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Family Grave of the Palmers, at Rugeley, 1856. English doctor William Palmer, also known as the Rugeley Poisoner or the Prince of Poisoners, was found guilty of murder in one of the most notorious cases of the 19th century. Palmer got into debt through gambling on horse races, and took out life insurance policies on his wife and brother Walter. His friend John Parsons Cook became ill after drinking gin which Palmer had poisoned with strychnine. Palmer was arrested on the charge of murder and forgery - Palmer had been forging his mother's signature to defraud her - was tried at the Old Bailey in London in 1856, and convicted for the murder of Cook. It is likely that Palmer also poisoned his wife, his brother, and four of his own infant children. Palmer was executed in public by hanging. From "Illustrated London News", 1856.