Report of the trial of Prof. John W. Webster : indicted for the murder of Dr. George Parkman, before the Supreme judicial court of Massachusetts, holden at Boston, on Tuesday, March 19, 1850 / Phonographic report, by Dr. James W. Stone.

  • Webster, John White, 1793-1850, defendant.
Date:
1850
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the trial of Prof. John W. Webster : indicted for the murder of Dr. George Parkman, before the Supreme judicial court of Massachusetts, holden at Boston, on Tuesday, March 19, 1850 / Phonographic report, by Dr. James W. Stone. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    a erasures on the large note shown.] hey could not have been made with a pen, for the same reasons given with regard to the letters. I see in them traces of a fibrous substance. They were not made with a pointed instrument. The $400 note shown. | * The marks of the fibrous substance are here very distinct. [The Court here took a recess for a few minutes, and the Jury were allowed to retire.] Cross-examination. I have seen these specimens of writing before to-day. I have seen other anonymous letters, which I think were all addressed to Mr. Tukey. The letter addressed to Mr. Tukey, which I have examined, was evidently written in haste. The “ Civis” let- ter is one which is not disguised to my eye. It is in Dr. Webster’s usual hand-writing; though somewhat rounder, if anything, than Dr. Webster’s usual hand. / It is impossible for me to say a whole letter is disguised. If it was shown to me, I could not say it was intended to be a disguised hand. I observed that there were, in the “ Civis” letter, three letters dissim- ilar to Br. Webster’s hand-writing. I could n’t take my oath that the others were the same as his hand-writing. I should say the other let- ters were his hand-writing, but could not swear to every separate one ; but as a whole. I only say that they all appear like his ordinary hand-writing, ex- cept the letters which I have enumerated ; but I cannot say he intended to disguise them. I could n’t say all the excepted letters are alike. The d’s are peculiar. I think here he has made his d’s as he has usually done, with a curve to the left. He usually makes a wu for an a,and does not connect the opening at the top. I have examined a number of his specimens. I have not seen some of his a’s jomed at the top, in his genuine hand-writing. The letter R is made without a hook to it,as we say. Sometimes he makes an R that looks very much likea K. In his usual writing, he makes a character which one would not consider an &. There is not, at the first sight, an appearance of its being disguised. With- out something in the letters very unaccountably formed, I do not pre- tend to say any hand is disguised. I first take some of the ordinary hand-writing, and, then compare the two. Ido find the writings of some other persons where there are some things the same. I have taken up writing, casually, wherever I have been —anybody’s to com- pare with. I have compared these letters with even the writing of my own family. The “Civis” letter is not exactly like Dr. Webster’s hand-writing, when you come to examine it closely. It struck me, at first sight, as being his. The “Dart” letter does not appear like Dr. Webster’s general hand-writing. [The letter called the “ Dart letter ” was here handed to the witness. ] The letter Tis peculiar. The o’s are similar to Dr. Webster’s ; so are the 7’s. The a was similar, at first, but connected afterwards at the top. The wand /f are similar also. The f’s are all peculiar, and not peaked at the top, and are also peculiar in the final stroke. I think it an unnatural hand; for when the letters are made very strangely, and others — the same — not, then I judge that it must be feigned. I think it is a disguised hand, and Dr. Webster’s.