Title: The life & career of Dr. William Palmer of Rugeley
Description: Excellent biography of the "Rugeley Poisoner," Dr. William Palmer. Fletcher draws upon his lifelong interest in the case to write this biography. His father knew the murder victim, John Parsons Cook, and remembers as a child encountering the man (and holding his cricket bag) while Fletcher's father warned Cook against befriending that scoundrel Palmer. Over his life, Fletcher paid several visits to Rugeley, talked with the townspeople who knew Palmer, and acquired numerous papers relating to the case, including the notorious "Jane Letters" detailing an affair between Palmer and a Stafford girl, and the town police officer's diary.
Subjects: William Palmer, John Parsons Cook, strychnine, poisoning, murder, Old Bailey
Places: Rugeley, Stafford, London
People: William Palmer (1824-1856), John Parsons Cook (d. 1855)
Time periods: 1856