From the Archives 83: The Murder Trial of William Palmer, Surgeon (1958)

William Palmer (1824-56) was an English doctor found guilty of murder in one of the most notorious cases of the 19th century. Palmer was also known as the "Prince of Poisoners," and was called "the greatest villain that ever stood in the Old Bailey" by Charles Dickens. In 1856, Palmer was convicted of murdering his friend John Cook by strychnine poisoning in 1855. He was also suspect of poisoning his brother, his mother-in-law, and four of his children. Palmer's trial was a great spectacle that was covered by all of the newspapers of the day. He was represented by Mr. Serjeant William Shee and prosecuted by Alexander Cockburn and John Walter Huddleston, before Judge John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell. After his conviction, Palmer was executed by hanging on June 14, 1856 at Stafford Prison. Scholars dispute whether the evidence was sufficient to convict Palmer and whether the court's summation was prejudicial.In 1958, Folkways Records released this dramatization of the trial as a 2xLP set. The trial transcript was edited and abridged by Bernard Rosenberg of the New York Bar. Rosenberg's script was adapted and directed by Wallace House, and performed by Eric House, Wendy Carter, Kenneth Buckridge, and Wallace House. Here is the tracklist:The ProsecutionA1The Attorney General, Ishmael FisherA2Elizabeth MillsA3William Henry Jones, Charles NewtonA4William Vernon Stevens, Dr. John Thomas Harland, Charles John DevonshireB1John Boycott, John MyattB2Samuel Cheshire, Captain John Haines Hatton, George BatesB3Thomas Blizzard Curling - SurgeonB4Dr. Robert Todd, Sir Benjamin BrodieB5Caroline Hockson, Francis Taylor - SurgeonB6Dr. Alfred Taylor, Professor Robert Christison, Thomas Pratt - Solicitor, Thomas Smedon StrawbridgeThe DefenseC1Defense AttorneyC2Thomas Nunneley - SurgeonC3Dr. Francis Wrightson, Richard Partridge - SurgeonC4Dr. George RobinsonC5George MyattThe SummationD1Attorney GeneralThe Charge To The JuryD2Lord CampbellThe SentenceD3Lord Campbell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.