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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    I heard some one in the lower laboratory, walking, and mov- ing round, but could not get in. nor could I tell, what the person was doing. I heard the water running, every time that I passed through the store-room. It had not usually- been allowed to run. I cannot say that I saw Dr. Webster, again that day, after I paid him the money. I did not see Dr. Webster in the College, all day, Sunday, but his doors were fast all the time. About sunset, Sunday night, I was standing in North Grove street, abreast of Fruit street, and facing up the street, talking with Mr. Calhoun, one of the foundry-men. We were talking about Dr. Parkmau ; — how suddenly he had disappeared. (I heard of the disap- pearance, first, on Saturday afternoon; pretty late. — Mr. Kingsley told me of it.) While we were talking, I looked up Fruit street, and saw Dr. Webster coming. I said to Mr. Calhoun, There conies one of our Professors, now. As soon as Dr. Webster saw me, he came right up to me. The first words Dr. Webster said to me, were, Mr. Little- field, did you see Dr. Parkman, the latter part of last week ? I told him, that I had. He asked me, At what time I saw him ? I said, Last Friday, about half-past one. He asked, Where, did you see him ? I replied, About this spot. He asked, which way he was going? I told him, He was coming right towards the College. He asked, Where were you, when you saw him ? I told him, that I was stand- ing in the front entry, looking out of the front door. He had his cane in his hand, and he struck it down upon the ground, and said, That is the very time that I paid him $483, and some odd cents. — He gave the exact cents, but I don't remember them. I told him that I did not see Dr. Parkman go into the lecture-room, or out of it, as I went and laid down on the settee, in Dr. Ware's room. [In reply to an incidental question, Whether Dr. Parkman might not have entered the College through the lower front door?—Mr. Littlefield interrupted himself, to say:—] The lower front door, underneath the steps, is never opened, except to throw out ashes or dirt. Dr. Webster went on to say, that he counted the money down to Dr. Parkman, on his lecture-room table ; that Dr. Parkman grabbed the money up, without counting it. and ran up, as fast as he could, two steps at a time, the steps upon which the seats are elevated in the lecture-room ; and, that Dr. Paikuian said, that he would go immediately to Cam- bridge, and discharge the mortgage. Dr. Webster con- tinued:— 1 suppose he did; but I have not been over to the Registry of Deeds, to see.