Pod Insights Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén The Rugeley Poisoner Pt. 2 About this episode Struggling with gambling and spiraling into debt, William Palmer turned to murder. This week, we continue analyzing the deaths Palmer was accused of, and how the scheming doctor was finally caught.
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Transcript 0:02 Speaker 00 This episode includes discussions of murder, child and infant loss, and poisoning. Consider this when deciding how and when you'll listen.
0:14 Speaker 00 Walk into any room and you'll probably find someone in deep, deep debt. Maybe they're young and saddled with student loans, successful enough to take out a mortgage, or just love online shopping. Others have a car loan or had to finance a medical emergency. It all has the same end result: a giant scary number. Four figures, five figures, six figures. To pay it off, you need to make a plan and stick with it. Today's subject, William Palmer, had a plan, and he stuck with it to the tune of possibly 10 murders.
0:55 Speaker 00 Welcome to Serial Killers, a Spotify podcast. I'm Janice Morgan. You might recognize me as the voice behind the investigative docu-series Broken and the true crime podcast Fear Thy Neighbor. I'll be your host for the next few weeks, and I'm thrilled to be here. We'd love to hear from you. Follow us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast and share your thoughts on this week's episode. Or if you're tuning in on the Spotify app, swipe up and leave a comment. This is our second episode on Dr. William Palmer, a man whose gambling problem spiraled into at least one murder. Palmer became infamous in the Victorian era, but was he a serial killer? Today, we'll continue looking into the suspicious deaths that surrounded Palmer,
1:40 Speaker 00 especially his own friends and family, and see how they compare to his known crime, the murder of John Cook. Stay with us.
1:55 Speaker 00 William Palmer was a boogeyman in Victorian England, the man who secretly poisoned those close to him for money. But this next accusation is the darkest of all, that Palmer killed his own children. This is grim as it deals with potential infant murder, so you can go ahead and skip forward about four minutes if you choose to.
2:18 Speaker 00 Okay. In late 1850, William Palmer welcomed his second child, a girl named Elizabeth. Unfortunately, she wasn't well, allegedly suffering from convulsions. His wife Anne worried and doted on her daughter. She was thankful to the family's housekeeper, Mrs. Bradshaw, who helped look after Elizabeth. But even with Mrs. Bradshaw's constant attention, Elizabeth's condition declined. In early January 1851, baby Elizabeth passed away. Anne was crushed, and the housekeeper, Mrs. Bradshaw, was just as distraught. Outwardly, Palmer showed his grief as well,
3:00 Speaker 00 but observers would later claim that he was quietly relieved he didn't have the financial burden of a second child. Over the next three years, Anne Palmer gave birth to three more children, all of whom died in infancy. First, Henry, who died in January 1852, about a month after his birth. Next came Frank, who died in December 1852, just hours after being born. Last, there was John, who died in January 1854, just three days after birth.
3:35 Speaker 00 For housekeeper Mrs. Bradshaw, these four infant deaths seemed like more than just a tragedy. She suspected they were intentional.
3:45 Speaker 00 The day John, the last baby, died, Mrs. Bradshaw went to the local pub. There, she allegedly told her fellow patrons that earlier in the day, William Palmer had taken the baby into a room upstairs alone. She heard the infant crying, and then, nothing. Shortly after, Palmer emerged from the room, holding his still son in his arms. Mrs. Bradshaw told the pub patrons she believed William poisoned baby John.
4:15 Speaker 00 But with no proof, she never went to the authorities. All she could do was quit her job. Even if Mrs. Bradshaw had taken her concerns to the police, infant mortality was incredibly high in Victorian England. Authorities wouldn't necessarily bat an eye at the four children that died in William and Anne's care. And while their deaths are suspicious, there is one alternate explanation: the RH factor. Essentially, it's a protein in the blood that can be either positive or negative. Most of the time, it doesn't matter which type you are. Unless an RH-positive man gets an RH-negative woman pregnant,
4:57 Speaker 00 then there's a chance that the baby would be RH-positive. In this case, the first pregnancy between the two people is typically healthy. But during childbirth, the mother is exposed to the RH protein in her baby's blood. This causes her to create antibodies. If she gets pregnant with an RH-positive baby again, those antibodies can attack the second child during birth. This can lead to severe anemia and can be fatal without medical intervention. If Anne Palmer was RH-negative and William was RH-positive, it could explain why they only had one healthy child, followed by four who died in infancy. But of course, no one knew about RH proteins in William Palmer's time,
5:42 Speaker 00 so it may have looked more suspicious than it was. There's just one caveat. Over the years, William Palmer had two illegitimate children. And those babies, who had two different mothers, also died in infancy. Their deaths were never investigated. Regardless of his guilt or innocence, Palmer's children's deaths would come back to haunt him. Because these tragedies weren't the last for the Palmers. In less than two years, two more members of Palmer's immediate family turned up dead.
6:19 Speaker 00 By September 1854, William Palmer found himself chased by tragedy. In the past five years, he'd lost his mother-in-law, his good friend, and four infant children. At least, that's how it looked from the outside. Multiple people, including the Palmer's housekeeper, believe he'd orchestrated some of those six deaths. Because at the time, he owed multiple creditors over £20,000. Today, that's worth millions. This made it nearly impossible to get out of the hole, but that didn't stop him from trying. By this point, Dr. Palmer had all but given up on his medical practice. His operating costs were too high.
7:03 Speaker 00 Perhaps he felt gambling had better odds than trudging along with his business. At the same time, he dug himself deeper into debt, taking out multiple life insurance policies on his wife, Anne. Anne was quite young and, by all accounts, healthy. Still, Palmer committed to outsized life insurance premiums, all on top of his existing debt. Around this time, Anne noticed that death seemed to follow her husband. She also likely observed his increasing financial desperation. Still, they remained married. It's likely she was dealing with her own grief over the loss of their four infants and busy raising their surviving son, William Jr.
7:46 Speaker 00 One night, Anne decided to attend a concert with Palmer's sister, Sarah. Perhaps she wanted a brief distraction from her ongoing grief. The pair traveled by carriage to Liverpool, about 80 miles northwest. The air was cool as they made their way through the fields and over the low hills. When the two arrived in Liverpool that evening, the hall was packed. Anne enjoyed the music. It was just what she needed.
8:16 Speaker 00 The next day, the pair returned to Rugeley.
8:20 Speaker 00 The morning after, Anne woke up feeling unusually tired. She experienced a low-grade fever and decided to spend the day in bed. Naturally, Palmer cared for Anne, cooking her food. However, Anne's condition only deteriorated. She was quick to vomit up the food Palmer made for her and fell gravely ill. Soon, Palmer called a doctor friend to assess Anne. Dr. Bamford came right away. Same Dr. Bamford who examined John Cook after he died and issued the questionable death certificate. Dr. Bamford asked Palmer what he'd observed. Palmer described Anne's symptoms as vomiting, fever, and cramps. He believed Anne suffered from cholera.
9:04 Speaker 00 Already influenced by Palmer's assessment, Dr. Bamford observed Anne. Her heartbeat was irregular, and she was severely dehydrated. He prescribed calomel pills, which would basically cause her body to purge out whatever virus she had. But when Dr. Bamford returned a few days later, Anne had only taken one of the pills and seemed to be in worse condition. She didn't speak, and her movements were limited. Visitors over the next few days said they saw Palmer give Anne water, which appeared to be mixed with something, but they couldn't tell what it was. When anyone came to check on Anne, Palmer never left her side. Each visitor agreed, though.
9:47 Speaker 00 Anne's health seemed increasingly worse. On September 29, 1854, Anne's breath was labored and her skin was cool to the touch. Palmer stayed with her, and by day's end, she was dead. Official reports state she died of cholera.
10:07 Speaker 00 Now, Anne did have some symptoms of cholera, including vomiting, cramps, dehydration, and an unusual heart rate. Cholera can spread through dirty water, and it's possible Anne contracted it from something she drank on her trip. However, the symptoms also line up with strychnine poisoning, much like the deaths of John Cook and Anne's own mother. And remember, guests recall Palmer giving his wife glasses of cloudy water, which could have been dosed with strychnine. And we can't forget the newly purchased life insurance policies. Shortly after receiving Anne's death certificate, Palmer collected £13,000 in life insurance. He quickly paid off two of his creditors.
10:51 Speaker 00 Even if Anne's death was completely random, it lines up with Palmer's MO for killing John Cook. And while no one in town openly accused Palmer of any foul play, things only grew more dubious. A few months later, Palmer's alleged love for Anne was further thrown into question when his new housekeeper, Eliza Tharm, announced she was pregnant with his child. Palmer tried to keep this a secret, but people in Rugeley talked. Meanwhile, Palmer still had over £10,000 worth of debt and struggled to come up with regular payments to cover the interest. His inheritance was completely gone, and his medical practice couldn't support him and his son.
11:35 Speaker 00 How could he support another child? Quite simply, fraud. Palmer started signing checks in his mother's name. However, it didn't take the creditors long to call Palmer out. They threatened to go after his mother for the money he'd borrowed, allegedly on her behalf. This stopped Palmer in his tracks, possibly because his mother still had money left over from his father's nest egg, and he didn't want to lose out on that inheritance when she died. But his debt collectors circled like vultures. His situation only grew more dire. If he couldn't come up with the necessary cash, he'd likely land in a debtor's prison.
12:17 Speaker 00 Despite years of gambling, his biggest payout had been Ann's life insurance policy. He might have wished he had taken out more policies, or had someone else to insure. Because when his older brother Walter stumbled back into his life, Palmer concocted a new plan. In late December 1854, Dr. William Palmer needed a plan to repay his massive debts. Insurance from his wife's untimely death had wiped out about half of what he owed, and fraudulent checks in his mother's name kept him afloat.
12:57 Speaker 00 But with over 10,000 pounds lingering, Palmer was still in over his head. So he turned his attention to the rest of his family, namely his older brother, Walter. Five years earlier, Walter went bankrupt after his factory closed down. Then Walter turned to alcohol. A few years later, Walter's wife left, and Walter kept drinking. When Palmer met his brother in Roujly, he found Walter at the bottom of several bottles of liquor. Palmer later noticed that when Walter went too long without alcohol, he experienced severe tremors in his arms, possibly a sign of withdrawal caused by long-term alcohol misuse. At least, that's how Palmer interpreted it.
13:41 Speaker 00 After seeing his brother's tremors, Palmer believed that within a handful of years Walter would die. And Palmer was always a betting man, so he conspired to get a life insurance policy on Walter. But there was a problem. Walter had to agree to it. So Palmer bribed him. He offered his brother 400 pounds cash and a place to live. When presented with this generous offer, Walter hesitated for a moment, understanding the morbid implications, but he needed the money and housing. He agreed to sign whatever forms his brother needed. To make sure his plan was foolproof, Palmer ensured that Walter stayed sober for a brief period,
14:25 Speaker 00 just enough time for his most significant tremors to vanish. Palmer worried that insurance companies wouldn't hand out a policy on someone with visible signs of alcohol addiction. But even with Walter momentarily sober, most insurance companies denied the request outright. Only one of the half dozen companies Palmer visited, Prince of Wales Insurance, agreed in principle to the policy. They were the same company that had covered Ann Palmer's life insurance. The insurance company only requested that a local physician examine Walter first. So William Palmer called up a local acquaintance, Dr. Cornelius Waddell. Like with Dr. Bamford and John Cook's death certificate,
15:09 Speaker 00 it's unclear if Palmer made efforts to deceive Dr. Waddell or if he was in on the scheme, perhaps for a cut of the money. Since Palmer was already trying to defraud the life insurance company by keeping his brother sober, it's likely he pulled one over on Dr. Waddell, too. Either way, Dr. Waddell gave Walter Palmer a clean bill of health, cleared for life insurance, not a liability. Palmer was thrilled. A few days later, he had a deal for a 13,000-pound life insurance policy, more than enough to cover most of his remaining debt if and only if his brother died. Palmer paid the first annual premium on his brother, another gamble,
15:52 Speaker 00 but Palmer seemed convinced he'd make it back. The first evidence is that in March 1855, Palmer bought two more racehorses. Then, he gave his brother 19 gallons of gin. For context, one gallon of gin is roughly 78 shots of liquor, so that's over 1,400 shots in just a few months.
16:17 Speaker 00 Palmer funneled the gin through Walter's roommate, instructing him to let Walter drink it. This bar tab only racked up Palmer's enormous debt, but still, everyone thought he was good for it. Even as several months passed, Walter trusted Palmer to come through with the money he was owed. His younger brother, the physician, wouldn't let him down. On August 16th, 1855, William visited Walter. That afternoon, Walter grew very ill and died. Walter had never received the money his brother owed him, and now, he never would.
16:55 Speaker 00 As if this wasn't all suspicious enough, Palmer hurried his brother's burial process. Within days, the local undertaker had handed Walter's body over to Palmer. No autopsy was performed, and at least one doctor listed his cause of death as apoplexy. That's the same official cause of death as Palmer's mother-in-law and his known victim, John Cook. And while alcohol misuse can increase the risk of stroke, it's much more common for people with alcohol addiction to die from liver disease or cancer.
17:27 Speaker 00 It doesn't help Dr. Palmer's case that he buried his brother without a respectable funeral and before receiving the life insurance policy that should have funded it. Speaking of the life insurance policy, Palmer probably expected his claim to go as smoothly as it had when he received the payout for his wife's death, since it was the same company. In fact, Palmer started the process to take out another insurance policy on a man named George Bates. Bates worked in Palmer's stables as a part-time groom, not exactly raking in the cash, which meant he wouldn't qualify for a particularly large policy. But the insurance companies didn't need to know that. For this scheme, Palmer didn't work alone.
18:12 Speaker 00 He brought in Benjamin Thurlby, who worked in his medical office, and John Cook, his final victim. Together, the trio convinced Bates to sign the paperwork for life insurance. They submitted the documents to a few companies, including the Prince of Wales Life Insurance Company. Alarm bells immediately went off at the Prince of Wales Life Insurance Company. Not only was Palmer requesting a new policy, but he was filing for a major payout for his brother after receiving a similarly large amount less than a year before. The company immediately wrote back to Palmer, saying they disputed the claim on Walter Palmer's policy and were sending investigators to Rusheely.
18:55 Speaker 00 Throughout the fall of 1855, Palmer went back and forth with the Prince of Wales Insurance Company. For weeks, he continued trying to get the policy payout, but they stonewalled him at each turn. The most the insurance company offered was to return Palmer's premium. He refused, insisting he was owed the full policy amount. Palmer had banked on Walter's life insurance money, and now, without it, was even worse off than before this scheme started. He was out the money he paid for the premium on the insurance policy and the cost of 19 gallons of gin. Palmer had already been at least 11,000 pounds in the hole before he filed for the policy
19:36 Speaker 00 on Walter, and he'd kept up his lavish lifestyle buying those two new horses. Before long, his creditors were going to come knocking. In Victorian England, if debtors didn't pay, creditors could have the courts place them in debtor prisons. They'd remain incarcerated until they paid off their balance. But it was a flawed system. Debtors weren't allowed to leave the prisons, which meant they often couldn't find ways to pay off their debts, resulting in quasi-life sentences. To make matters worse, the Prince of Wales Life Insurance Company also rejected Palmer's proposal for George Bates, and so did every other insurance company the trio tried. Palmer may have felt like he had one hope left: the racetrack.
20:21 Speaker 00 And that's what brought him to November 13, 1855, the fateful day at the races, when he murdered his friend, John Cook. Putting the pieces together in the wake of Cook's death, investigators believed they might be dealing with a serial killer. To find out, they'd have to go grave digging.
20:47 Speaker 00 Even though John Cook's autopsy in the fall of 1855 technically came out clean, not everyone was convinced he died of natural causes, especially because the person of interest was involved in the autopsy. Most unconvinced was John Cook's stepfather, Mr. Stevens. Stevens became a mosquito in the authorities' ear, pushing them to investigate William Palmer and even questioning locals himself. The more Stevens heard, the more it sounded like William Palmer was to blame, and a serial killer at that. Just to be clear, "serial killer" wasn't a common term yet. It would still be over 30 years before Jack the Ripper would terrorize London, and even
21:30 Speaker 00 longer before an FBI investigator coined the term. But Mr. Stevens, the authorities, and insurance companies did suspect William Palmer of multiple murders over a long period of time with the same motive. Within a week of John Cook's autopsy, the authorities exhumed the bodies of William Palmer's wife and his brother. The results of Ann Palmer's autopsy were limited. Her body had been buried for over a year and much of her remains had decomposed. On top of that, strychnine doesn't stay in the human body long. It has a half-life of about 10 hours, so finding the poison was a long shot.
22:12 Speaker 00 Walter's corpse wasn't in much better shape for autopsy purposes. When examiners finally punched a hole into the thick, lead-lined casket, the room filled with the smell of death. His body was bloated and falling apart. Little information was gathered about Walter Palmer's cause of death, much to the delight of William Palmer, who still held out hope for his rejected insurance policy payout.
22:39 Speaker 00 But the lack of evidence didn't mean he was in the clear. Investigators took a leaf out of Mr. Stevens' book and went around Rugeley asking questions about Palmer. In the process, they too ran into many residents who had suspicions about the local doctor. One of them was Mr. Newton, the local pharmacy assistant. He recounted that he'd sold Palmer strychnine just before Cook died. The investigators' ears perked up. It was just the information they needed. In late 1855, the inquiry into Cook's death released their findings. They believed Palmer had killed John Cook with strychnine poison and suggested he be charged with murder.
23:22 Speaker 00 Shortly after, Palmer was arrested for Cook's murder. He was caught by surprise. He truly believed he'd gotten away with it. Authorities placed Palmer in a local jail while he awaited his day in court. In May 1856, William Palmer finally faced a trial, but not in Rugeley. It was believed Palmer wouldn't receive a fair trial in his hometown since he was quite well-known. Up to this point, the accused in England had to be tried in their home county, but William Palmer's case became so newsworthy and so concerning that the British Parliament felt the need to create a new law. Nicknamed the Palmer's Act, it allows anyone accused of a crime in England to be tried
24:06 Speaker 00 at the Central Criminal Court, also known as the Old Bailey. The Act is still on the books today. Parliament managed to pass the Act just in time, so the trial was moved to the Old Bailey Courthouse in London, where the jury wouldn't have deeply preconceived notions of Dr. William Palmer. While the trial started quietly, that didn't last long. Once the local press got wind of the story, Palmer's image was plastered all over town. Nearly everyone in London heard of the Rugeley poisoner.
24:41 Speaker 00 In these papers, every detail of Palmer's life was exposed, from his early education to the deaths of his wife and children. Like us, the public was able to draw their own conclusions about the tragedies throughout Palmer's life. Meanwhile, inside the walls of the Old Bailey, the prosecution made their case. There was little physical evidence, but they had a compelling tale. They discussed Palmer's gambling and staggering debts. Palmer professed his innocence in court, but the coincidences stacked up. His racing partner Leonard Bladen dying in his home with his ledger missing. Ann Palmer's death only months after a life insurance policy was handed out.
25:23 Speaker 00 Walter Palmer's death under similar circumstances. The attempts to put a policy on George Bates. And now, finally, John Cook. Then, Mr. Newton testified that Palmer bought strychnine from him. The alleged murder weapon was in Palmer's possession. And that sealed the deal. After 12 days of testimony, the trial ended. The jury didn't even deliberate for a full day before convicting Dr. William Palmer of John Cook's murder. He was guilty. The judge sentenced Palmer to death. Palmer remained stone-faced. All of his scheming had landed him at death's door.
26:04 Speaker 00 And now, no amount of strategy or legal maneuvering was getting him out. On June 14, 1856, guards grabbed Palmer out of his jail cell. They marched him towards the gallows outside of Stafford Prison. Palmer heard the sounds of a large crowd as he made his way to the platform. He mounted the steps, and a truly remarkable sight unfolded in front of him. Tens of thousands of people crowded around, awaiting his death. Authorities asked Palmer if he had any last words. To the audience's dismay, he had no speech prepared, though he meekly maintained his innocence.
26:49 Speaker 00 As Palmer walked over the trapdoor, legend has it that he asked if it was safe.
26:56 Speaker 00 Authorities placed a cover over Palmer's head before the noose came down. In the darkness, the crowd noise swelled. To Palmer, it might have sounded like he was at the horse races. Minutes later, William Palmer was pronounced dead.
27:14 Speaker 00 He was only convicted of killing one person, but his legend grew over the years. The Rusly Poisoner is one of the most famous murder cases of the 19th century. Which brings us back to the big question in this case. Was Dr. William Palmer a serial killer? If you ask the people of Victorian England, the answer seems to have been a resounding yes. Though since this happened almost 200 years ago, we'll never know for sure. Everyone can make their own conclusions and at least rest easy in the fact that, regardless of the count of his crimes, Palmer was stopped when he was only 31 and received the maximum punishment.
28:03 Speaker 00 Thanks for tuning into Serial Killers. We're here with a new episode every Monday. Be sure to check us out on Instagram, @serialkillerspodcast, and we'd love to hear from you. So if you're tuning in on the Spotify app, swipe up and give us your thoughts. For more information on William Palmer, we found the contemporary publication, The Most Extraordinary Trial of William Palmer for the Rusly Poisonings, which lasted 12 days. The book The Poisoner, A Gripping Account of the Murders Committed by Dr. William Palmer, The Prince of Poisoners, and His Dramatic Trial by Stephen Bates, and the book Staffordshire Murders by Alan Hayhurst, extremely helpful to our research. Stay safe out there.
28:47 Speaker 00 This episode was written by Robert Tyler Walker, edited by Maggie Admire, fact-checked by Bennett Logan, researched by Chelsea Wood, and video edited and sound designed by Spencer Howard. I'm your host, Janice Morgan.
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