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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![and saw the steps all covered with j^entlemen. An officer said to me, we have got Dr. Webster there, and he is very faint. I opened tlie door and Dr. Webster came in, ap- parently supported b) two per.'ioiiS, oneoneaclii-ide. Dr Webster spoke to me and said, they liave arrested me and have taken me from my family, and did not give me a ehance to bid them good uij^lit. fhey wanted to.^oiu'o the ifoture room, and I unlocked the door and let them Dr. Webster was very mucli ajjitated—sweat imidi—trem- bled—did not appear to have the use of his less. Thought that he was supported by the otiicers altogether. When I unlocked the door, all passed in. I wi-^nt down ro the door of bis back pri \ate room. They asked me for the key of the door. I told them that I did not have it—that Dr. Webster always had it. Dr. Webster said that they took him away in such a hurry, that he had no chance to take his keys. Some one said, force the door. Either Mr. Starkweather or Mr. Treuholm went round by the cellar and up the stairs, and iielped rae break the door opeii. When Mr. Tukey and I vveut into the laboratory to riie furuaci-' previous to rhis, I weut in by the laboratory stairs door, which had been left open for tlie first tim ■ by Dr. Webster that afteriioo ;. When I went i-./Und witii Mr. Tienholm or Starkweather I ivent by the usual way. When I got into the back private room, they wautial to to into the other private room where the valuables were ept. I told the .1 that I never iiad a key of it and Or. Webster made the same answer as to the key that he did in relation ro the other door. I was asked whei-e the ke.\ of the privy was, and I told them they must ask Dr. Web- ster, as T never saw the iiiside of it in m)' life Dr. Web- ster said, ther:^ (he key haiii^s upon the nail. Mr. Starkweather handed the key down to me. Mr. frenholm and I weut down tiie laboratory t,o unlock the privy door I found it would not fit Mr. Trenholm said, let me have it.'' I went up and told Dr. Webster this is not the key; it don't fit. •■ I.r.-f me-ee h, said Dr. Webster I did, aiid he said '■ this i.s the key of my wardrobe; but the other is up there somewhere. They hunted round for it but could not find it, and then I uuiier.stooii Dr. Wi^bster to say he did ijf)t know where It was. The privy door wa-broken open. I was hunting round for a hatchet, when the door from the back private room to the little room was about to he broken open. I could not find the batchet where it usually bung. I asked the Doctor where the hatchet was; he said it was down in the laboratory, in the sink or on the floor. 1 went down and found it and brought it up. The hatchet was a shingle hatchet—had a ring in the han- dle. I found it where Dr. Webster told me it was. Theie was a hatchet found in Dr. Webster's drawers, in his lit- tle private room. As one of the officers was undoing it. Dr. Webster said that it was new and never has been taken out of the paper. We passed down stairs and broke open the privy. I can't say whether Dr. Webster was with us or not at the time. When he got down into the laboratory he asked for wa- ter. I got a tumbler and handed water to him. He got the water up in his hand, and trembled and snapped at it as a mad dog would; he did not drink any. One of the officers took it and passed she water to him; he got some in his mouth but it appeared to choke him. Some one asked where that furnace was where the boiies were. The inquiry was put to me; I don't know who it was. I went to the furnace, unkivered it, taking ail the minerals which were upon the cover I put my hand into the furnace and took out a piece of bone v/hicli appearea to be the socket of some joint Mr Pratt was there; somebody else took out some. Somebody spoke-don't distuib the bones. Mr. Parker, District Attornev, and ilr. tjustavus Andrews were there. 1 think it was Mr. Pratt said don't disturb the bones. After this we wentxlown under the building and brought the remains up. Mr. Trenholm, Mr. Olapp and myself, went down for the remain-. The party all walked into the front cellar where the remains were deposited. Dr. Webster was led in when the others came in, and stood within five oj six feet ol the remains. I heard S. D. l^aik- er ask Dr. (iay if tbe.se were the remains of a human bod). Dr. Gay said he sJiould think they were. Dr. Webster appeared to be very much agitated—sweat very much—tears run down his cheeks as fast as they could drop The party then went off. Mr. Adams, Mr. Fuller, Mr Rice, and Mr. Trenholm, were left in the charge of the College that night. I think that there were four offi- cers. 1 received six season tickets from Dr. Webster, and sold three at SIS each. The money fo.- Kidgeway's ticket I paid over on Saturday morning. Tlie other two I paid over previously to that. 1 jecognize the slippers as Dr. Webster's. I have seen these, or a pair like them, for a year or two. There was blood on them. I never saw the saw (exhibited to the witness) until Saturday after Dr. Webster's arrest. I was present when it was taken down from a rack as you pass into the little private room. [The saw was exhibited to the jury, the counsel lor the government coutexiding that there were indications of blood upon it. It was put into the case.] I have seen the clasp knife found in the tea chest, or one like that Dr. Webster showed it to me the Mon- day before Dr. Parkman disappeared. He said, What a fine knife I have got. tie handed it to me and I ex- amined it. He said he got it to cut corks with. I said I should think that it was just what you would want. I never saw it before Monday. I did not see it after until it was found in the tea che.st. The Dr.'s usual work- ing iiress was a pair of cotton overalls and an old coat; the overalls were blue. Since the arrest I have not seen the overalls. He had them on the first day the officers came to the College—Monday or Tuesday. Tne overalls I cannot say how old or new they were. I always saw him have a pair on when he was about his work. I don't know that the Dr. had the keys of any other doors than tho^e to his own doors and to the dissecting room. I nev- er knew him to have any. I knew that a bunch of skele- ton keys were found in Dr Webster's door on, Saturday m his little back private room. I knew that towels were found in the privy vault—a diaper roller and two crash towels There were marks of'W. on the crash towels. riie diaper roller I had known for two or three years. It was the only one of that kind that Dr. Webster ever had. I wiped m\ hands ■.m it that Friday, when I went up and told Dr. Webster that I could not get any blood at tiie Hospital. I washed some glasses i'l^ Dr. Webster and wiped my hands on that towel, as it laid upon the table. I do not recollect whether the rollei' was marked or not. lie had never had any other there. I had waslied it agood many times, and others had washed it, eouueuted with the buildiiig. [The skeleton keys were produced, and a cotiversation .-j.arceJy audible took place between the counsel for the nrosecuiion and the defence, in relation to theii introduo- iion into the case. The counsel for the government finally v\ ithdrew them.] I was present when the towels were found. They were tbund in the vault where ttie remains were. I did not as- sist in taking them out. I have known no parts of any consequence, of human subjects used in Dr. Webster's apartments. I have got a small piece ol muscle for hitn, as large as a finger, for the purpose of experiment. I ueverknew him to be engaged in uTiatomical expci-iments. 1 have heard noises in his room, when tiring ofl pistols by the galvanic battery, or exploding bladders filled with gas. I have been in his room when these experiments were performed. I should think that this (roller was ex- hibited) is the one which came from the vault. It is now in the same condition as when it was taken from the vault. I have never seen the, one on which I wiped my hands since that time, until the roller was taken from the vault. Dr. Webster had a numlier of crash towels. At6| o'clock, P. M., the Court adjourned to 9 A. M., next morning. FIFTH DAY. Saturday, March ,23, 1860. The Court came in this morning shortly after 9 o'clock. The Jury were called, and the proceedings commenced. EiPHRAiM LiTTLEFiELD, Oross Examined.—On Monday, the 19th of November, when the interview took place between Dr. Parkman and Dr. Webster, it was not dark out erf doors. Lights were burning. ' The interview took place in the upper laboratory. Dr. Parkman said, are you ready for me to-night? No, I am not, Doctor, re- plied Dr. Webster. He either accused Dr. Webster of sel- ling something that he had sold before, or said something .^ about a mortgage. He made a gesture with his hand, and ..•, said, Dr. Webster, something must be accomplished to- „( morrow. Dr. Parkman appeared to be a little riled— . somewhat excited. 1 left Dr. Webster in the room when I left. On Friday, Nov. 23d, when I took the broom, I cannot say whether 1 took it from behind the door or not. I know 1 placed it behind the door after I was done. The sledge was left by masons who did some work lor Dr. VVebster the year before. He had a flue torn down and built up. I don't know that the sledge was sent in from Cambridge. I mean to say that both faces of the sledge were rounding. I never did anything with the sledge. I never searched for the sledge until after Dr. Webster was arrested. I never thought of it before. There is another sledge there weighing two or three pounds, with one round face; I presume it belongs to Dr. Webster. To Mr. Bemis.—l don't know that the small sledge is called a geological hammer. Resumed.—1 generally dine at 1 o'clock, at the time Dr. Holmes's lectures begin. I was detained on a particu- lar day to examine the tickets at Dr. Holmes's lecture- room door. The students held the tickets m their hands, showed them, and passed in. The students usually wish to get the front seats. I should think that it took fifteen minutes to take the tickets, as some of the students usual- ly stopped in Dr. Webster's room some little time alter the lecture was over. I did not get to sleep while on the settee in Dr. Ware's room. On Friday afternoon I thiuk I heard some one walking in the laboratory. I stood at the door leading from the store-room into the laboratory. I heard the water running. I can t say what particular object I had tor listening. 1 called to mind my listening at the time, and have recollected it](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21083629_0026.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
