The twelve days' trial of Dr. John W. Webster for the murder of Dr. Parkman : comprising the addresses of the counsel engaged, the examination of the 121 witnesses, the prisoner's singular defence, and the chief justice's charge to the jury, and his sentence on the prisoner.
- John White Webster
- Date:
- 1850
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The twelve days' trial of Dr. John W. Webster for the murder of Dr. Parkman : comprising the addresses of the counsel engaged, the examination of the 121 witnesses, the prisoner's singular defence, and the chief justice's charge to the jury, and his sentence on the prisoner. 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.
19/104 page 15
![beneath the skin ; the opening through the sixth and seventh ribs was corroded as by potash. In my laboratory I examined the portions for arsenic acid and zinc, but found none. Since that interview, I have taken possession of the articles left with Dr. Gay. The blood vessels I delivered to Dr. Richard Crosby, a chemist in my employ. The alkali found on the body was subjected to a full chemical test, and found to be potash. The effect of this is to dissolve the flesh. The best manner is to boil the flesh in dissolved potash. With suitable apparatus, a body, cut up in small pieces, would be dissolved in a few hours. It would require a bulk of potash equal to half the body, and a large kettle. But less than that quantity would destroy the identity of the body. I examined the Doctor's laboratory, and the largest vessel I saw there, was a large tin boiler, such as is used for washing clothes—a foot or fifteen inches square; but it was not large enough to dispose of the entire thorax, unless cut up. Nitric acid is the next best solvent after potash.—This would require some parts of sulphuric acid. For the entire dissolution of the body, it would require a weight of Nitric acid equal to that of the body. On the sides of the staircase from the laboratory to the back room, I found drops of green fluid, and spots on the stairs. I sent for paper to absorb the green fluid, which Dr. Gay accomplished, and carried the paper away with him. T have examined that paper and found that the green fluid was nitrate of copper. These spots were very abundant from the top to the bottom of the staircase, and were then in a fluid state. The spots of green fluid coincided in position with the dark spots on the side walls, and more abundantly near the foot, then the top of the stairs. I was present on Sunday, I think, when spots of blood were discovered on the pantaloons, and saw Dr. Wyman cut out pieces from them. The microscope is the best test of blood in small quantities.—We also saw the blood on the slippers, from which Dr. Wyman cut pieces. We found a large quantity of punch pieces of copper in the drawers, such as were found in the ashes ; though those were reduced in size, and nitrate of copper adhered to the latter, which indicated that they had been put into nitrate acid. A half a peck of ashes and two quarts of cinders yielded 173 5-100 grains of gold, equal in value to 6 dols. 94 c, and more might have been found, had we examined the fine ashes. [The block of mineral teeth found in the ashes was examined in court by the Doctor and found to contain gold.] I have known the prisoner for twenty-five years.—I recognised the knife (which was produced,) as one I used to see with him, in the Mason Street College. It was shown to me at the Medical College in Grove Street. We found fresh oil and whiting on it, indicating an attempt to clean it. Cross-examined.—The spots on the wall of the staircases, I found to be nitrate of copper. I should not have supposed the remains to have been those of Dr. Parkman unless I had known that he was missing.—The thorax did not exhibit the appear- ance of having been boiled; but the hair was singed on the back. It was not decomposed except where the potash had acted—on the left side, the two ends, and the back. The flesh, if cut up and boiled in a large kettle, with potash, might have been consumed in two hours; and the bones separately, in half a day. Nothing would have remained save a yellow liquid. I examined, quite recently, the large boiler, but found no potash in it. The bottles of nitric acid were quite full. The green fluid might have been on the wall two weeks. The mixture of oil and whiting was found on the silver hilt of the knife, and had been used for cleaning. The ashes taken from the pit were sassafras. The potash on the thorax did not appear to have been en long ; hut the potash and fire conjointly would have produced the effect in a few minutes which we observed about the opening between the ribs. The green](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21083630_0019.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
