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.
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![course of a minute or two, Dr. Webster came. In the lecture-room I asked Dr. Webster who was with him when he paid Dr. Parkman the money. He said no one but himself. That this was paid between half-past one and two o'clock. We passed through the lecture-room, and the Doctor said that he paid the money by the lecture- room table—near the left-hand end, behind the table. We then passed into the upper laboratory. Dr. Webster said that the room back was his private room, where he kept his dangerous and valuable articles.—We then went to the lower laboratory. Mr. Clapp asked, what place is this ? Mr. Little- field said that it was Dr. Webster's private privy. Dr. Webster then said, Here, gentlemen, is another room which you have not seen. We then passed to the store- room and went out. Dr. Webster seemed to be hurrying us through the room, and I am sure he led off. After we had looked at the main vault, Mr. Littlefield and I went down the trap-door, with a lantern, and crawled out as far as we could, for the partition wall. This was the corner where the hole was afterwards dug through ; but there was none there then. There was a conversation as to the position of the privy. I have been through that hole three times since, and examined the walls about the cellar twice.—There is no access through the wall except for the tide water ; nothing else could pass through. I discovered the remains in the tea-chest. I had been searching on Saturday, 30th of November, from half-past eight in the morning to about four ; Starkweather, E/ice, Trenholm, and others, were with us. Before the tea-chest was turned over, it had not been examined to my knowledge. I looked at the tea-chest, and supposed that he kept his minerals there; but as we Were overhauling every thing, I commenced taking off the minerals. I noticed tan in the chest. I run my hand down and took out two or three minerals in the tan. I then took out a large hunting-knife, which I looked at, and then put it into my pocket. I then remarked that there must be something there beside minerals. I then took it up and carried it out into the room, and turned it over. The remains were then found. When the contents of the chest came out, the back of the thorax was up. I turned it over, and saw the hole in the left breast. One of the officers attempted to scrape off the tan ; I forbade it. Lre- marked that the knife I had in my pocket (taken from the tan) would fit the hole very well. [The tea-chest was then exhibited.] I found ane of the kidneys in the ash-hole on Sunday. In the lower laboratory, on the table, was a comforter and two woollen blankets. This was near the window. These articles seemed to be quite new. I remained in charge of the rooms until the 3rd of January, from eight in the morning until seven at night, and no one was allowed to go in without a pass. We were ordered to observe the movements of Mr. Littlefield. The old privy seat was taken off. The hole was 9| inches in diameter. We tried to get the thorax through the hole of the privy, but could not. The pelvis, which was found in the vault, would go through edgewise. We experimented as to hearing noise from the lecture-room in the laboratory, and vice versa. We hallooed, but could hear nothing while the doors were closed. A little plate, with a stick, wound at the end with cloth, was found in the upper laboratory. The plate was on the table, and the stick lay under. This was ob Saturday morning. Cross-examined.—I measiu'ed the privy seat after it was taken up. The experiment was made after the seat was taken up. Mr. Littlefield and I both tried the thorax and pelvis. We found a bag of tan, and more in a barrel. The bag was about eight or ten feet from Mr. Littlefield's cellar. The bag was nearly full of tan. I did not notice the tea-chest on Tuesday. The knife which I took from the tea-chest was shut. I think I put it into my pocket. Messrs. Tarlton, Buckman, Starkweather, Rice, and, I think, Mr. Littlefield, were present, when the thorax was taken from the tea- chest. It fell back up from the chest. I saw the hole after I turned it over. W^](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21083630_0044.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
