Report of the case of John W. Webster, indicted for the murder of George Parkman, before the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts : including the hearing on the petition for a writ of error, the prisoner's confessional statements and application for a commutation of sentence, and an appendix containing several interesting matters never before published / by George Bemis.

  • Webster, John White, 1793-1850.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the case of John W. Webster, indicted for the murder of George Parkman, before the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts : including the hearing on the petition for a writ of error, the prisoner's confessional statements and application for a commutation of sentence, and an appendix containing several interesting matters never before published / by George Bemis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    The market value of this gold, at four cents a grain, would be $6 94 [The blocks of teeth, afterwards testified of, by Drs. Keep and Noble, were here exhibited to the witness.] The pres- ence of fused gold, is also visible in the melted mass of mineral teeth and cinders, shown to me. There is a further quantity of gold, to be obtained from the ashes, by a more careful sifting than I adopted. [The attention of the witness, was here called, again, to the blocks of teeth ; and he was asked to point out any in- dications, which he could detect, of the proximity of gold to the teeth, when both were in a state of great heat.] There is a pink color about the teeth, resembling that noticeable in other parts of the slag and cinders, where the globules ot gold were found ; showing the effect, as 1 think, of the oxide of gold. When the gold and teeth were fused together, this oxidation took place. The bones and cinders, in the state in which they were found, showed, in other respects, the application of great heat. I should think, that a piece of the natural bone is now adhering to the block. [The sheath-knife, with silver hilt, was here exhibited to the witness.] I recognize this knife, as one which I have often seen in Dr. Webster's possession, at his rooms, at the old Medical College, in Mason street. I have known the Doctor for twenty-five years ; attended his lectures when a medical student; and have since been in the habit of fre- quently calling on him. When this knife was first shown to me, at the Medical College, immediately after his ar- rest, it bore the appearance of having been recently cleaned. I scraped off some of the substance, which had apparently been used for that purpose, and found it to be whiting, moist- ened with oil. The oil was still fresh, and the mixture as soft as putty. Dr. Parkman was about my height; I should think, a little taller. I am five feet, eleven inches, in height. The furnace in the laboratory would have carried off the odor of burning flesh, if any had been consumed there. The draught is a strong one, and the soap-stone cover, fits tightly over the top. Cross-examined by Mr. Sohier. — It was the nitrate, and not any other salt of copper, upon the wall. If I had not heard that Dr. Parkman was missing. I should not have been led to suppose, that the parts of the body were his. The thorax had not the appearance of having been boiled, but had been singed by fire. I am confident that it