Crime of the [19th] century

To the residents of Rugeley, William Palmer was a country doctor with a wife and family and an interest in raising and betting on race horses.

When his gambling companion John Parsons Cook died in agony at the inn across the street, the locals thought it suspicious. In the past few years, Palmer’s wife and several of his relatives had died as well.

But this time, Cook’s stepfather ordered an investigation. The results shocked Victorian Britain. Palmer had poisoned not only Cook, but his wife, mother-in-law, brother, four of his five children and others!

The ensuing 12-day trial made headlines around the world. It also made legal history, being the first trial involving strychnine, but also the first to be moved because of pre-trial publicity.

In 1925, George Fletcher, a doctor with extensive ties to Rugeley, published his lifelong research into Palmer. “The Life & Career of Dr. William Palmer of Rugeley” ran for one edition and went out of print. Used copies were hard to find.

Now, the Peschel Press has reissued a new edition, in trade paperback and ebook, reproducing the full text and illustrations, with the addition of two maps, several essays and footnotes. Read more about it here.