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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    place, when the Court decided, that the fact of the commu- nication of the caution was proper ; though accompanying conversation, would not be.] On Sunday afternoon, after tea, Mr. Littlefield went out. and, after a while, came in again. He came into the kitchen, and beckoned me to come into the bed-room. He there said to me, that He thought, just asmuch as he wasstanding there, that Dr. Webster had murdered Dr. Parkman. [The witness was checked, as to repetition of Mr. Littlefield's statements, and told to confine herself to her own caution to him.] When I had asked him, what made him think so, I told him, Never to mention it again, or even think of such a thing ; for, if the professors should get hold of it, it would make trouble for him. I do n't know, that I noticed anything particular about Dr. Webster's apartments, until after my husband told me his suspicions ; but after this, I recollected that the laboratory- stairs door had been fastened, during Friday, or Saturday. The first that I ever knew it to be fastened, was on Friday afternoon, the 23d. This was the only door, that I had occa- sion to know anything about. About the commencement of the lectures, Dr. Webster asked me, if I would not get the water from his laboratory, because, he said, the water was not clear ; the pipes were new, and he did not like to leave it running, as it spattered his floor. Somewhere about four o'clock, on Friday afternoon, I sent a little girl to get water, that way, and she came back, and told me, that she could not get in, as it was all fast. I told her, that she must be mistaken, but I went with her, and found the door really fastened. I recollect the door being fastened, Saturday morning, when I went to get water for breakfast. I had occasion to go for water, more than once, during that same day, Saturday, and found the door still fastened. I could get the same water in our cellar ; but as Dr. Webster had requested me to get it from his pipe, I tried to do so. I don't know whether I went to the door, for water, on Sunday. On Monday morning, Dr. Samuel Parkman came to my kitchen-door, and asked for Mr. Littlefield. I told him that, lie was about the building somewhere. He then asked for Dr. Webster; and I told him, that I thought he was in,as I saw him pass up a few minutes before. I showed him the way, and I went to the door, — the laboratory-stairs door, — though I did not know whether he could get in. But the door was open, and Dr. Samuel Park- man went up. I do n't know as I told Dr. Parkman the