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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![The?e portions appeared to belong to a person of be- tween 50 aud 60 years of ajie. The muscular system was ■well developed, and but very little of adipose matter. The fragments of bone found in the ashes and cinders from the furnace in Dr. Webster's laboratory, contained iu one of the boxes, were : 1. Fragments of a cranium, 30 or 40 pieces. 2. Fi'agraents of a temporal bone. 3. Coronoid portion of the lower jaw, probably that of an elderly person. 4. A portion of the lower jaw, right side, containing a part of the dental canal. 5. A fragment of an atlas, or first cervical vertebra;. 6. The body of a cervical vertebra;, probably the 2d or 8d. 7. ]<>agment of a humerus. 8. Terminal plialanx of a finger. 9. Fragments of a tibia or leg bone. 10. metatarsal bones. 11. Riglit OS calcis. 12. OS tragalos. 13. Several pieces of mineral teeth, the more perfect por- tions of which being teeth in a block, which, on being shown to Dr. N. C. Keep, were identified as having been marie by him for Dr. George Farkrnan, and corresponded to the mould in Dr. Keep's possession. Many fragments undetermined. Portion of ulna, and part of oleeranon process. I knew Dr. George Parkman; knew him for many years. There was nothing in the color of the remains, the size, or the hair, that was dissimilar to Dr. George Park- man. The parts bad not been prepared for anatomical pur- poses; nothing in the vessels that indicated the remams liad been suty'ected to dissection; should expect to find some preservative fluid in the vessels of a body, if it was a subject for dissection. There can be no doubt that the five pieces belonged to one and the same subject. Coroner Pratt handed me a block of mineral teeth, say two inches long; carried them to my house, kept them there that night, and showed them to Dr. N. C. Keep the next day. Cross examined.—Knew Dr. Parkman thirty years. If I had not heard of the naurder I should not have supposed the remains were those of Dr. Parkman. No peculiar marks about; the remains. The height could be computed very nearly—might be a variation of half an inch. Could not say that the opening iu the chest was effected by a stab. The parts had been acted upon by chemical agents. Could not say that the opening was made before or after death. There were no marks upon the ribs upon which the trace of the knife could be discovered. We examined the parts particularly to discover such trace. There might be two gallons of blood found in an entire body as large as the one indicated by the remains found at the Medical School. In a dead subject, two quarts of fluid might be found. Do not know what time would be re quired to burn up a human head—suppose in the fur- nace, a l^pad would burn up in two or three hours. Of the parts missing, I could not say how long a period would be required to consume them in such a furnace as is found at the Medical College. The age might vary eight or ten years from the estimate assigned—60 years.— There was more muscular development in the lower limbs than I should expect would belong to a frame indi- cared by the upper portion of the remains. Direct Rcaniination resumed.—I handed the teeth to Dr. Keep; the Doctor returned them and I handed them again to the Coroner. As to a stab, the bleeding might be external or internal. Never have burned a human head. The flow of blood from the arteries ceases very short- ly after death. Cross Examination resumed —If bleeding takes place in- ternally, the blood must be disposed of after the body is cut un. Dr. James W. Stone, called and sworn. I was one of the physicians appointed to make an examination of the remains; heard the testimony of Dr. Lewis; I agree witli him. There was rather more hair than usual upon the back, its color was a sandy grey; muscles of lower ex- tremities more developed than one would suppose from the size of the bodj^. Unusual development of muscles would indicate an individual accustomed to frequent walking. The length of the hair upon the back was longer than usual; in front the hair was apparently burnt, so that its length could not be determined. Suppose the age to be from -50 to 60 years. Ossification of the arteries leads to this conclusion. Knew Dr. Parkman very well, for five or six years. There was nothing dissimilar in the remains to those which might belong to Dr. Parkman. — Dr. Parkman was a great and fast walker. The person who separated the parts of the sternum from the thorax, must have had some anatomical knowledge. The parts were removed in the usual way, as a surgeon would separate tliem, though some slight irregularies were discover- ed. Good physicians liave failed to separate the breast- bone from the collar-bone iu the manner that it was done in the remains. If the vessels had been injected with an arsenical fluid it might require a chemical analysis to determine this point, but if a glue had been injected this would be. easily determined, but there was no evidence of the injection of glue. Cross Examined.—M&de a careful examination of the opening in the chest; discovered nothing to say that the stab was made with a knife previous to death. The skin was very soft and very easily broken through. I did not see, when the first examination took place, the trace upon the rib, though I was told afterwaids there was a mark as of a knife upon it It was not there when we first ex- amined the i-emains. We might have seen it. Direct Exaviitiation re.^umed.—There was an irregularity upon the ribs; the space between Gth and 7th ribs was open—no membrane, no muscle, upon them. Cannot sav that there was not a portion of the f)eriosteum gone from tlie upper and under side of one of the ribs. Dr. George H. Gat, called and sworn. Was one of the physicians who drew up the report to the Coroner's Jury. I concur with previous witnesses. The separation of the parts of the body indicated anatomical knowledge.— When surgeons wish to throw the head away, 'they use a saw to sever the head from a subject. There were some irregularities in the separation of the thigh from the hip, but not sufficiently great to indicat t an ig- norance of Anatomy. I supposed the hole in the chest might have been made by the pressing of the end of a cane of one of the ofiicers. when he was removing the re- mains from the box. There was a perforation of the mem- brane of the ribs. Cross Eximined.—Examined the opening to discover ita appearance, internally and externally. l'supposed it was done with a cane. I saw nothing to lead me to believe that it was done with a knife. In reply to Mr. Clifford.—I made up my mind as to the cane before the examination was made. Dr. Woodbury Strong, called aud sworn. Have been in practice since 1820 in the city of Boston. Came to Boston, and as nobody appeared disposed to employ me, I spent much time in dissection, meaning to be thorough in my work. I had one body on my table for three months at a time. I have had some experience in the destruction of human flesh by fire, as I used to burn up remains after dissection. I had a pirate given to me by the Marshal for dissection. Being warm weather, I dis- sected him rapidly, wanting only the bones, and so I burned the flesh. In an old-fashioned fire-place I built a fire and placed the flesh upon it. I kept a roaring fire all night and still did not burn up all the flesh, though the man was not a large one. At 11 o'clock the next day the flesh was not all consumed. Dry wood is the best fuel to burn up flesh; if the wood is not dry, the flesh will put the fire out. Knew Dr. George Parkman nearly ever since I have been in the city; he was a neighbor for sev- eral years; I was intimate with him. I saw him on Fri- day, the day on which he disappeared. He was in Beacon street, about 12J- P. M.—not far from that hour. I was driving down Belknap street, and espied the Dr. on the opposite side of Beacon street, coming up from Walnut street: he passed into the Common, and this was the last that I ever saw of him. I was at the Medical College on Tuesday after the remains were found. I was there on Monday. The Doctors had nearly completed the exami- nation. I W'Cnt there to satisfy my own mind, not ex- pecting to be called upon for evidence. The separation of the parts was done in the usual man- ner of anatomists. No one without some knowledge of anatomy could have severed the parts as was done in this case. On drawing the skin of the opening of the chest, I thought I discovered evidence that a stab was given when the muscles were tense, as in life; it was such a cut as no man could make except with a very sharp knife upon a dead body, but might readily be made with an ordinary knife upon a living person. It was my impres- sion that the death might have resulted from that stab.— A person stabbed in the region of the heart would bleed internally more than externally. The vessels of the re- mains were nearly bloodless, as bloodless as those of any meat you see in the shambles. The hair was intermin- gled with grey hair. The skin had lost the appearance of elasticity which belongs to a young subject. I should think that the subject must have been fifty or sixty years of age. There were ossifications which do not usually take place until a person has passed middle life. The trunk was longer than usual—it was peculiarly straight. The color of the hair, and the general appearance of the body, all indicated to my mind, that the remains were those of Dr. Parkman. There was nothing in them dis- similar to him. Cross examined.—I resided in Cambridge street at t? le time of the death of Dr. Parkman. I have been on ter nas of intimacy witli Dr. Parkman. I have seen the face and hands of Dr. Parkman. I don't recollect whether 'i ever saw Dr. Parkman wear whiskers or not. I ma je the same observations as regards Dr. Parkman as to other men—try to discover deformities. 1 went to Mr dical Col- lege on Monday; saw Dr. Wyman, Dr. Lewi? and others there; did not see tlie remains that day. D ^ Charles T. Jackson remained while I examined the re jjains on Tues- day. I have attempted to burn parts of a b' jnian body in a stove; 1 never owned a furnace. I shor j(j think the fur- nace in the Medical College the very v ,o,-st place to burn flesh, as it does not appear to have a' good draft; a stove ui the room would have been a mucl' ^ better place. I have used a common cylinder etove; ha' ^g placed flesh upon a](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21083629_0017.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
