William Palmer (murderer) - Murder of John Cook

Murder of John Cook

John Parsons Cook, a sickly young man with an inherited fortune of £12,000, was a friend of Palmer. In November 1855, the pair attended the Shrewsbury Handicap Stakes and bet on various horses between 13 November and 15 November. Cook won £3,000 by betting on "Polestar"; Palmer lost heavily by betting instead on "the Chicken". Cook and Palmer had a celebration party at the Raven, a local drinking establishment. Already on 14 November, Cook was complaining that his brandy had burnt his throat; Palmer responded by making a scene in which he attempted to convince bemused onlookers that there was nothing untoward in Cook's glass. Afterwards Cook was violently sick, and told two friends, George Herring and Ishmael Fisher, that "I believe that damn Palmer has been dosing me". On 15 November, Palmer and Cook returned to Rugeley, at which point Cook booked a room at the Talbot Arms.

Earlier on 14 November Palmer had received a letter from a creditor named Pratt, who threatened to visit his mother and ask for his money if Palmer himself would not pay up soon. The following day he bet heavily on a horse, and lost.

Having seemingly recovered from his illness, Cook met with Palmer for coffee on 17 November, and soon found himself sick once again. At this point Palmer assumed responsibility for Cook; Cook's solicitor, Jeremiah Smith, sent over a bowl of soup, which Palmer had in his possession before he sent it to the kitchen to be reheated. Chambermaid Elizabeth Mills took two spoonfuls of the soup and subsequently fell ill; Cook was given the rest of the soup, and his vomiting became worse than ever.

The next day, Palmer began collecting bets on behalf of Cook, bringing home £1,200. He then purchased three grains of strychnine from the surgery of Dr Salt, and put the grains into two pills, which he then administered to Cook. On 21 November, not long after Palmer administered two ammonia pills, Cook died in agony at about 1:00 AM, screaming that he was suffocating.

On 23 November, William Stevens, Cook's stepfather, arrived to represent the family. Palmer informed the deceased had lost his betting books, which he further claimed were of no use as all bets were off once the gambler had died; he also told Stevens that Cook had £4,000 in outstanding bills. Stevens requested an inquest, which was granted. Meanwhile Palmer obtained a death certificate from 80 year old Dr Bamford, which listed the cause of death as 'apoplexy'.

A post-mortem examination of Cook's body took place at the Talbot Arms on 26 November, carried out by medical student Charles Devonshire and assistant Charles Newton, and overseen by Dr Harland and numerous other onlookers. Newton was drunk, and Palmer himself interfered with the examination, bumping into Newton and taking the stomach contents off in a jar for 'safe keeping'. The jars were sent off to Dr Alfred Swaine Taylor, who complained that such poor quality samples were of no use to him, and a second post mortem took place on 29 November. Postmaster Samuel Cheshire intercepted letters addressed to the coroner on behalf of Palmer; Cheshire was later prosecuted for interfering with the mail and given two years in prison. Palmer also wrote to the coroner himself, requesting that the verdict of death be given as natural causes, enclosing in his letter a £10 note.

Dr Taylor found no evidence of poison, but still stated that it was his belief that Cook had been poisoned. The jury at the inquest delivered their verdict on 15 December, stating that the "Deceased died of poison wilfully administered to him by William Palmer"; at the time this verdict could be legally handed down at an inquest.