The Shoulder
of Mutton from the Illustrated Times 2nd
February 1856
| |
| Mr.
Bentley, the father of old Mrs. Palmer, and grandfather of William Palmer (the
prisoner), lived, as it is commonly known in Rugeley, with a female who kept a
house of ill-fame near Derby. This woman, from time to time, sent Bentley with
the proceeds of her house to the bank, where, instead of delivering the money
to the receiving-clerk, as the property of his mistress, he entered it on the
books as his own. Finally he drew out the amount, and deserting his female companion,
became the owner of a farm in the neighbourhood of Lichfield, where Mrs. Palmer
was born. | Palmer's
mother damned by the press:-
In the same paper they reported local gossip
about Palmer's mother and love letters written to a younger man named Duffy :-
| In
the Market place, and close to the Town Hall, we find the "Shoulder of Mutton"
public-house kept by "Thomas Clewley", as the sign board informs us,
where, until seized by the police, you could see love letters which the youthful,
fascinating, and unfortunate Duffy received from the giddy, aged, and rich Mrs.
Palmer, senior. | Later
in the same newspaper they printed a statement taken from the Landlord of the
Shoulder of Mutton:
I
am the landlord of the Shoulder of Mutton public-house. There was a strapping
chap of the name of Duffy - a good-looking fellow - who used to come to lodge
with me. He was rather a dull chap in the house, and he'd sit still and drink.
He did not run up a very big shot. The first time he came here, Mr. William Palmer
paid for him. The second time he came, Mr. William Palmer told me he wouldn't
pay, so I gave Duffy the bill, but he did not pay me then; he said he should have
some money coming in a day or two. Soon after, he went out of the house without
saying anything, and I never set eyes on him again. We gave him three or four
years for coming back again; but as he didn't come, and his boxes began to smell
very bad, my missus opened them - there was only a lot of dirty shirts and things.
He hadn't no clothing only what he had on his back. In the trunks I found some
letters, not put by with any care, as if they were particular valuable, but just
careless. They were only courting letters, and were from Mrs. Palmer (the old
lady), written to him. I should think Duffy was about forty years old, and Mrs.
Palmer was from about fifty-five to sixty. She has sons now as is above forty.
I think Duffy was in the linen drapery line. I never paid no more attention to
him than that he was a traveller. The police has been here and got Duffy's traps.
The letters finished off with loving and kissing.
they made appointments to meet at a many different places; but I was in no way
interested in their loves, and I never troubled my head about it: it was the women
as exposed the whole business - nobody would have seen 'em or known anything about
the letters if it had not been for them. I should have burn 'em or kept 'em secret.
No, I never charged sixpence a-head to see 'em, I only showed 'em for a lark.
The way in which they came to be seen was this - My Missus got speaking of 'em
and one or two young chaps came here and gammoned the Missus to show 'em. they
spent one or two shillings in grog to have a look; then come another and another,
and at last I took 'em away: but the Missus got 'em again. There's no keeping
the women quiet in these matters. I can't say how many letters there was - they
was mixed up with trades-men's bills and that sort of thing. |
It
should be remembered that Mrs. Palmer Senior was by then a widow and, in her late
husband's will it stipulated, that she kept the money left to her only on the
condition that she never remarry. Why
would the police seize these letters? Would newspapers today print such "tittle-tattle"?
Mrs.
Palmer lived on in her house in Rugeley until her death in 1861 aged sixty- seven. |
Introduction
