The trial of Prof. John W. Webster, indicted for the murder of Dr. George Parkman, at the Medical college (North Grove street) on the 23d of November, 1849 : Supreme judicial court, before Chief Justice Shaw, and Associate Justices Wilde, Dewey, and Metcalf. Counsel for the government, Attorney General J.H. Clifford, and George Bemis, esq. Counsel for the defence, Hon. Pliny Merrick, and E.D. Sohier, esq. / Reported for Boston journal.
- Webster, John White, 1793-1850
- Date:
- 1850
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The trial of Prof. John W. Webster, indicted for the murder of Dr. George Parkman, at the Medical college (North Grove street) on the 23d of November, 1849 : Supreme judicial court, before Chief Justice Shaw, and Associate Justices Wilde, Dewey, and Metcalf. Counsel for the government, Attorney General J.H. Clifford, and George Bemis, esq. Counsel for the defence, Hon. Pliny Merrick, and E.D. Sohier, esq. / Reported for Boston journal. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
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![Sir. AndrewR, tbe iHilor,-was there at tlie time. We went f)n-oi)gli nil eiitrv into a cellar, arxl a trap-clooi' was open- ed ; Mr. f'lapp, iMr. Littlelielfl and othos, wentdown arid requested me to follow, wliiuli I did. The highest place; was not more than tour feet, and we crawled on nnr hnnds and feet. Tlie remains were brought out by the ofScers and laid on the floor. The prisoner'vras very much agi- tated at the time; the remains were taken into the labor- atory :1 remained there after Dr. Webster returned to jail.' I left the College in charge of ofiicers; the remains were put into a box, and the tea chest into the privy.— There was no farther search that night. ' Next day I received a warrant, and summoned a Jury of Inquest. When I arrived there, I found that other portions of a body had been found. 1 took out the con- tents of the furnace at that time, which was Saturday. 1 was assisted by the police otBcers who were there. They searched the contents, and might have taken some matter out of it. There were quantities of bones burned and particles ot metal and mineral, and some like gold were found. We took from the top of the contents of the furnace a great deal of ashes. After taking out more than the half. I found on the sides of the iurnace pieces of considerable size which were sticking to the brick, and with a crooked iron I took them up. The Court at this time—10 minutes pa,st two—adjourned until half past three V. M. -■.. Ai'TEKKOON SITXmGi The Court and Jury came in at S^ V. M. Jabez Fe.wt, examination continued. There wa.s a piece of jaw found towards the bottom of the fnrnace.with mineral teeth set in it; piece of jaw about an inch long; 1 know what Dentists call a block of teeth ; it is impos.^i- ble to tell whether the jaw was an entire block; supposed it to be one; same pieces I took from the furnace 1 caused to be put into the hands of Dr. Winslpw Lewis, Jr., by the hands of another person ; found jaw about two-thirds of the wav from the top of the ashes to the bottom; sup- pose furnace was one foot deep; found two or three sep- arate mineral teeth : bones were taken out of the ashes; the ashes remained; I do not know what has become of them; have seen them at the Medical College; 1 gave di- rections that the whole contents of the furnace should be placed into the hands of medical men and chemists, to do as they pleased ; 1 sent a message for Dr. Jeffries Wyman on Sunday: I do not know what portion of the bones Dr. Wyman took; that matter was settled between the Dis. themselves; 1 only took charge of the bones and remains; nothing else fi'om the Laboratory; some of the bones were put into a box and placed in the privy lor safe keeping on l>iday night. I took out the contents of the furnace before I summon- ed a Jury of Inquest for the ailernoon. 1 do not recol- lect all tiie oliicei-s who were left in charge of the College on Saturday. 1 do not undertake to say whether I found any pieces of the natural jaw in the furnace. The doc- tors were at the Medical School on Saturday afternoon— not certain that they were in the morning, though I think they may have been. I have had in charge a tin box manufactured by Mr. Waterman. Some of the teetli lell through the grate and wei e picked out from un- der it, bv Constable Trenholm. I had a note that there was a box at Mr. AVaterman's, made by order of Dr. Webster. I called there, and Mr. Waterman requested that it might be taken away, and it was removed. [The box was shown to witness and identified.J Crots Examineii.—l broke the pieces of bone and cinders from the sides of the furnace on Saturday. I am sure the cinders were mixed with bone. I think I saw the bones mixed with the cinders belbre I broke them off from the grate. I don't know the names of any ofiicers who had particular charge of the bones, except those who had the c-ntire charge of the Medical College, i have said before that there were some teeth in a block, and some single. 1 supposed them tfl be mineral teeth. Dr. Wi^sLow Lewis, Jr., called and sworn. I was cal- led to the Medical College on Saturday, with others—Dr. Martin Gay and Dr. Charles T. Jackson. 1 am not aware that there were any others present at the time. Coroner Pratt requested me to attend at the College; arrived at 3 o'clock on Saturday afternoon. 1 called on Dr. George IL Gay and Dr. James W. Stone and Dr. Jeflries Wy- mkn, for as.'iistance. Met on the Sabbath, in the morning. Dr. Wyman took charge of the bones found in the fur- nace, and certain articles supposed to have blood on them. Dr. Martin (jay and Dr. Charles T. Jackson took charge of articles to be subjected to chemical aiialiscs. Dr. (jeo. H. Gay, Dr. Stone and m>self prepared a rejiort on the parts of the body submitted to oiir examination, which re- port was submitted, after being sworn to, to the Coroner's Jury. The following is a copy of the original draft, with amendments, from which the report beiare the inquest was framed : POST MOKTEM EXAMINATION, At the Boston Medical College, Dec. 2, 1849, at 10 A. M. Five portions of a humEiii subject were txamincd; a thorax, a pelvis, two thighs, and a left leg; together with the contents of two boxes containing various aiiicles said to be taken from a furnace. The thorax and left thijfh were discolored, apparently witli tan and some caustic substance; the three remaining ones were while, fair, and appeared as if soaked in water. Tl>e cartilage on the head of the left thigh bone was colored black. Remains of Thorax, which consisted of all the bones ex- cept the sternum. Fracture of the fifth right ril), appar- ently recent, and about four inches from division between ribs and sternum. Both clavicles and scapulae present; clavicles large.— Both lungs present, but collapsed. Left lung had pleural adhesions. Structure of both lungs apparently healthy. Anterior thoracic muscles cut up from the ribs about six inches from the centre on each side, and with the skin thrown one side. I'osterior portion of integuments from the left scapula to the lumbar vertebr;?, ofa dark color and hardened.— Kemaining portion of integuments generally of a natural appearance, except a little greenness under the right ax- illa, probably from commencing decomposition, and seme blueness under the left axilla, leaving the skin solt ami easily broken, through artificial action. An opening slightly ragged, about one and a h.alf inch- es in length, under the left nipple, between the sixth and seventh ribs, extending into the chest. Remains of thoracic aorta and thoracic esophagus pres- ent.. Heart and diaphram wanting. Tractea divided through the cricoid cartilage. Spleen conti-acted ; exter- nally granulated and internally red. Left kidiity in its natural position and contracted. Ko liver, right kidney, pancreas, stom.ach, or intestines. Sixteen vertebrte present, consisting of three lumbar, twelve dorsal, and the greater portion of the seventh cer- vical, which appeared to have been saw n through the up- per part. Small quantity of long greyish hair on the front of the chest. Some stained dark'greyish hair on the back. Periosteum removed from the front part of several left ribs. Both arms severed in a very irregular and unscien- tific manner. Pelvic portion consisted of the bones of pelvis, two of the inferior lumbar vertebrse, all the integuments, muscles, organs, &c., and the pelvic viscera generally. All of the intestine remaining was about six inches of the rectum, through the anterior and external portion of which a sec- tion had been made, and the mucous coat separated from it four or five inches, throughout the whole circumfer- ence, but not cut off at the lower end. Hair upon this portion of a sandy grey. Both tWghs severed from it in a very irregular manner, integuments divided down to the pubis in the median line. On placing the pelvic por- tion in apposition with the thoracic, the third and fourth lumber vertebrae corresponded precisely. The spinous process of the third lumbar vertebra;, with a portion of the transverse processes of the same were absent from the thoracic portion, but were found attached tp the fourth lumbar vertebrfe, which was on the pelvic portion. Right Thigh—On being placed in apposition with the pelvis portion, the bone, flesh and skin corresponded per- fectly. Good muscular development with but little of fatty matter. Patella attached. Some ossiticaticn of femoral artery. Left Thigh—Had a string with loose ends, about 2} feet long, tied round just above the condyle. Patella attached. On being placed in apposition with the pelvis, the bones corresponded, but some poition of the skin and flesh ap- peared to have been removed, or contracted from artificial means. On the anterior surface of the thigh, and some- what on other parts, there were appearances apparently of the action of fire or some caustic matter. LeftLeg—Ot'nntuTa] appearance, fair size, and on being placed in apposition with the left thigh, the articulation corresponded. Measureinenis. Inches. Infhcs. Theracic portion, len.uth 17i •' below axiUa, circunilertnce, 30 Pelvic leiiRtii 9? circumference below crest of ^ ileum 30i Both thighs (of the SHme lens^'th) 18 '■ circiimfcrepce of largest part of fuch ' ISi I^eft leg—length to the outer malteolus 3 fi Total Deduct dibtanco from Ijuttoin ot i)cl\ Is to top of acct.'.bulum All the parts lielns placed in apposition, the (li.stance iioin the seventli cervical vertebra to tlie outer nialleolus 61 bli m DifTerenee , Cii'cuniferericc of largest part of left leg 125 Kipht Uiilnc3' alterwards discovered much con- tracted and discolored. Distance from sole ot fuot to the outer malleo- lus on anotiier subject 3 Distance tioin top of head to sixth cervical vertebra' 10 Total heiKht—5 ft. lOi inches, or. <0i](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21083629_0016.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
