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
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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![place between Dr. Parkman and Dr. Webster, it was not dark out of doors. The lights were burning. The interview took place in the upper laboratory. Dr. Parkman said, Are you ready for me, now or, to-night} No, I am not, Doctor, replied Dr. Webster. He either accused Dr. Web- ster of selling something, that he had sold before, or said something about mortgaging a second time. He made a ges- ture with his hand, [imitated by the witness,] and said, Dr. Webster, something must be accomplished to-morrow. This was, as he went out of the door, and while he was standing in the door-way. Dr. Parkman might have stopped there, a half an hour. He appeared to be a little riled ; somewhat excited. I remained about an hour, and Dr. Webster left, after I did. On Friday, November 23d, when I took the broom, to sweep up the Doctor's back room, I cannot say, whether I took it from behind the door, or not. There was no particu- lar place for it. I know that I placed it behind the door, after I was done, and that I saw the sledge there, at that time. The sledge was left by masons, who did some work for Dr. Webster, the year before, — or, I first saw it, after they had got done. He had a flue torn down, and built up. I don't know, that the sledge was sent in from Cam- bridge. I mean to say, that both faces of the sledge were rounded. I never did anything with it. I never searched for it, until after Dr. Webster was arrested. I never thought of it, before. I then searched all over the building, and under it, for it. There is another sledge there, now; weighing two or three pounds, with one round face ; I pre- sume, that it belongs to Dr. Webster. I generally dine at one o'clock,—at the time Dr. Holmes's lectures begin. I was detained on that day, the 23d, by ex- amining the tickets at Dr. Holmes's lecture-room door. The students held the tickets in their hands, showed them, and passed in. I recollect being nearly crowded away from the door, two or three times, by them, as they rushed in. I should think that it took fifteen minutes, to take the tickets, as some of the students usually stopped in Dr. Webster's room some little time after the lecture was over, to ask expla- nations, &c. The door shut after me in Dr. Ware's room. The door shuts itself, and shuts with a slam. I remained there, till three or four minutes of two. I did not go to sleep ; did not lay there long enough to get asleep. I reclined with my head on my arm. On Friday afternoon, I thought I heard some one walking](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21163194_0149.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
