chief
J Justice Campbell, in summing up the case
, devoted IA continuous hous to the prep
aration of his address
In this case Cocldburn greatly distfn-
. guiShed himself by his mastery conduct
of the prosecution sand is said to hatFe
t replied, at the end Of the case without {
: single note. The prosecution had to rely
n upon circumstantial evidence alone.
:, The chief reason for Patmer's crimes
: was his need OF money in order to aYoiG
, a prosecution for forgery It was show1
y that he had robbed his friend of all h,
e had by a series of devices which he mus
: have instantly discovered if he had live
| that he provided himself with the mean,
OF committing the murder just befor,
Cooks death; and that he could neithe
produce the poison he mad bought, no
: #. ''' any '''''''S''' fSAS'" ''f '0sifl'
l. The theory Of the prosecution was has
ed mainly upon the death having bee
caused by strycTnirl, though no strycfni
Il was discovered in the body The fac
u tina antinlOny was found in the bod
"a was never seriously disputed Pr0babi
e there was some mystery in the case tina
was never discovered for Palmer assert
ed to the last that Cook was not poison
- ed by strycGndn
1t has always been supposed that Pal
. n1er had discovered some way by whic
1t strychnin could be administered to a viz
tim and yet no evidences discovered. Frol
the time he left the public schools Pa
50 mer had always ben employed in som
way in the handling Of medicines, and
" this line was remarkably expert. He We
10 first alpprentieed to a surgeon; then b
come a pupil in the Stafford Infirnar
and subsequently went to London to con
Nv plete his medical studies
Palmer began the general practisiI
= Of medicine at Rugeley where he marie
lo- Ann BFookes when he was % years
age. His practise not being very rem.
nerative he tok to the rurf. In 1854 h
rs wife died of what was pronounced .soi
nd ious cholera" and at her death he recei
49, ed $4,000 on politics which he had E
so so fected on her life, though he only p