bilious diarrhœa, which Palmer said Cook was suffering
from. Mr. Bamford, surgeon, of Rugeley, was also in
attendance at Palmer's request. Mr. Bamford prescribed
medicines for the patient. On the night of the 21st, soon
after he had taken pills administered by Palmer, Mr. Cook
was very ill. Palmer was sent for by Mr. Jones; he came
with extraordinary speed, bringing two pills which he said
contained ammonia. They were given to Mr. Cook.
Mr. Jones describes the sequel—"Immediately after
taking the pills, Mr. Cook uttered loud screams, and
threw himself back on the bed in very strong convulsions.
He then requested to be raised up, saying, 'I
shall be suffocated.' We endeavoured to raise him up;
but he was so stiffened out with spasms that it was
impossible to do so. When he found that we could not
raise him, he said, 'Turn me over;' and I turned him
over on his right side. I listened to the action of his
heart, which I found to gradually cease, and in a
few minutes he died. I never heard of his having a fit
before. I have never seen symptoms so strong before.
They were symptoms of convulsions and tetanus; every
muscle of the body was stiffened. I cannot say what was
the cause of convulsions. My impression at the time
was that it was from over excitement." The local
surgeons made a post-mortem examination to ascertain
the cause of death—but in vain; there were no signs of
disease of a mortal nature, nor any of poison having
been administered. The viscera were sent to London,
and examined by Professor Taylor and Dr. Rees. They
could find no traces of poison; they detected antimony
in small amount in the various organs and their contents;
but antimony is a safe medicine, though enough
may be given to kill: the viscera presented no appearance
to account for death. But how did the antimony
get into the system? Mr. Bamford, who made up the
medicines which Mr. Cook ought to have taken, did not
use any antimony. Mr. Bamford had sent pills
containing calomel; yet no mercury was detected by
Professor Taylor and Dr. Rees. After hearing the general
evidence, and especially that of the chambermaid who
waited on Mr. Cook, Professor Taylor said he was fully
prepared to give his opinion of the cause of death—Mr.
Cook died from tetanus, caused by medicine given a
short time before death; and his opinion was that the
medicine contained strychnine. A chemist's apprentice
deposed that he sold six grains of strychnine to
Palmer on the 20th November. Remarkable evidence
was given of Palmer's conduct after Mr. Cook's death:
he was seen by the chambermaid looking under the
bolsters and pillows of the bed, and searching the
pockets of the deceased's coat. Mr. Jones said—
"Shortly after deceased's death, I left the room; and on
my return I found Mr. Palmer with Mr. Cook's coat in
his hand. I did not see Mr. Palmer take anything from
the coat. He said to me, 'You, as his nearest friend,
had better search his pockets, and take possession of
what there may be in them.' I searched his pockets,
and all I found in them was a purse containing a five-
pound note and about 5s. Some conversation took place
about the betting-book, and Mr. Palmer said that all
the bets were void, and that the book was of no use to
any one. Both of us made a slight search for the
betting-book, but we did not find it. On Friday, on
my return from London, I searched for Mr. Cook's
betting-book, but could not find it." Other persons
searched in vain. Mr. Cook, a druggist of Stafford,
said that Palmer had recently asked him what dose of
prussic acid would kill a dog. Palmer did not attend
the inquest—he was confined to his bed by indisposition.
The jury deliberated for a few minutes, and then found
that "the deceased died of poison, wilfully administered
to him by William Palmer." Suspicions of foul
play are entertained with regard to the deaths of
Palmer's wife and brother. The wife's life was insured
for £13,000, which was paid by the office. Palmer
induced his brother to insure, and then got possession of
the policy; he tried also to insure his brother's life
himself, but failed. The brother died. The life-office
had inquiries made; and the claim of Palmer seems to
have been resisted. It is also said that Palmer tried to
insure a "gentleman's" life for £25,000,—the gentleman
was his occasional groom.

NARRATIVE OF ACCIDENT AND
DISASTER.

A DREADFUL Colliery Accident happened at a place
called Cwmaman, near Aberdare, in South Wales on
the 29th ult. One of the pits is worked by the ordinary
engine, which lifts and lets down the same shaft,
men, horses, minerals, &c. This engine is in charge of
a man, whose sole duty is to attend to a signal bell,
which gives warning of the approach of the carriages
towards the top. The man in charge of the engine left
his post about five o'clock in the evening, and his place
was taken by another engine-driver, named Lloyd.
The man going off duty saw Lloyd lift one carriage
laden with men to the pit-head before he left, and
Lloyd soon after brought safely to the top two other
carriages also laden with colliers leaving their work;
and these having alighted, the last batch of men, eight
in number, got into the carriage and commenced the
ascent. Lloyd himself states that the bell on this
occasion did not give the usual signal, and a fearful
result followed. The engine continued its speed, and
the carriage, instead of stopping at the appointed place,
was hurled into the air, and dashed against the pulley-
wheel at the top, the chain was instantly broken, and
the carriage flung on one side of the pit's mouth. The
poor men, when turned out of the carriage, fell
headlong into the pit, nearly 250 yards deep, and were
dashed to pieces. At the bottom of the shaft is a deep
tank of water, which is covered by a frame of wood.
Against this the poor fellows were dashed as they went
headlong down the shaft, breaking in their fall the
woodwork to pieces, five of them going through into the
water below. The three other bodies were lying by the
side dreadfully mutilated, one having the head
completely severed from the body. An inquest has been
held, and a verdict of manslaughter returned against
Lloyd.

On the 1st instant a coroner's inquest was held on the
body of Mr. Leopold James Lardner, assistant librarian
at the British Museum, who had committed Suicide.
On his way, one morning, to the Museum, the horse in
his brougham knocked down a man, which greatly
agitated him, as he was of very excitable temperament.
On arriving at the Museum he refused to pass down a
dark passage leading to his office by himself, as he said
he was afraid the arches would fall upon him. At
length he became so excited that it was necessary that
he should be conveyed home. A surgeon was called in,
and prescribed for him, and he became better; but it
was deemed advisable to keep some one with him.
However, he on a sudden very peremptorily ordered
the servant girl to quit his room on the second floor,
which order she unfortunately obeyed. He then flung
himself from the window, and received such frightful
injuries that he expired in a few minutes after he was
taken up. The jury returned a verdict of insanity.

Mademoiselle Julie, a girl of eighteen, an actress and
dancer, died lately at Plymouth after lengthened sufferings,
from the effects of burns and nervous shock; her
Costume having caught Fire from a lamp on the stage
while she was dancing before the audience. She
supported her mother and a little brother by her exertions,
and much sympathy has been excited for her and
them.

A fatal Railway Accident occurred on the North
Kent line on the 7th instant. The up-train had passed
the New Cross station, and was crossing the points at
the incline which leads to the Bricklayers' Arms station,
when the engine suddenly diverged on to the Bricklayers'
Arms incline, dragging after it four of the leading
carriages. The coupling-chains between the fourth
and fifth carriages broke, and the remaining carriages
ran up the main line; but, from the shock which they
had received, the two or three first got off the rails, and,
coming in contact with the dwarf wall at this point,
formed an obstruction which had the effect of crushing
up three or four of the carriages and completely blocking
up both the Greenwich and North Kent Lines. The
destruction of the third-class carriages in the train was
complete, and the unfortunate passengers were all more
or less contused. Those less seriously injured were sent