1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,279 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. Okay, I 4 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 1: don't know why humans are wired this way, but the 5 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: idea of serial killers is almost always gruesomely intriguing. So 6 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:28,160 Speaker 1: what better topic to trot out for Halloween. This particular 7 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: case is one that's often talked about when poisoners come up. 8 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:35,600 Speaker 1: When we were doing in a season of Lady Poisoners 9 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: or Criminalia, we couldn't do it because it involves a man, 10 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: but it kept showing up in relation to things as 11 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 1: a comparative. Uh. And even though it's generally considered a 12 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,479 Speaker 1: settled case, there's a lot about it and how it 13 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: turned out that doesn't really involve any hard evidence at all. 14 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: We are talking today about William Palmer, who is also 15 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: known as the Rougually Poisoner, and we do want to 16 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 1: give a little heads up here that while there is 17 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: obviously murder in the mix, there is specifically brief mention 18 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: of children dying, so just know that going in. So. 19 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: William Palmer was born on August six, eight, twenty four, 20 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 1: to Joseph and Sarah Palmer and Rugelie, Staffordshire, England. Joseph 21 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:19,680 Speaker 1: was employed as a sawyer and died when William was twelve. 22 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 1: That left Sarah with an estimated seventy thousand to seventy 23 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: five thousand pounds and eight children. William was the sixth 24 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: of the Palmer siblings. Yeah, that was a significant amount 25 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:32,960 Speaker 1: of money, but she did also have to raise a 26 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: lot of children on her own after that. William went 27 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:38,680 Speaker 1: to school near his home and Rugely, and he developed 28 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 1: a reputation as a trickster at an early age. He 29 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: was not a good student, His peers often accused him 30 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:49,360 Speaker 1: of cheating, and well before he had reached his teenage years, 31 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: he was in the habit of engaging in petty theft. 32 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: He wasn't the kind of boy who would shake down 33 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: anyone or do anything violent, but if he found money unattended, 34 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: even if he knew that money belonged to someone, and 35 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: even if that someone was a family member, he just 36 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 1: took it. And in some accounts of his life, the 37 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:10,400 Speaker 1: event of his father's death is pointed to as this 38 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: moment where he may have started justifying his stealing habit 39 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: as a means of helping his mother, but that sort 40 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 1: of seems like conjecture or like kind of backwards engineering 41 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: a gentler version of his personality. But as he grew 42 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:28,799 Speaker 1: into a young man, in addition to continuing his perpetual 43 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: obsession with money and stealing, William also developed a reputation 44 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: as a womanizer. When he finished school, William took up 45 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:39,519 Speaker 1: a position as an apprentice to a chemist in Liverpool 46 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: that was roughly eighty miles northwest of where he'd grown up, 47 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:47,239 Speaker 1: at a firm called Evans and Company. Initially this seemed 48 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 1: to go well, although he was once again getting into 49 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: some trouble not long after, as a young man instead 50 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: of a child, and this was way more criminal than 51 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: trickster like. Before long, the chemist was getting complaints about 52 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: orders that people had paid for but had never been filled. 53 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: Apparently William was taking the orders and then pocketing the 54 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: cash and never actually filing the requests with the chemist. 55 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 1: He denied any wrongdoing, though, and was fired after just 56 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: three months. Next, William studied medicine in London, first as 57 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: an apprentice to surgeon Edward Tilecoat, but this also soon 58 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:31,239 Speaker 1: went awry. For one thing, Palmer was scamming Tilecoat's patients 59 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: in small time money cons and he was also rumored 60 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: to have gotten mired in a scandalous scheme where he 61 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: had promised to marry a young woman, took her father's 62 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: small life savings which he was given to plan the 63 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: wedding and get the couple started in life, and then 64 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: he broke up with the young lady in question and 65 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: just kept all the cash. And he had developed a 66 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 1: fairly extensive gambling habit which people knew about. And none 67 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: of this was good for the reputation of his mentor, Tilecoat, 68 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 1: and William was dismissed from his apprenticeship. He kept pursuing 69 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: a career in medicine, though, and moved to the Stafford 70 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,480 Speaker 1: Infirmary to work as a student. He wasn't very interested 71 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 1: in actual study, though, and was more likely to be 72 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 1: out drinking than focusing on medical texts. He did manage 73 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: to barely pass his exams and qualified as a doctor 74 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 1: in the late summer of eighteen forty six. Just a 75 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: few months after that, he was once again in the 76 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: middle of a scandal, and this one had fatal consequences. 77 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: In October eighteen forty six, William was drinking with a 78 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 1: plumber and glazier named George Ably. Palmer had invited Ablely 79 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,159 Speaker 1: to a pub called the Lamb and Flag, and there 80 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:44,919 Speaker 1: are a couple of different ways the particulars of this 81 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: story are told. In one version, Palmer just continuously kept 82 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 1: brandy refilled for Ably until well after the man was intoxicated. 83 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 1: He bet the plumber half a sovereign uh that he 84 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 1: could not drink one more lass, which Able did. In 85 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:05,799 Speaker 1: another version, the bet was offered that Ably couldn't drink 86 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: two tumblers of brandy, one right after the other. Whichever 87 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:13,719 Speaker 1: way this played out, Ably took the bet, drank the brandy, 88 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: and then stumbled out of the pub, and two hours 89 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:20,920 Speaker 1: later George Able was dead. Whether Palmer had intended for 90 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: the man to meet his end, he was implicated in 91 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 1: town rumors, although he was never charged with any crime. 92 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:31,159 Speaker 1: Not long after this incident, William Palmer moved to London, 93 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: maybe to get away from this whole thing. He got 94 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: a job at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and he started a 95 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 1: courtship with a woman named Anne Thornton, who sometimes went 96 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:44,440 Speaker 1: by Annie and Thornton was the daughter of Anne Mary Thornton, 97 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:48,279 Speaker 1: who is often referred to as Mary in recountings of 98 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: Palmer's life, and will follow suit to keep things from 99 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: getting confusing. Anne's father was Colonel Brooks, who had not 100 00:05:56,120 --> 00:06:00,160 Speaker 1: been married to Mary when Anne was born. Brooks did 101 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,920 Speaker 1: acknowledge his daughter. She's listed in some records as Anne Brooks, 102 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:07,359 Speaker 1: and she was provided for in his will. The colonel 103 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 1: died by suicide in eighteen thirty four, and at that 104 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:14,599 Speaker 1: point Annie inherited eight thousand pounds. So Annie's fortune was 105 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:16,719 Speaker 1: not a secret and it may well have been the 106 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: source of Palmer's attraction to her. William Palmer was consistently 107 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:25,039 Speaker 1: described as charming, and when Anne Thornton met him, she 108 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 1: definitely found him so as well. But Palmer's reputation was 109 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: also not a secret. A lot of people viewed him 110 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:35,719 Speaker 1: with suspicion, and Anne's family was pretty direct in telling 111 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: her that this suitor was bad news and that he 112 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:41,640 Speaker 1: was probably just after her money. So when he initially 113 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:46,040 Speaker 1: proposed marriage and did not accept, but William was persistent. 114 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 1: After an almost two year courtship, to which to Ann 115 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:53,040 Speaker 1: seemed to have proven that this man truly cared for her, 116 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 1: the two of them were finally married in eighteen forty seven. 117 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:59,080 Speaker 1: They made their home and usually renting a house on 118 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:02,279 Speaker 1: Market Street for reported twenty five pounds a year, and 119 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:05,920 Speaker 1: William's medical practice was run from there at the house. 120 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:09,400 Speaker 1: The marriage was tense from the start. I feel like 121 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: this is a recurring theme in recent episodes. It wasn't 122 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 1: because of anything between William and Anne, but because William 123 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: and Anne's family did not get along. Ann's mother, Mary Thornton, 124 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,280 Speaker 1: had always been suspicious of Palmer and had been pretty 125 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 1: vocally against this match. So when her new son in 126 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: law immediately started borrowing money from her once they were 127 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 1: officially family, she lent it to him for An's benefit, 128 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 1: but she was ceaselessly irritated and and William welcome his son, 129 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: William Brooks Palmer in October of eighteen. Three months later, 130 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: in January of eighteen forty nine, Mary went to the 131 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: Market Street house to stay with her daughter and son 132 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: in law. Sometimes this is characterized as a visit, but 133 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:56,239 Speaker 1: you'll also see it described more that she was moving 134 00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: in with them because of her failing health. Regardless, it 135 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:03,880 Speaker 1: was a brief stay. She died on January eighteenth, two 136 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:07,600 Speaker 1: weeks after arriving her cause of death was listed as 137 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: apoplexy by the doctor who examined her. That doctor's name 138 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: was Bamford. Bamford is going to show up a lot. 139 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 1: He was an elderly doctor that was friends with William Palmer. Uh. 140 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: There was a payout for Anne after Mary's death of 141 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 1: twelve thousand pounds, although uh it seems that this was 142 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 1: not in a lump sum and William had been expecting more. 143 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:32,320 Speaker 1: He clearly viewed his marriage to Anne as a source 144 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 1: of income, and between what he believed to be a 145 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 1: weak inheritance and his ongoing frustration and larger fortune being 146 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 1: parceled out in quarterly payments, he felt like he was 147 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:47,440 Speaker 1: being cheated. This was particularly the case because he spent 148 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 1: all of the couple's money far faster than it was 149 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:53,320 Speaker 1: coming in. So even though his wife was very wealthy 150 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:56,160 Speaker 1: on paper and should have kind of been set for life, 151 00:08:56,320 --> 00:09:00,800 Speaker 1: in reality there was a massive debt accruing complicate the 152 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 1: family finances even further. Palmer, who already had a propensity 153 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:10,760 Speaker 1: for gambling, started becoming interested in horse racing, and through 154 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:14,079 Speaker 1: this interest he became acquainted with a man named Leonard Blayden. 155 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:18,760 Speaker 1: Before meeting Bladen, William had gotten himself into even deeper 156 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:21,520 Speaker 1: trouble with money because he had become the owner or 157 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: part owner of several race horses. He made some pretty 158 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:28,600 Speaker 1: desperate sales of horses at a loss because he kept 159 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: finding himself in need of quick cash. Yeah, exactly what 160 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaker 1: somebody with a gambling problem needs is to buy into 161 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 1: the system that he gambles in, and also in a 162 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:42,559 Speaker 1: way that is very expensive, like horses are not cheap 163 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 1: to keep. U And Blaydon, who worked for Cherrington's brewery, 164 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:49,880 Speaker 1: loaned William Palmer money after the two had become acquainted, 165 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:53,840 Speaker 1: but it very quickly became apparent that getting that money 166 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:57,640 Speaker 1: back was going to be difficult. In early May, the 167 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 1: two men went to the Chester races together. Bladen had 168 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:03,199 Speaker 1: a very lucky day of bedding and came away from 169 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 1: the races with several hundred pounds. On top of that, 170 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 1: Palmer told him that if he came back to Rugely 171 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 1: with him, he could finally pay him back the money 172 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:14,160 Speaker 1: he was owed, and Bladon agreed, and he wrote a 173 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:15,960 Speaker 1: note to his wife that he was going to stay 174 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,920 Speaker 1: with the Palmer's But after arriving at William and and 175 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 1: Palmer's home, Bladen started to feel unwell. He was in 176 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: really a lot of pain pretty quickly, and then he died. 177 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: The cause of death was listed as injury of the 178 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:34,960 Speaker 1: hip joint five or six months abscess in the pelvis. 179 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:40,600 Speaker 1: That is once again that that same elderly doctor writing 180 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:45,360 Speaker 1: that death certificate. After that death, William actually claimed that 181 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 1: Bladen had owed him money, and he was brazen enough 182 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 1: to ask Leonard Bladen's widow for it. He said that 183 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:56,560 Speaker 1: he was owed sixty pounds. Mrs Bladen was immediately suspicious 184 00:10:56,559 --> 00:10:59,040 Speaker 1: of William Palmer. She knew that he had owed her 185 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:02,679 Speaker 1: husband money when he died. Leonard had included that information 186 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 1: in his letter to her, and she was also suspicious 187 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 1: that no money had been found in her husband's effects 188 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:11,480 Speaker 1: when he died, because he had also told her that 189 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:14,559 Speaker 1: he had won money at the races. His betting book 190 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 1: was also missing, and she gave Palmer no money. Kind 191 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 1: of made it clear that she suspected him, and he 192 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: backed off. We're going to take a quick break from 193 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:28,480 Speaker 1: all of this grim business and take a moment for 194 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:40,960 Speaker 1: a word from some of our sponsors. In eighteen fifty two, 195 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:45,440 Speaker 1: Palmer's uncle Joseph Bentley died. That was on October that year. 196 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,320 Speaker 1: He had allegedly perished after having been challenged to a 197 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:53,760 Speaker 1: drinking contest by his nephew. But Joseph was sixty two 198 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:56,040 Speaker 1: he was not in great health to begin with, so 199 00:11:56,760 --> 00:12:00,040 Speaker 1: even if those were the circumstances of his passing, this 200 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:03,760 Speaker 1: was not looked at as a particularly odd situation. Before 201 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 1: Joseph Bentley's death, starting in late eighteen fifty, the Palmer's 202 00:12:07,559 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 1: had four more children, but none of those babies lived 203 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:15,080 Speaker 1: past infancy. Their daughter Elizabeth died at ten weeks old 204 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:19,360 Speaker 1: on January six, eighteen fifty one. A son named Henry 205 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:22,319 Speaker 1: died exactly a year later to the day, when he 206 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 1: was one month old. Another son, Frank, died on December nineteen, 207 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty two, which was the same day he was born. 208 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:33,439 Speaker 1: And finally, a baby named John, he was born on 209 00:12:33,559 --> 00:12:39,080 Speaker 1: January eighteen fifty four, died three days later. All of 210 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:43,160 Speaker 1: the infants causes of death were the same, which was convulsions. 211 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:47,320 Speaker 1: At the same time, these were considered to be normal, 212 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:50,559 Speaker 1: if tragic occurrences. It was thought I was just a 213 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 1: run of bad luck for the Palmer's. Yeah into mortality 214 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:59,680 Speaker 1: was a kind of common occurrence at this point in 215 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:03,400 Speaker 1: this area. So even though it looked terribly awful, nobody 216 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 1: really suspected anything but that bad luck that they were 217 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 1: having seemed to continue in their finances because they were 218 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 1: falling deeper and deeper into debt. William's gambling had, of 219 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:17,120 Speaker 1: course continued, it had only gotten worse, and then he 220 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:21,520 Speaker 1: started forging notes in his mother's name to keep borrowing money, 221 00:13:21,559 --> 00:13:24,000 Speaker 1: and he was very aware that he could end up 222 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:28,000 Speaker 1: in debtor's prison. And that's why seven years and to 223 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:31,440 Speaker 1: Anne and William Palmer's marriage, the husband took out a 224 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:34,480 Speaker 1: life insurance policy on his wife that was worth thirteen 225 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:38,160 Speaker 1: thousand pounds. He actually tried to take out several policies 226 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:41,000 Speaker 1: with different companies, but was only able to secure one 227 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:44,720 Speaker 1: with the Prince of Wales Insurance Company. The year he 228 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:47,560 Speaker 1: took out the policy, which was eighteen fifty four. He 229 00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:50,400 Speaker 1: made the first premium payment in the amount of seven 230 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 1: hundred fifty pounds and died on September twenty nine of 231 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:58,400 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty four at the age of twenty seven. There 232 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:01,120 Speaker 1: was a cholera outbreak in limit the time, and Ann 233 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 1: Palmer was believed to have died from it. She was 234 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:07,360 Speaker 1: buried in the Palmer family vault, and William quickly put 235 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:10,800 Speaker 1: together the paperwork to claim the payout on her insurance policy, 236 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:14,040 Speaker 1: which he received in very short order, and he used 237 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:16,760 Speaker 1: that cash to pay off the many people that he 238 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: owed money to. In early eighteen fifty five, just a 239 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:24,560 Speaker 1: few months after Ann's death, Palmer was once again forging 240 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,480 Speaker 1: bills in his mother's name to get creditors to give 241 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 1: him money, but that wasn't working particularly well anymore. Some 242 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:35,320 Speaker 1: of the creditors were suspicious and asking to speak with 243 00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:38,440 Speaker 1: Sarah Palmer about her son's assurances that she could cover 244 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:42,200 Speaker 1: any money that he borrowed. William was really backed into 245 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 1: a corner. He could not let his mother find out 246 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:48,360 Speaker 1: about this gambling debt, and in eighteen fifty five, a 247 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:51,800 Speaker 1: repeat of the circumstances of Ann's death played out, this 248 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:56,600 Speaker 1: time with William's brother, Walter Palmer. William insured his siblings 249 00:14:56,680 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 1: life for fourteen thousand pounds, made one payment the policy, 250 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:04,840 Speaker 1: and then suddenly Walter died. Walter was living alone. At 251 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:07,240 Speaker 1: the time, he was married, but he and his wife 252 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:11,200 Speaker 1: had separated due to Walter's alcoholism, and while William had 253 00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:14,200 Speaker 1: attempted to take out a whopping eighty four thousand pound 254 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:17,400 Speaker 1: policy on Walter. He was turned down for that, but 255 00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:20,480 Speaker 1: once again Prince of Wales's insurance company was there with 256 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:24,600 Speaker 1: a policy approval in that fourteen thousand pound amount. That 257 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:27,160 Speaker 1: single premium, as we said, had been paid, but this 258 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 1: time it was paid directly by one of William's creditors. 259 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:32,680 Speaker 1: He basically said like, Hey, I don't have the fast 260 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:34,880 Speaker 1: cash for this, could you go ahead and pay for it. 261 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:40,160 Speaker 1: That payment was made just before Walter's death on August five. 262 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:44,680 Speaker 1: Because of Walter's history of alcohol misuse, this was also 263 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 1: not entirely a shocking demise. Because he lived alone. There 264 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,640 Speaker 1: weren't a lot of people to say otherwise. William had, 265 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:54,040 Speaker 1: at the end of his brother's life, made sure that 266 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:57,800 Speaker 1: Walter always had plenty of gin on hand. But this 267 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:00,920 Speaker 1: time Prince of Wales's insurance is not so quick to 268 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:04,520 Speaker 1: turn around the payment on the claim. Walter's death and 269 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:07,040 Speaker 1: the fact that Palmer had filed paperwork to take on 270 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:10,280 Speaker 1: another policy, this time on an under groomer who cared 271 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:14,440 Speaker 1: for Palmer's horses, led the insurance company to open an investigation. 272 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:18,720 Speaker 1: That policy had some problems in the details that investigators 273 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 1: found puzzling. It listed his regular occupation as farmer, indicating 274 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,000 Speaker 1: that he had a farm of his own, but the 275 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:28,120 Speaker 1: reality was that he was more of an on again, 276 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,320 Speaker 1: off again field hand and just drifted from job to 277 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:35,160 Speaker 1: job as needed. When now worker in question, who is 278 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: named George Bates, was interviewed about this policy, he thought 279 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:42,160 Speaker 1: it was only for four thousand pounds, not the ten 280 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: thousand pounds that appeared on the application. To top off 281 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:49,680 Speaker 1: all of the suspicious aspects of the policy. While it 282 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:53,200 Speaker 1: was signed by George Bates, it was witnessed by two 283 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 1: of Palmer's friends from the racetrack, so it appeared that 284 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:59,000 Speaker 1: William Palmer had offered to help Bates set up a 285 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 1: life insurance policy. See had lied about the amount, intending 286 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:05,760 Speaker 1: to take the overage for himself, and named himself as 287 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:09,160 Speaker 1: a beneficiary. He had also promised to give Bates one 288 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:12,520 Speaker 1: thousand pounds in the next year as an early payout. 289 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:15,920 Speaker 1: The two inspectors on the case, whose names were Simpson 290 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:20,040 Speaker 1: and Field, thought this whole situation was shady, and they 291 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:23,919 Speaker 1: suspected that Palmer had poisoned his brother. They were not 292 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: going to pay out on Walter Palmer's policy, and they 293 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:30,280 Speaker 1: were going to suggest to the authorities that illegal investigation 294 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:33,720 Speaker 1: began into the matter. So Palmer was panicked. He needed 295 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 1: to pay off his debts, he needed to find a 296 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:39,120 Speaker 1: way to do it without relying on an insurance payout, 297 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:41,919 Speaker 1: and that sealed the fate of a man named John 298 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:45,720 Speaker 1: Parsons Cook. So Cook and William Palmer had been friends 299 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 1: for a couple of years. By eighteen fifty five they 300 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:51,040 Speaker 1: were racing buddies. Cook had been one of the men 301 00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:55,399 Speaker 1: who signed the application for George Bates's life insurance policy, 302 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:58,520 Speaker 1: and like William Palmer, Cook owned a horse and he 303 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:02,160 Speaker 1: liked to bet. But he was apparently luckier than Palmer 304 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:06,120 Speaker 1: in that enterprise, and he had an inheritance, and he 305 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:10,760 Speaker 1: was not carrying a huge debt. On November fifty five, 306 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:15,400 Speaker 1: the two men attended the Shrewsbury Races together. Cook when 307 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:18,800 Speaker 1: an estimated three thousand pounds that day when his horse, 308 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:22,159 Speaker 1: named pole Star, had a good run. To celebrate the 309 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:24,920 Speaker 1: winner had a party at the end where he was staying, 310 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:29,040 Speaker 1: which was the Raven Hotel. Palmer attended, but left early 311 00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 1: and headed home the next day, though he went right 312 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 1: back to Shrewsbury. That's because in the interim he received 313 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:38,679 Speaker 1: another ultimatum from a creditor who was very ready to 314 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:42,359 Speaker 1: visit his mother about all of his outstanding debts. So 315 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:44,879 Speaker 1: he met that night with John Parsons, Cook and several 316 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:47,600 Speaker 1: other of their racetrack friends. They kind of hung out 317 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:51,200 Speaker 1: and ordered around of Brandy's, but Cook, after tossing his back, 318 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:56,600 Speaker 1: noted an unusual burning sensation in his throat. William Palmer 319 00:18:56,680 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: kind of mocked his friend openly for saying so, kind 320 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:01,920 Speaker 1: of hinting like that he was being a woos and 321 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 1: asked one of their companions to check his Palmer's glass 322 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:08,159 Speaker 1: to see if they thought it looked suspicious. That glass 323 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:11,159 Speaker 1: was empty, and it looked to have no residue in it. 324 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,440 Speaker 1: Before long, Cook, who was just getting worse, was escorted 325 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 1: to his room by two other men of the party, 326 00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:19,399 Speaker 1: where he began throwing up a great deal and he 327 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 1: also told the other men that quote, I believe that 328 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,919 Speaker 1: damned Palmer has been dosing me. Cook was seen by 329 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:29,120 Speaker 1: a doctor, but he did not improve. The next day 330 00:19:29,119 --> 00:19:32,440 Speaker 1: Palmer was back at the track and had an abysmal outing. 331 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 1: He lost a great deal of money that night. He 332 00:19:36,119 --> 00:19:39,600 Speaker 1: and Cook headed back to Rugeally. Cook was still sick 333 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:42,920 Speaker 1: but seemed to be improving slightly. He spent the night 334 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 1: at an inn across the street from the Palmer residence, 335 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,199 Speaker 1: and the day after that, which was a Friday, the 336 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,920 Speaker 1: two men had lunched together along with Jeremiah Smith, who 337 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:56,320 Speaker 1: was Cook's solicitor. On Saturday morning, Palmer called on Cook 338 00:19:56,359 --> 00:19:58,720 Speaker 1: at the inn again, and this time Palmer ordered a 339 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:02,560 Speaker 1: coffee which he shared with his friend. According to accounts, 340 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:07,399 Speaker 1: Cook began vomiting again almost immediately. As Palmer was a doctor, 341 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 1: he cared for his friend, and on that Saturday he 342 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:13,320 Speaker 1: had another doctor that was Bamford, come to see the patient. 343 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:17,679 Speaker 1: The solicitor named Smith also sent soup for Cook. He 344 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,120 Speaker 1: sent that to Palmer, who brought it over to the man, 345 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:24,199 Speaker 1: and after eating it, Cook once again got worse. The 346 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:26,760 Speaker 1: leftover soup was stored in the inn's kitchen and when 347 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:30,920 Speaker 1: one of the staff tasted it, she also became ill. Still, 348 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:34,160 Speaker 1: that same soup was once again fed to John Parsons Cook, 349 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:39,600 Speaker 1: whose condition worsened. As Cook continued to decline, William Palmer 350 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:42,000 Speaker 1: started to collect the winnings that were due to his 351 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:45,240 Speaker 1: sick friend, from the successful bets that he had placed 352 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:49,200 Speaker 1: before falling ill. He did not bring that money back 353 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:51,360 Speaker 1: to Cook. He used some of that to pay off 354 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:55,240 Speaker 1: his debts, and then he bought three grains of Stryck 355 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:58,879 Speaker 1: nine from a chemist named Salt. He made those into 356 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:01,560 Speaker 1: two pills that he made up in his own office 357 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:05,680 Speaker 1: and he administered these to Cook on November So this 358 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:07,840 Speaker 1: was a week after the day that Cook had done 359 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:11,399 Speaker 1: so well at the Shrewsbury Track. He was terribly ill 360 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:15,040 Speaker 1: and a Doctor Jones was requested by William Palmer to 361 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:19,600 Speaker 1: stay with the patient overnight. Cook had difficulties sleeping and 362 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:22,679 Speaker 1: his condition grew worse than the night, so Dr Jones 363 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:26,680 Speaker 1: called for Dr Palmer as things became more grave. William 364 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:31,280 Speaker 1: Palmer gave Cook two ammonia pills within an hour, after 365 00:21:31,359 --> 00:21:35,240 Speaker 1: a horrific series of convulsions and repeatedly saying that he 366 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:38,840 Speaker 1: felt like he was suffocating. John Parsons. Cook was dead. 367 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:43,800 Speaker 1: Palmer had his friend, once again, the elderly Dr Bamford, 368 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:47,360 Speaker 1: right up the death certificate and the cause was listed 369 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:51,520 Speaker 1: as apoplexy. We're about to get to how everything unraveled 370 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,880 Speaker 1: for Palmer after Cook's death, but first we will pause 371 00:21:55,119 --> 00:21:57,680 Speaker 1: for a word from the sponsors that keep Stuffy missing 372 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:11,400 Speaker 1: hisry class going. So cook stepfather came to the end 373 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:15,840 Speaker 1: the day after his stepson died, immediately after he had 374 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:19,359 Speaker 1: been told what had happened, and William Palmer immediately told 375 00:22:19,359 --> 00:22:22,119 Speaker 1: the man who had just lost a family member that 376 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 1: Cook owed four thousand pounds in unpaid bills that he 377 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:29,080 Speaker 1: could just give to him. But cook stepfather, William Stevens, 378 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:31,600 Speaker 1: was a bit suspicious of all this, and he asked 379 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:34,919 Speaker 1: for a coroner's inquest into the death and a post 380 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:38,760 Speaker 1: mortem exam of the body, and he also wanted samples 381 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:41,920 Speaker 1: from the body sent to a poison expert, Dr Alfred 382 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:45,920 Speaker 1: Swain Taylor. Must post mortem was total chaos. For one, 383 00:22:46,359 --> 00:22:48,520 Speaker 1: it was held there at the hotel where Cook died 384 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:52,640 Speaker 1: on November, and there was an audience of curious locals 385 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:56,080 Speaker 1: to watch. For another, the men who performed it were 386 00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:59,399 Speaker 1: young and inexperienced. One was a medical student, one was 387 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:04,160 Speaker 1: the town chemist's assistant. They did have a more experienced 388 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:07,280 Speaker 1: doctor supervising, but the two of them did not have 389 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:10,040 Speaker 1: a lot of experience themselves. And then it went poorly. 390 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:14,280 Speaker 1: These two men were nervous. It was suspected that they 391 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:17,679 Speaker 1: had had a drink beforehand to calm their nerves, so 392 00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:21,440 Speaker 1: they bumped into each other. They dropped Cook's organs. They 393 00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:25,880 Speaker 1: just bungled this entire thing, and as they fumbled around, 394 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:28,639 Speaker 1: William Palmer was able to get ahold of the jar 395 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:32,880 Speaker 1: where they had placed Cook's stomach contents. He took that 396 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:37,159 Speaker 1: jar into another room. He returned it when someone noticed 397 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:39,960 Speaker 1: it was missing. But the seal on it had been cut. 398 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:44,480 Speaker 1: It looked otherwise intact. Yeah, he gave like the very 399 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:46,479 Speaker 1: fumbly excuse of like, oh, I was getting it out 400 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:48,280 Speaker 1: of your way. You guys seem to be you know, 401 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:51,080 Speaker 1: you had so many things going on. I just thought 402 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:54,520 Speaker 1: I would clear the area for you. Not suspicious at all. 403 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:58,679 Speaker 1: When the poison expert, Dr Taylor received the specimens that 404 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: had been prepared there at the Talbot Arms, he found 405 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:04,240 Speaker 1: the entire collection such a mess that he asked for 406 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:07,679 Speaker 1: a second post mortem so that he could get better samples. 407 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:12,000 Speaker 1: When Dr Taylor initially wrote to the coroner saying he 408 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:15,160 Speaker 1: had found no Strict nine in the samples, Palmer heard 409 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:18,200 Speaker 1: about it because he had bribed the postmaster to intercept 410 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:21,440 Speaker 1: this letter. He then wrote to the coroner and asked 411 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:25,640 Speaker 1: him to declare the death an accidental causes situation, and 412 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 1: he talked a ten pound note into this letter subtle uh. 413 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,600 Speaker 1: That bribe did not work on the coroner, William webb Ward. 414 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:36,360 Speaker 1: The final findings of Dr Taylor were that he did 415 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:39,520 Speaker 1: not find any Strict nine in the samples, but that 416 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:42,840 Speaker 1: he suspected that Palmer had given Cook Strict nine at 417 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:45,800 Speaker 1: some point, as the symptoms he had were consistent with 418 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:51,200 Speaker 1: Strict nine poisoning. The Inquest jury, having examined Dr Taylor's findings, 419 00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:55,600 Speaker 1: issued their verdict on December eighteen fifty five, which read 420 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:59,920 Speaker 1: quote deceased died of poison willfully administered to him by 421 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,879 Speaker 1: William Palmer. The postmaster who had intercepted the letter to 422 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:06,800 Speaker 1: the coroner, which was a man named Samuel Cheshire, was 423 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:10,439 Speaker 1: sentenced to two years in prison for mail tampering. But 424 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:13,240 Speaker 1: here's the thing. That coroner's jury was not a court 425 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:15,720 Speaker 1: of law, so Palmer still had to be tried in 426 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:19,400 Speaker 1: criminal court. He was at home in bed sick when 427 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:23,560 Speaker 1: the coroner's jury determination was issued. He was already under 428 00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:26,520 Speaker 1: warrant on forgery charges because of all of those fake 429 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:29,240 Speaker 1: bills that he had been giving creditors in his mother's name, 430 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:32,200 Speaker 1: but he was allowed to stay at home under guard 431 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:34,040 Speaker 1: until he was well enough to be moved to the 432 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:37,920 Speaker 1: Stafford jail. There was no way William Palmer could get 433 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:41,600 Speaker 1: an impartial trial in Stafford, so an Act of Parliament 434 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:43,879 Speaker 1: was enacted that would allow him to be tried in 435 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:47,919 Speaker 1: London instead. By the time he was arrested, the rumor 436 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 1: mill of the town and speculation in the press had 437 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:54,200 Speaker 1: already started to link the many deaths in William Palmer's 438 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:57,840 Speaker 1: life together and to suggest that he had been responsible 439 00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:01,159 Speaker 1: for all of them. Palmer, his wife Anne, and his 440 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:04,159 Speaker 1: brother Walter were exhumed so that they could be a 441 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:08,879 Speaker 1: second coroner's inquest into their deaths, and Palmer's body was 442 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:12,360 Speaker 1: in pretty good condition, but Walters was so badly decomposed 443 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:15,200 Speaker 1: that the gory scene was written up in the papers. 444 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:17,600 Speaker 1: I'm going to read it, so just brace if you 445 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:21,439 Speaker 1: are squeamish, maybe jump ahead. The Times ran this story 446 00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:26,320 Speaker 1: on January quote on the removal of the outer coffin. 447 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:29,200 Speaker 1: A hole was bored in the leaden receptacle in which 448 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:33,520 Speaker 1: Walter Palmer's body was confined, and instantly a most sickening 449 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:38,639 Speaker 1: and noxious effluvium escaped, which permeated the entire building, affected 450 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:41,160 Speaker 1: parties at the other end of the inn, and produced 451 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:44,119 Speaker 1: a sickening effect on all in the immediate vicinity of 452 00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:48,159 Speaker 1: the coffin. Subsequently, the leaden lid was removed, and the 453 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:52,680 Speaker 1: spectacle presented by the body was absolutely frightful. The cheeks 454 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:55,720 Speaker 1: were so terribly distended as to extend to either side 455 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:58,760 Speaker 1: of the coffin. One eye was opened and the mouth 456 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:03,400 Speaker 1: partially so, presenting the appearance of a horrible grin and grimace. 457 00:27:04,119 --> 00:27:07,800 Speaker 1: Each limb was also swollen to prodigious proportions, and the 458 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:12,080 Speaker 1: site was revolting in the extreme. Nearly all the jurors 459 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:16,600 Speaker 1: were afflicted with vomiting or fainting. Ultimately, it was determined 460 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 1: that Walter's body was just too decomposed for additional examination. 461 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:26,840 Speaker 1: But in Ant's tissue there was antimony found in multiple organs. 462 00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:30,720 Speaker 1: Dr Taylor had analyzed these samples and that was his finding. 463 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 1: The coroner's jury declared this to be a willful murder. Yeah, 464 00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:38,480 Speaker 1: there was definitely like kind of this inference that in 465 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:43,399 Speaker 1: describing that that gross state of Walter's body, that he 466 00:27:44,359 --> 00:27:49,639 Speaker 1: had decayed so much, possibly because of something nefarious. I 467 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:51,399 Speaker 1: was never proven, but like that was kind of the 468 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:54,639 Speaker 1: way the papers were framing it. Palmer's trial for the 469 00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:58,399 Speaker 1: murder of John Parsons Cook began on May fourteen, eighteen 470 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:00,960 Speaker 1: fifty six, at the Old Bailey, London. That is the 471 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:03,920 Speaker 1: city's criminal court. It's called the Old Bailey because that's 472 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,119 Speaker 1: the name of the street. The men who had been 473 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:09,560 Speaker 1: drinking with Cook and Palmer when Cook first mentioned that 474 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:14,239 Speaker 1: throat burning sensation were called for testimony. The chambermaid, who 475 00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:17,159 Speaker 1: drank the soup that Palmer brought Cook testified that she 476 00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:19,960 Speaker 1: had gotten ill from it. She also gave a pretty 477 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:23,040 Speaker 1: graphic account of Cook's appearance and behavior while he was 478 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:26,040 Speaker 1: staying at the Talbot Arms, including the fact that he 479 00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:29,160 Speaker 1: had said the word murder twice while he was ill. 480 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:32,720 Speaker 1: The defense pointed out that Cook had been fairly frail 481 00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:36,199 Speaker 1: to start with. The defense attorney for Palmer offered up 482 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:39,800 Speaker 1: the possibility that, based on the chambermaid's description, Cook had 483 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:44,360 Speaker 1: actually died not of strychnine poisoning but of tetanus. But 484 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:47,400 Speaker 1: it was when the chemist's assistant testified that things really 485 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:50,920 Speaker 1: fell apart for William Palmer. That assistant, whose name was 486 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:54,440 Speaker 1: Charles Newton, told the court that Palmer had bought Strict 487 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:58,600 Speaker 1: nine from him on November nine, eighteen fifty five. He 488 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:01,960 Speaker 1: had not recorded that purchase in the poison records, as 489 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:05,760 Speaker 1: required by law, because Palmer and the chemist Mr. Salt, 490 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:09,720 Speaker 1: who we mentioned earlier had a rather sour relationship, and 491 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:13,600 Speaker 1: Newton had not wished to anger his boss. Palmer had 492 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:16,320 Speaker 1: told Newton that he needed enough Strict nine to kill 493 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:19,520 Speaker 1: a dog, and Newton said that Palmer also bought a 494 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:22,440 Speaker 1: second dose of Strict nine at another shop on November. 495 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:26,400 Speaker 1: The assistant from that shop, a young man named Charles 496 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:30,160 Speaker 1: Joseph Roberts, confirmed the second purchase and that he had 497 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:33,480 Speaker 1: also neglected to record the sale of the poison, as 498 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:37,440 Speaker 1: he was legally supposed to have done. The elderly doctor 499 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:41,600 Speaker 1: who had been involved, Dr Bamford, provided a written testimony 500 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:43,720 Speaker 1: to be read in court because he was too ill 501 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:47,080 Speaker 1: to attend. He stated that he thought the death was 502 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 1: caused by congestion of the brain. Other medical experts dismissed 503 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:55,600 Speaker 1: this statement, of course. Poison expert Dr Alfred Taylor was 504 00:29:55,680 --> 00:30:00,160 Speaker 1: also called to testify. He explained that the remains had 505 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:03,480 Speaker 1: been so poorly handled in the post mortem that testing 506 00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:06,840 Speaker 1: for strychnine was difficult, if not impossible, but that he 507 00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:08,720 Speaker 1: did look for it just the same as well as 508 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:12,640 Speaker 1: other poisons. The stomach, for example, had been sent emptied 509 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:15,080 Speaker 1: of its contents, so he did not have one of 510 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:17,880 Speaker 1: the key samples he would have normally needed for a 511 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:22,320 Speaker 1: thorough analysis. He did find traces of antimony, though not 512 00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:26,000 Speaker 1: enough to cause death. All of the medical experts who 513 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:29,880 Speaker 1: were called admitted that they had never actually seen strychnine poisoning, 514 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:34,280 Speaker 1: and a human only in other animals, so their expertise 515 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:38,240 Speaker 1: was largely theoretical on the matter. The defense pointed out 516 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:40,920 Speaker 1: that if Cook had died of Strict nine poisoning, due 517 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:43,400 Speaker 1: to how closely it followed the date of the last 518 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:46,680 Speaker 1: purchase made by Palmer, it should have been found in 519 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:50,680 Speaker 1: those post mortem samples, even if they had been mishandled. 520 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:54,160 Speaker 1: The prosecution made its final case that Palmer had first 521 00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:58,000 Speaker 1: weakened Cook with antimony and then finished him off with strychnine. 522 00:30:58,680 --> 00:31:02,080 Speaker 1: The defense claimed not till causes, but no one could 523 00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:05,480 Speaker 1: account for those stryct nine purchases. Yeah, there was no 524 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:09,560 Speaker 1: dog produced that he had done away with there was 525 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:11,920 Speaker 1: no other like use of it that meant any sense. 526 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:15,400 Speaker 1: So after just an hour and fifteen minutes of deliberation, 527 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:18,320 Speaker 1: the jury found William Palmer guilty of the murder of 528 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:22,600 Speaker 1: John Parsons Cook. The judge sentenced him to death, and 529 00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:25,320 Speaker 1: because of that sentence, trials for the murders of Walter 530 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:29,440 Speaker 1: Palmer and and Palmer did not move forward. William Palmer 531 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:33,200 Speaker 1: was executed by hanging on June fourteenth, eighteen fifty six, 532 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:37,080 Speaker 1: outside of Stafford Prison. There were an estimated thirty five 533 00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:40,760 Speaker 1: thousand spectators, and demand for a view of the hanging 534 00:31:40,920 --> 00:31:43,680 Speaker 1: was so great that a lot of people slept outside 535 00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:45,760 Speaker 1: the night before to make sure they could get a 536 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:50,520 Speaker 1: good spot, even though the night of June was rainy. 537 00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:53,040 Speaker 1: Throughout the trial, the press had printed all the lurid 538 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:56,400 Speaker 1: and disturbing details of Cook's final days, and there was 539 00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:59,800 Speaker 1: a very real desire among the general populist to see 540 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:04,240 Speaker 1: Palmer pay for the misery that he had caused his friend. Ultimately, 541 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:08,040 Speaker 1: although it was not found legally the case, Palmer was 542 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 1: believed in public opinion to have committed as many as 543 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:16,400 Speaker 1: fifteen murders, although all of the evidence involved was circumstantial, 544 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:19,920 Speaker 1: The Palmer story has made its way into media in 545 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: a number of ways. Dickens called him the greatest villain 546 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:26,440 Speaker 1: that ever stood in the Old Bailey and used his 547 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:29,760 Speaker 1: story as inspiration in his work, basing the character of 548 00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:33,680 Speaker 1: Inspector Bucket in Bleak House on one of the investigators 549 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:37,920 Speaker 1: and Cook's death. Various details about the sensational Palmer case 550 00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:42,440 Speaker 1: pop up periodically. It plays television and films, including an 551 00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:45,960 Speaker 1: Alfred Hitchcock character named Richard Palmer who kills a man 552 00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:50,920 Speaker 1: with Brandy in the film Suspicion in Palmer's story was 553 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:53,840 Speaker 1: adapted into a drama that ran in the UK titled 554 00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:59,920 Speaker 1: The Life and Crimes of William Palmer. Oh, William Palmer 555 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:03,840 Speaker 1: maybe a serial killer. We'll talk some about it on 556 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:06,280 Speaker 1: our behind the scenes. But there are people today who 557 00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:12,280 Speaker 1: think that he was wrongly convicted. Yeah, more because just 558 00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:14,200 Speaker 1: it wouldn't hold up in a court of law to 559 00:33:14,280 --> 00:33:17,320 Speaker 1: day how it played out, then necessarily believing he had 560 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:21,800 Speaker 1: never done anything wrong. Um. But in Peppier Listener Mail, 561 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:25,720 Speaker 1: anytime we deal with something yucky, I want a pepper 562 00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:29,840 Speaker 1: or Listener mail. So um, this is from our listener Allison, 563 00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:33,200 Speaker 1: who was writing to us about Grannie Smith Apple's Uh 564 00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:35,440 Speaker 1: writes High Holly and Tracy, I must start off, like 565 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:37,440 Speaker 1: so many of your letter writers and fans, telling you 566 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:39,680 Speaker 1: how much I enjoy the podcast and that I have 567 00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:42,760 Speaker 1: been listening since the beginning many years ago, many many 568 00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:46,080 Speaker 1: hosts ago, when episodes were so much shorter and less frequent. 569 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:49,600 Speaker 1: I'm an American who moved to Sydney right before the 570 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:53,600 Speaker 1: pandemic lockdown that has gripped Australia into isolation. It's been 571 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:56,120 Speaker 1: very strange to live outside the US during this time 572 00:33:56,160 --> 00:33:58,880 Speaker 1: and essentially house bound in a city rich with history. 573 00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:01,480 Speaker 1: I had to right in now because I just listened 574 00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:04,560 Speaker 1: to the episode featuring one of my long time favorite foods, 575 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:07,840 Speaker 1: Granny Smith Apple's. I had no idea that I happened 576 00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:10,440 Speaker 1: to live close to where they originated, but as it 577 00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:13,320 Speaker 1: is more than five kilometers from my house, it's actually seven. 578 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:16,120 Speaker 1: In our current lockdown restrictions, I can't take the quick 579 00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:18,319 Speaker 1: trip to see the area and thank the land for 580 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:22,800 Speaker 1: my favorite snack. I also really enjoyed practically every episode, 581 00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:25,000 Speaker 1: but a standout episode at this moment in my life 582 00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:27,279 Speaker 1: was the April episode on the Rum Rebellion, which I 583 00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:30,520 Speaker 1: knew nothing about the episode had a brief mention of 584 00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:33,960 Speaker 1: John Fovo. I work for a university that is building 585 00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:37,000 Speaker 1: a new campus on Phobo Street here in Sydney. I 586 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:39,880 Speaker 1: hadn't given the streets name one thought until that episode. 587 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:42,760 Speaker 1: I really enjoyed learning just a tiny bit more about 588 00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:45,120 Speaker 1: this amazing city that I haven't had the opportunity to 589 00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:48,400 Speaker 1: explore yet. I'm also a huge fan and avid listener 590 00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:51,160 Speaker 1: of Criminalia. When I first got her, aired an add 591 00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:53,960 Speaker 1: on your podcast in an Australian accent for the University 592 00:34:53,960 --> 00:34:56,040 Speaker 1: of New England. Why would they be talking about New 593 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:58,920 Speaker 1: England all the way over here? Of course? What an 594 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:01,560 Speaker 1: American centric view I had. Of course there is in 595 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:04,400 Speaker 1: New England here too. It's been fun, more recently to 596 00:35:04,480 --> 00:35:07,440 Speaker 1: hear your voices for Australian products and services makes the 597 00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:10,719 Speaker 1: world feel just a tiny bit smaller. Thank you again, 598 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:13,400 Speaker 1: Alison Allison. This is so great. I hope you go visit. 599 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:16,759 Speaker 1: You can start doing the Granny Smith tour, where you 600 00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:21,320 Speaker 1: go visit where their orchards were, maybe find the creek 601 00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:24,480 Speaker 1: where that thing originally popped up. That is an interesting thing. 602 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:29,279 Speaker 1: I have a friend of another friend who um moved 603 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:31,719 Speaker 1: to Australia not long before this all happened, and I 604 00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:36,000 Speaker 1: have such a fascination with this idea of moving to 605 00:35:36,120 --> 00:35:40,040 Speaker 1: it completely new country and then not being able to 606 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:43,680 Speaker 1: really be in that country because of lockdown. It's got 607 00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:46,480 Speaker 1: to be a strange sensation for sure. So I hope 608 00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 1: that soon you can go out and explore things and 609 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:51,880 Speaker 1: and enjoy all that Sydney has to offer. If you 610 00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:53,480 Speaker 1: would like to write to us, you can do so 611 00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:56,440 Speaker 1: at History Podcast at iHeart radio dot com. You can 612 00:35:56,480 --> 00:35:59,920 Speaker 1: also find us on the internet on social media as 613 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:03,120 Speaker 1: Missed in History, and you can subscribe to the podcast 614 00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:05,200 Speaker 1: on the I heart Radio app or anywhere you listen 615 00:36:05,280 --> 00:36:13,280 Speaker 1: to your favorite podcasts. Stuff you Missed in History Class 616 00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:16,400 Speaker 1: is a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts 617 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:18,799 Speaker 1: from I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, 618 00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:22,080 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.