The Life and Career of Dr. William Palmer of Rugely: Together with a Full Account of the Murder of John P. Cook and a Short Account of his Trial in May 1856

George Fletcher · Bill Peschel

Jul. 2014 · Peschel Press

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In 1856, Dr. William Palmer made history when he was hanged for poisoning his best friend. It was not only the first trial involving strychnine, but the first that was moved because of the extensive publicity it received in the new penny newspapers that were exploding in popularity.

In 1925, George Fletcher published his lifetime’s research on the case. Drawing on his family’s ties to the area, he visited Staffordshire repeatedly over several decades. He interviewed many of the people connected with the case and collected their stories and observations. His biography of Palmer was the first to feature new information about him, his murders, and the controversies surrounding his trial.

This new edition of “The Life and Career of Dr. Palmer of Rugeley” brings Fletcher’s biography back into print with the original illustrations and photographs. Annotator Bill Peschel has added more than 100 annotations, two maps and essays on strychnine, Rugeley then and now, Palmer's influence on popular culture and more. This material, created especially for this edition, expands the story and explains the social and cultural references unfamiliar to today’s readers.

Fletcher’s biography is part of “The Rugeley Poisoner” trilogy that includes two books published in 1856: “The Illustrated Life and Career of William Palmer” and “The Illustrated Times Trial of William Palmer.” With these three books, true-crime fans can experience early Victorian Britain where money was king, reputations ruled, and where evil lurked in the heart of a benign doctor.

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George Fletcher (1848-1933) was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. He was educated at Bromsgrove School and earned an MA and an MD at Clare College, Cambridge. He was a member of the Royal College of Surgeons and the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries. He worked as a surgeon at St. Thomas's Hospital, London, and was visiting Magistrate at Pentonville Prison.

 

Bill Peschel is a recovering journalist who shares a Pulitzer Prize with the staff of The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa. He also is mystery fan who has run the Wimsey Annotations at www.planetpeschel.com for nearly two decades. He is the author of the 223B series of Sherlock Holmes parodies and pastiches, The Complete, Annotated Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Complete, Annotated Secret Adversary and The Complete, Annotated Whose Body? as well as Writers Gone Wild (Penguin Books). He lives in Hershey, where the air really does smell like chocolate.