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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![it was full of mineral?. All we could see at first was min- eraJs. I took out some of the minerals at the top, but could ii'it fee the tan. There was a second layer of miu- etnls. I sfepped away from the box, when my arteiition was called iU'ain to it, after it had been turned over bv the other ofiicers. I did not stop at the College ou Friday x\ii.^\)t when Dr. \Vebster was arrested ; and every day and night alter this I did, until thebody was removed. I saw the box moved round and turned over. At 20 minutes to 7 P. M. the Court adjourned, until 9 next morning. FOUETH DAY. Fmdat, March 22,1850. At 9 o'clock this morning, the usual hour of meeting, the body of the Court Koom contained but few spectators, though the gallery was well filled. At five minutes past 9 Frof. Webster was removed from the dock, and passed into one of the rooms connected with the building, for the purpose of consultation with his counsel. The pris oner appears precisely as lie has done since the trial commenced. AVe [the Keporter] have known him for several years, and we notice very little change in him, except that his countenance is less flushed, and his eye is somewhat inflamed, perhaps the result of his long and close confinement. Aiter being absent a few moments, tlie pi-isoner returned, the Court made its apiiearance, the jury list was called, and proceedings commenced. Ephraim Llttlefield, called and sworn.—lam janitor of the Medical College. I make tires, do the sweeping and dusting—work considerable in the Chemical room—have general superintendeiice of the building. I have been connected with the College seven years last October—three at the new, four at the old College. Known Dr. Webster ever since I have been at the'College—seven years last October^it was my first acquaintance with Dr. Webster. Have known Dr. Parkman over twenty years. I was pres- ent at an interview between Dr. Parkman and Dr. Web- ster very early JVIonday evening, November 19, I beiieve. 1 was present in Dr. Webster's back private room—it was somewhat dark in that room, though not dark out of doors. 1 was helping Dr. Webster. Dr. Webster had three or four candles burning in the room. Tlie Doc- tor stood at a table, looking at a chemical book, and ap- peared to be reading—his back was towards tlie door. I stood by the stove stirring some water in which a solu- tion was to be made. I never heard a footstep, but the first I saw. Dr. Parkman came into the back room from the door leading from the lecture room into the back room. Dr. Webster looked round and appeared surpris- ed to see him enter so suddenly. The first words he said were, Dr. Webster, are you ready for me to-night?— Dr. Parkman spoke quick and loud. Dr. Webster made the answer, No, says he, I am not ready to-night, Doctor. Dr. Parkman said something else, but what it was I don't recollect. He either accused Dr. Webster of selling something that had been sold before, or some- thing like that. He took a roll of papers out of his pocket. Doctor Webster said, — I was not aware of it.''— Dr. Parkman said, It is so, and you know it. Dr. Webster told him, I will see you to-morrow, doctor. Dr. Parkman stood then near the door; he put his hand up and said, Doctor, something must be accomplished to-morrow. He then went out, and it was the last time I saw him in the building. About IJ P. ]kl.,the next day, 1 was standing in front of the College. Dr. Webster came and asked me if I was busy and could carry a note to Dr. Parkman—if you are busy, you mustgetsome one. But he then pressed me to carry it up myself. I got a boy named John JMaxwell to carry it up as quick as he could. 1 gave it to him, and in about 20 minutes became back and said he gave it into Dr. Parkman's hands, at his house. I had an interview with Dr. Webster about noon on Monday, the same day before Dr. Parkman called in the evening. 1 am positive it was that same day. Dr. Web- ster asked me if the vault hud ever been fixed where we put the remains from the dissecting and Demonstrator's rooms up stairs. It is the vault where the receptacle is in the entry. He said that something had been said before to the faculty about a new one being built, or that one repaired He asked me what the matter was. He asked me how it was built. I told him it was built right under his coal pen. The pen is large enough to hold eight tons. I told him the heft of his coal sprung the walls of the vault so that it leaked, and the smell came out all over the building. He asked me if it had been fixed. I told him it had. He asked me how. I told him that the vault had all been kivered tip with dirt. 1 had two men down there two days, and they had kivered it up witli dirt, and tliere had been no smell since. He asked me how 1 got down to kiver it up—that is, not me particularly, but how anybody got down. I told him we took up the brick floor in the dis.secting room entry, then cut a liole through the board floor to get down. 1 suppose a place of six feet long was taken up in the bricks; the hole was perpen- dicular. He asked me if that was all the way to get down under the building. I told him it was all the way to get under the building, under the laboratory and his room. I told him how the walls were. He as-ked me if he could get a light into that vault, and 1 told him no. lie asked me if I was sure. I toid lum 1 was, fur I had tried two days before to set a liaht into the vault. I mean a candle or artilicial light—the foul air put it right out. I had tried it at the request of Dr. Ainsworth, to find something which he had lost in the vault. I think it was an African skull that he placed there to macerate. When I got there 1 found the rope liad rotted olf, and let the skull down into the vault. I attempted to put a light down, and the foul air put the light out. Dr. Webster told me he wanted to get some gas to try an experiment. I asked him how he was to get it? I told him it was needless to try now as the tide was high and pressed the gas up. I asked him how lie could get gas out of that vault into any kind of a vessel to hold it. He said he had apparatus that he could do it with.— He told me wlien he wanted the gas he would let me know. This was the last that I ever heard of it, or any thing about it. I don't recollect any other interview be- fore Fridajr. I recollect an errand on Thursday, the day before Dr. Parkman disappeared. Dr. Webster said that he wanted me to get some blood for next day's lecture. Hesaid— 1 want as much as a pint. 1 took a glass jar down off his shelf. I think it held as much as a quart. I asked if it would do to get it in. He said yes. He said get it full if you can, over to the Massachu.'-etts Hospital. Before 2 o'clock I carried the glass jar out into the entry, and p.ut it on the top of the case where I put up notices. After Dr. Holmes's lecture was out I went up to his room, and saw the student, I don't know his name, who attends the apothecary shop at the Hospital. I spoke to the student. I don't know what his name is. He has been there a num- ber of years. I believe his name is Hathaway. 1 told him there was a glass jar on the case, and Dr. Webster wanted to get a pint of blood. I don't know whether I said more or less. He said I think we shall bleed some to-morrow morn- ing, and I will save the blood. Friday morning I went over to the Hospital after the blood, and saw the student of the apothecary shop. He said he could not get any as they had not bled anybody. I went to Dr. Webster's room about 11-J o'clock on Friday, and told him I could not get any blood at the Hospital. He said he was sony, as he wanted to use it at his lecture. That is all I know about the blood. I have no lecollection of speaking to Dr. Webster again that day. In the morning of Friday, I made the fire in Dr. Webster's back room, and af- ter it 1 took the brush broom and swept up the brick floor, took the dust pan and threw the dirt ii.to the tire. I set the broom behind the door, and saw a sledge ham- mer there. The door was the one leading to the lecture room. [The locality was pointed out to the Jury upon the model of the College]. I should think that the sledge had been left there by masons who had worked there a year ago. It was in the lower laboratory ; the handle was about two feet long. It would weigh six or seven pounds; both faces were round, like an orange cut in two —neither face was flat. It was standing behind the door. I never saw it out of the laboratory before. It had al- ways been kept there. To a Juror. The round face was manufactured so—not made round by use. Re-examined.—I took and carried the sledge down stairs into the laboratory, and set it up against the box where Dr. Webster makes his gases. I have never seen anything of the sledge since. I have hunt- ed the building all over. I don't recollect anything par- ticular until about a quarter before 2 P. M. After 1 ate dinner I was standing in tlte front entry looking out of the front door. That is as near the hour as I could recollect. When I testified before the Coroner's Inquest 1 thought it was 1| P. M., but I recollect I examined the tickets for Dr. Holmes's lecture room, whicli made it a little later. I saw Dr. Parkman coming towards the College. He was then in North Grove street, about abreast of Fruit street. He was walking very last. I then went into Dr. Ware's lecture room, laid down on the sofa nearest the front door, waiting for Dr. Holmes's leciuie to close, to attend to clearing his table. I did not, during tliat time, hear any one go in or out of Dr. Webster's room. The door of Dr. Ware's room always shuts itself—has a spring on the top; so has Dr. Webster's. I stayed on the sola till neatly 2 o'clock, when I went to Dr. Holmes's room. I always go there before the lecture is out, to lock up the doors, and help the Doctor clear away his table. I did not hear, while I was lying on the sofa, any body go in or out of the front door. After I put av\ ay the things in Dr. Holmes's room, I came down and locked the outside front door. I suppoi-edl might have staid in Dr. Holmes's )-oom fifteen minutes. Dr. Holmes was the last out of tlie building, and 1 immediately locked the outside front door. I went down stairs to clean out the turnaces for the fires next morning. I always prepare the fuinaccs in the afternoon for the next morning. I went up stairs into the Professors'(Ware, Bigelow and Clianniii«) pri- vate back room and cleared out the stove. This room is on the same floor as Dr. Webster's. There are three lecture rooms—anatomical, chemical and](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21083629_0022.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
