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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![Friday. I accordingly commenced inquiring of every body whom I met, who I supposed would be likely to know him, when they last saw him. I first got trace of him in Brom- field street, at half-past twelve. Thence I traced him into Washington street, up Williams' Court into Court Square and Massachusetts Block, thence down Cornhill-Avenue by Joy's Building into Washington street again, thence through Water and Devonshire streets to the Post-Offlce, thence up State through Court street into Green street, down through Eaton street into Vine street, at the corner of Blossom street. There, in Paul Holland's grocery-store, I learned that he had left a bag of green lettuce the day before. When I went in to in- quire there, the boy asked me to take away the lettuce. He told me — [The further statements made by the boy checked.] I next heard of Dr. Parkman in Fruit street, leading from Blossom to Grove street, and then traced him as far as the Medical College. By this time there was great excitement in the neighbor- hood. Many of the neighbors, and officer Trenholm assisted in the search. We continued our search till eleven o'clock that night. I cannot say when the police were called in to aid, but think that it was as early as two or three o'clock that afternoon ; as I remember that I was told that two of the police had called at my house before I got back, after going up to Dr. Parkman's house. As many as twelve or fifteen of the neighbors accompanied and aided me in making inquiries, &c. In the evening, the police searched a great many houses in the neighborhood of the college ; particularly the cellars and rear apartments of empty tenements. I aided in search- ing five or six, myself. The first advertisement in the newspapers was published that afternoon, Saturday. I saw it in one paper, the Evening Journal, I think. On Sunday, we searched about the city all the forenoon. In the afternoon, we heard a story of his being at East Cambridge, and the officers went over there about half-past four. I did not go over till a half an hour or more after they had gone. Sunday afternoon, many persons searched about the new-jail lands, and the Doctor's vacant houses. Monday, I again went over to East Cambridge, and stayed there, making inquiries, &c, till ten or eleven o'clock. When I returned, I went down with Mr. Starkweather, the police officer, to examine the Medical College. We went all over the building, into the lecture and dissecting-rooms, and up into the attic, but did not go into the cellar. We looked into the large vault or receptacle used for the purposes of the dis-](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21163194_0050.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
