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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![common anthracite coal Are; found coal worse to burn flesh than wood. Thnik that from tbe stab between the sixth and seventh ribs, the biood would have flowed near- ly a)l internally. There are two kinds ot blood iu the human body—one stationary, and one circulating; can't Bay how niiich blood there would be iu a body of the size of Dr. Parkman's. Direct examination resumed.—There is a dilTerenee of opinion among medical men as to the amount of blood in the body. In reply to a Juror.—I noticed the remains more particu- larly, knowing they were supposed to be those of Dr. I'arkman. In reply to Mr. Clifford.—Thfi back and front of the body looked as if it misiht have belonged to Dr. Parkman. Dr. F. S. AiNSWORTH, called and sworn. Am demcnstra- tor of Anatomy at the Medical Colle.se. iivery subject brought to the College must pass through my hands be- fore it is delivered to Froiessors or students. I keep a record of all material received, and ot all material ex- pended, and to whom supplied. At the time of Dr. Park- man's disappearance, 1 had an accurate account of all subjects received and all subjects on di.ssection. I saw the remains, and examined them to ascertain if they came from the Demonstrator's room. 1 concluded from the re- mains themselves, without referring to my record, that they had never been introduced for dissection. It is cus- tomary to inject the vessels to preserve the body while it is undergoing dissection. I use arsenic acid, chloride ot zinc, with a saturated solutiou of alum and saltpetre— The fluid produces an etfect at once. 1 found no ap- pearance la the arteries of the remains to indicate that they had ever been injected for the purposes of dissection. Dr. Webster has no official connection with the ana- tomical department. Saw no indications that the re- mains had been dissected for anatomical purposes; my impression was that the person who cut up the remains had no anatomical knowledge; he might have seen a body cut up, but that he bad ever taken a knife in his hand to do it, I doubt very much. I differ with all the other medical gentlemen who have lestlfied upon this point. The way the sternum, was removed, was the only way in which it can be done—the only way in which a knife would cut. The joints of the collar-bone were sepa- rated—though a difficult job, it was perhaps the only way in Which it could be done. At 5 minutes to 7 P. M. the Court adjourned to 9 o'clock next morning. THIKD DAT. TH0RSDAT, March 21st, 1850. The jTury came into Court this morning, at 9 o'clock, and His Honor Chief Justice Shaw, and his associates, Boon after took their seats upon the bench. The bar was tilled with lawyers, and the remainder of the room occu- pied by spectators, deeply interested in all the solemn proceedings attendant upon tlie trial. The prisoner him- self wore the same general appearance of calmness that has characterised him since the commencement of his trial. Dr. Charles T. Jackson, called and sworn.—I am a chemist by profession; have attended to it lor several years. Was called to the Medical College shortly after the discovery of the remains, on Saturday afternoon, De- cember 1st, 1849. I met Dr. Martin Gay and Dr. Wins- low Lewis, Jr. Dr. Lewis made the preliminary arrange- ments for the examination. Dr. Gay and myself under- took the chemical part. The remains of a human body were shown to us, and the contents of a small assay fur nace. The remains were passed over to the medical gen- tlemen. Before they were passed over I examined them; 1 saw nothing about them to indicate ihat they had been used for anatomical purposes. 1 did not think that they had been dissected. The manner of opening the body 1 thought indicated anatomical knowledge. The dividing otthe cartilage trom the ribs.marked this; there was no hacking about separating the thigh trom the hips; the joints were ditaiticulated neatly. I heard the testimony of Drs. Lewis, Gay and Stone; coincide with them as to age of the person to whom the remains belong- e<l. Was acquainted with Dr. Parkman. He was a tail, slender man, rather flush and broad on the shoulders, thiu in his lateral view, not so much so in his front view. 1 disuerned nothing dissimilar in the remains to Dr. I'ark- man. Nothing in the muscular development of the lower limbs was dissimilar. It was a dried muscular subject.— A strong solution of caustic potash had been apxjlied to the remains, I should think. [The rep(>rt drawn up by Dr. Jackson and presented to the Coroner's Jury, was produced and identitied by him. Mr. Bemls rea<i the report, and it was put into the case.— The report states that the examination was carried on lay Drs. Jackson and Gay, Dr. Jeffries Wyman assisting in the examiuatioii.] The bones taken fvom the Jurnace were much broken and partially fused. Several of the bones were identi- tied. A tooth was found with au opening in it, appearing as il'it had b'ebu iilkd with gold. A block of teeth also was found without the plate. Globules of gold, zinc, and a liitle cojjper, were found in tlie cinders of the fur- nace. The skin gave evidence that potash had been ap- plied to it. Evidences of alkali were discovered about other parts of the remains. Dr. Martin Gay examined a portion of the blood ves- sels. I took the articles which had been left at Dr. Gay's house. I found the same papers that had been delivered to Dr. Gay. I took them and delivered them to Mr. liich- ard Crossly, who completed the examinations which he had commenced for Dr. Gay. I have not attended to them. I satisfied myself by full chemical proof that alka- li had been applied to the remains, and that alkali was potash. Potash softens flesh, and if heat is applied it does it rapidly. I should apply tlie potash in boiling water.— To decompose a body with dissolved potash it would re- quire but a lew hours, if the body was cut up into small pieces. It would require lull half the weight of the body in potash. A large kettle would be requiied, if a large amount of flesh was put in at once. Judging from the size of Dr. Parkman, who probably weighed about 140 lbs., half that weight in potash would have dissolved it. Less would have destroyed the identity. The largest vessel which I saw in the Laboiatory of Prof Webster was a copper boiler from a foot to lifteen inches square, such a boiler as is used for washing floors. If the body was cut up, the pieces could be put into the boiler; but the thigh and hips joined could not be placed in it. I have seen no other vessel of large size in the Laboratory. Nitric acid is the next best substance to dissolve flesh. Potash is best, because it can be applied iu a common ves- .■-el. Nitric acid requires a glass vessel. To dis^solve au entire body, bones and all, it would require of acid about the weight of the body. Gently heated it vi'ould give off but little gas—but if boiled it would give it oif in great quantities. Nitrous acid gas is offensive and injurious to health. Nothing but porcelain or glass vvould answer for the vessel. An open vessel would answer, and the gas might be allowed to pass off by the chimney. I saw no vessel large enough to dissolve any considerab'e quantity of flesh in nitric acid. There werf: several bottles of acid, containing five or six pounds each. Some contained ni- tric acid; some muriatic acid. I should think that there was not over ten pounds of nitric acid. On the side walls of the stair case were drops of green liquid; the stairway leads up from the lower laboratory to the upper laboratory. I sent to my laboiatory and got some paper to absorb a quantity of that green fluid. Dr. Gay absorbed it and took it away with him. Since I ob- tained the articles which Dr. Gay took, I have examined that paper, and have ascertained that green fluid to be ni- trate of copper. The spots were veiy abundant all over the sidewalls, the whole length of the stairways; the,epot3 were in a fluid state when 1 saw them; they have smce dried up. The spots on the walls appeared to coincide wherever there was a dark stain upon the stair case. They were more abundant on ;he lower landing than near the op. [The witness pointed out on the model the locality of these spots.] The spots appeared as if spilled upon each stair separ- ately. Nitrate of copper is a deliquescent salt—that is, it attracts moisture from the air and remains fluid for some time. It did remain fluid for several days. Its taste is astringent, caustic and very disagreeable; it is not bitter, as| the term is applied to drugs. I was requested by the Government to ascertain the effect of niti ate copper ou the biood, but as this was a proper subject for microscop- ic examination, I transferred the matter to Dr. Wyman. 1 think that it was on Sunday that I saw the pantaloons with blood upon them, and Dr. Wyman cut pieces from them; he also cut pieces from the slippers. The micro- scope is the proper method to examine blood, e.«pecially in small quantities, as the chemist might destroy the blood without detecting its nature. I saw some ))UncU pieces taken Irom the furnace, upon which there was some nitrate of copper. These are generally employed to make that substance. [The witness produced several of these pieces^ about the size of a quarter of a dollar, with nitrate of copper adher- ing to them.] \ A large quantity was taken from the ashes of the fur- nace. Exposing the nitrate of copper to heat would turn it black. I he punch pieces had not been exposed to the fire. Nitrate of copper is o.xide of copper dissolved' in nitric acid. I understood that Dr. G'ay had a pearl shirt button found in the furnace. I cannot now find it. I levigated and washed the contents of the furnace to ascer- tain it gold or other metals were present. I found of gold 45 grains and 6-lOths. Dr. Gay found 47 grains. I weigh- ed some obtained from Mr. Andrews, which amounted to 81 grains 6 100. The total was 173 grains and 65-100 of gold. The pieces of mixed metals shown to me contain substances similar to what was found in the ashes. The market value of the gold found would be $6.94.— The contents of the furnace were mostly removed before 1 arrived at the college. The bones appeared .as if great heat had been got up iu the lurnace. 1 have known Dr. Webster for 25 years. I recognised the knife found in the box as having seen it in the laboratory of the Mason Street college. 1 think 1 saw it iu the Mason street col-](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21083629_0018.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
