The Parkman murder : trial of Prof. John W. Webster, for the murder of Dr. George Parkman, November 23, 1849 : before the Supreme Judicial Court, in the City of Boston with numerious accurate illustrations.
- John White Webster
- Date:
- 1850
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The Parkman murder : trial of Prof. John W. Webster, for the murder of Dr. George Parkman, November 23, 1849 : before the Supreme Judicial Court, in the City of Boston with numerious accurate illustrations. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
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![time, because I feai-ed the buiirling was on fire. There had been no fires in the large furnace since the day of the disappearance of Dr. Parkman. I did not uncover the furnace, because Dr. Web- ster had always told me not to meddle with any thing when I washed the glasses. There were min- erals and crucibles on the cover. I cannot say there was fire, but I know there was considerable heat, and that tlie walls were hot. ! put the broom into the hogshead because I thought it possible the remains of Dr. Parkman might be there. I think I have sixteen keys to various parts of the building. I had none to tlie privy alluded to. I have seen the lock since, and do not think it a common one. I made no attempt at the time to unlock it, because I had no key to it. I generally had no chance to get to this privy. I thought the spots on the floor were suspicions. I thought the spots were blood, and that something had been put on to remove them. I saw spots in the back pri- vate room. I could not get hito the small private room. On one side leading to it from the lecture room it was fastened in one way, and it was fast- ened the other way in connection with the private room—a button on one side and hasp on the other. On Thanksgiving day I tried tlie doors of Dr Web-> ster's rooms. I did not try the window on Thurs- day. Before this time I had communicated my sus' picions to Dr Hanaford, which was on Tuesday night; but to no one else except my wife. I next communicated my suspicions to Mr George Thomp- son on Wednesday night. In the coui-se of Thurs- day I communicated my suspicions to Mrs Harlow. On Friday I spoke also to Drs Bigelow and Jackson, and afterwards to Mr Trenhoim. I first mentioned to Mr Fuller the fact that I could not get under Dr Webster's apartments with- out knocking through the wall. The reason I could not get down in the way the men got down to fix the vault, was, that it would require the bricks to be taken up, with some trouble while persons were liable to be passing in and out. The bricks were laid in mortar, and a hole was required to be cut through the floor underneath. By the Foreman of the Jury. The mortar was laid on the floor and the bricks were placed on that. Sand was then sprinkled over the bricks. By Mr Sohier. On breaking through the hole in the wall, I saw the remains about two or three feet out of a direct line from the privy hole. I only got my head through at the time before I went to Dr Bigelow's. I saw the knife in Court, first in the doctor's back private room. The time I saw it was on the Monday previous to the disappearance of Dr Parkman. He did not speak of using it for trimming grape vines. 1 do not recollect of ever being called upon before by Dr Webster to get blood for hira. I did not have any particular knock or signal by which to get into Dr Webster's room, when he was there. When he had his doors locked, and did not wish me to come in, I never attempted to force my way in; on trying the door I went away; I some- times knocked when others wished to be admit- ted. I did endeavor to be correct in my testimony be- fore the Coroner. I wrote down the heads of my evidence afterwards, and went down to have a con- rection made in relation to the date of getting the turkey. That was the only correction I had made. 1 have looked at the heads of the evidence several times since. I kept it in a drawer. I never had a cppy of my testimony which was given before the Coroner, and have never read that testimony. [Mr Sohier here read some of Mr Littlefield's tes- timony before the Coroner, in relation to going out on Wednesday morning at 9 o'clock with his wife, and at 4 o'clock in the afternoon putting his hand on the wall and finding it hot. He was interrupted by the Chief Justice as being irregular in its course.] The advertisement offering a reward for Dr Park- man was first seen by me on Monday. I saw an- other afterwards, and subsequently both of them stuck up all about the College and the neighborhood [About 12 o'clock a recess took place for a few minutes.] By MR MERRICK. I was at the toll house on Cragie's bridge on Sunday, with Mr Todd, and in- quired about Dr Parkman's having been seen pass- ing over the bridge. I did not tell any one that I saw Dr Parkman go away from the College on Fri- day; I did not tell any one I saw Dr Webster pay Dr Parkman any money, neither did I say I knew he paid such money. I did not see a person by the name of Greene at the time I was at the toll house. By the GOVERNMENT. I did not see the spe- cial notice issued on Sunday in relation to Dr Park- man, now shown to me. I have never made any claim for the reward offered, and I disavow making any claims hereafter. The mistake in relation to the turkey was first brought to my mind by my wife telling me I had made a mistake, and I went to Mr Foster and ascertained by his books that it was a mistake; then I went to Mr Merrill to have the tes- timony before the inquest corrected. [The defence here objected to th©- witness re lating the conversation with his wife when he com- mnnicated his suspicions to her relative to Dr. Web- ster.] I was nearly two days in giving my testimony be fore the Coroner's Jury, and signed it in two por- tions. The cuts in the sink on the bottom of the laboratory floor, where the water was running and where the hatchet was fonnd, were first seen by me on the Saturday after Dr. Webster was arrested.— I did not know that Dr. Webster had any keys to the-building except what I have heretofore stated, and was surprised when an officer fonnd a key to the front door in one of Dr. Webster's rooms. I did not suppose any one had such a key except as I have before stated; keys of the upper front door and also of the lower front door, were found in Dr. Webster's apartments. By MR. SOHIER. When I noticed the cuts in the sink I was looking particularly. The sink was used for purposes in relation to his gasometer. Ice had been broken up in this sink. The piece cut off was by Mr Andrews, Secretary of the Inquest. ANDRICK A. FOSTER called and sworn. I am a Provision dealer in Howard street. I remember supplying a turkey to Mr Littlefield on Tueday, Nov 27th, 1849, upon an order from Dr. Webster. I should think it was between 3 1-2 and 4 o'clock, P.M. There was another order to send to him at Cam- bridge some sweet potatoes, the potatoes to be de- livered to Mr Sawin. The abstract from my books, exhibited to me, is correct. Cross examined. Mr Littlefield did come to me in relation to the date of this transaction, when he expressed the opinion that it was upon another day. CAROLINE M. LITTLEFIELD called and sworn. I am the wife of Mr Littlefield, the janitor of the College. We occupy rooms in the College. I recollect the time of the disappearance of Dr. Parkman. I think I first heard of it on Saturday. I can fix it in my head as having heard of it as early as Sunday. (Objections were made against her stating her conversation with her husband in relation to sus- picions of Dr. Webster, ftuestion allowed.] On Sunday evening alluded to, he asked me to go into the bed room, when he communicated his suspicions that Dr. Webster murdered Dr. Park- man. I said, what makes you think so.'—for mer- cy's sake, never mention this thing again ! I told him never to mention it again, becau.se if the Profes-](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21083617_0031.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
