The Northern Daily Times. — 1856-01-08 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

THE RUGELEY POISONINGS  A. London cotemporary of last night, publishes the following, under ithe astoundingh:ead, " Supposed murder of the late Lord George Bentinck: " The inquiries instituted at Rugeley and Stafford, with relation to the antecedents of William Palmer and his associates, have brought several new circumstances to light of a mysterious and appalling character. The names of other persons, either missing or known to be deceased, have been mentioned as having suddenly disappeared from Rugeley, and it is now ascertained, upon the evidence of two or three persons, that Palmer was seen in the company of the lite George Bentinck on the day of his death. It it also said that he had had betting transactions with the noble lord, and owed him a considerable sum of money at the time of his death. This information has tended to heighten the excitement already prevailing in Stafford, Nottingham, and Lichfield, where the accused, Palmer, is well known, Additional inquiries have been set on foot to trace Palmer's movements on the day on which Lord George Bentinck's body was found in the field, and it is stated that there are witnesses in Nottingham who can depose to having seen Palmer and Lord George Bentinck together for some time before the death of the latter."  Another London evening journal of last night also refers to the rumours suggested by the preceding article : " Is it true that Palmer, the Rugeley surgeon, was seen in company with Lord George Bentinck a short time before his death ? It is so stated, with the addition that Palmer was a loser in heav3 bets with Lord George. Things of this kind are so likely to be said, if there is the shadow of a fact to rest them upon, that they must be received with something more than caution—with the presumption that of all the stories afloat much must be idle gossip. It would, however, be a caricature of judicial delicacy, to affect ignorance of some great facts that heap suspicion on suspicion. The amounts of insurance affected by Palmer on persens who have since died, and who are not supposed to have had expectations at all commensurate with the sums insured, the successive insurance of a brother's life, and a wife's, followed up by the proposal, to insure the life of a servant, the fraudulent character of the last transaction, with several other circumstances, contribute to the darkest incidents of a romance which is developing itself slowly before our aight. As it now stands, there is no English story which vies with the Rugeley poisoning case in its interest and horrors. We must go abroad, we must seek beyond tne case of Laffarge, and pass to Brinvilliers, or Borgia, to find a parallel. Should the investigation before a judge acquit the accused man, the case will excel even those of Brinvilliers and Borgia, since it will add the surprise of acquittal to the suspended interest of accusal—to the drama of Borgia, modernised a la Wainwright, adding the innocence of Eliza Fenning, only with a " a happy ending." Certainly Palmer will have a fair trial. No "discussion" can injure him; to avoid allusion to his case would be the cant of forbearance ; for the suspicious facts have theniselves accumulated a weight of " prejudice " which discussion can only qnalify, not increase. As the story stands thus' far unfolded, we are forced to the shuddering suspicion that there had been a man amongst us who would, and could, sacrifice a fellow-sportsman, a brother, a wife, a visitor,—his constant or casual companions in all ranks, from his own servant to the hope of a political party. If the story is at all as it now looks, that man would assail the highest in the laud, and would use his victims as his accomplices and instruments, and all under cover of the refinements and guarantees of our civilization. Mis certainly is a tale of mystery that ought to be explored to its last recesses,  [We abstain from comment, beyond the remark that a Coroner's verdict pronounced the death of the late leader of the Protectionist party in the House of Commons to have arisen:from natural causes—no doubt from disease of the heart. In common with the whole community, we await the adjourned inquiry at Rugeley with increasing anxiety.—En. N. D. T.]