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
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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![[Here the letter, postemarked East Cambridge, and directed to Marshal Tukey was shown to witness.] The word was, as a whole, looks like Dr. Webster’s. So do the words zs, be, Boston, but. There is a similarity between them. They have the same appear- ance. The writing was not done with a pen. If I had the instru- ment before me, I could tell, at sight, whether it would make such a mark. My own opinion is positive that it was written by Dr. Web- ster. I only say that, take it as a whole, and the peculiarities I have noticed, it looks like Dr. Webster’s. I cannot express an opinion more than I have, from the specimens I haveseen. I have an opinion that the East Cambridge letter, and that of November 26th, were done by the same person as those written with a pen. I should not think any man could write a disguised hand twice alike, They sometimes vary essentially, but always more or less. I have not taken into consideration at all the other letters of Dr. Webster which I think disguised, in forming my opinion. I have probably examined a dozen times hand-writing not written with a pen. | Grorce G. Smiru, sworn.—I have given attention to penmanship. Have known Dr. Webster many years. I have known hfs hand- writing by seeing incidentally the diplomas, and by notes I have received from him. I have a general remembrance of his signature. As an engraver, I have been obliged, in fac similes, to examine minutely specimens of hand-writing, and have sometimes been called into Court to testify in regard to hand-writing. [The “ Civis” and the “ Dart” letters, together with the letter to Miss Marianne Webster, and that sent to Mr. Ralph Smith, and the memoranda found in Dr. Webster’s possession, were here handed to the witness. ] I have not seen the one to Miss Marianne Webster before, but the others] have. I have seen the “Civis” letter before. My opinion is, that it is Dr. Webster's hand-writing. [am very sorry to say that I feel quite confident of this. With regard to this “ Dart” letter, I find certain peculiarities, but I do not feel prepared to express myself so confidently as in regard to the other. I think it might be his; but I am not certain, though strongly confident. I have no doubt that the envelope and the writing inside are the same. The erasures look to me as though they were partly made by passing a finger over it, and the rest by something else. Nota pen though, sir! The East Cambridge letter was here shown to the witness. |] his looks like Dr. Webster’s hand-writing, and like the other. I think it like Dr. Webster’s hand-writing, though I am not certain that itis his. This letter was not written with a pen or a brush. We find a very peculiar softening of the shade. If, then, it was done with a pen, it must necessarily be full of ink, and there could not be that softness of shade at the commencement. It was made with some soft instrument. I do discover marks of fibres. [The two notes were here shown to the witness. | Those erasures I do not think were made with a pen. I can dis- cover traces of fibres in them. I have examined the checks before. I have examined quite a number of specimens of Dr. Webster’s hand- writing. Cross-examination. 'The erasures on the notes could not have been](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b20443614_0128.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
