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 James W. Stone.

  • Webster, John White, 1793-1850.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

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 James W. Stone. 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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    his legs at all. He looked pale, and I thought he trembled ; he com- plained that they had taken him away from his family, without giv- ing him a chance to bid them good-night. I unlocked the lecture-room door, and we found the back room locked. They asked me to unlock it. I said they must ask Dr. Web- ster for the key, for he had it himself. He said that he had been hur- ried away from home, so that he had not taken his keys with him. I went round through the cellar-door, which Dr. Webster had that day, for the first time, left unbolted, and broke down the door between the back room and lecture-room. They the*n wanted to get into the small back private room, which was locked. I told them they must ask Dr. Webster for that, for I never had access to it. Dr. Webster made the same excuse for that key. There were inquiries made for the key of the privy. I told them they must also ask Dr. Webster for that; I had never seen it. Dr. Webster said it was hanging on a nail. We went to the place, and took a key from a nail, but it did not fit. He asked us to show it to him, and then said we had got the wrong key; it was the key of his wardrobe. We could not find the right key; he said he did not know where it was. Then inquired for a hatchet, which usually hung on a nail, b}? a ring, near Dr. W.'s stove ; it was not there. Dr. V/ebster was asked for it, and said it was in the sink. It was found there, and we broke open the door of the back room. We there found, in a drawer, a hatchet that was wrapped up; and when they were undoing it. Dr. Webster said it was a new one, that had not been taken out of the paper. We went down and broke open the privy. I do not remem- ber whether Dr. Webster was down there or not, when we broke it open. He was much agitated, and asked for water, but could not drink. His hand trembled, and he snapped at the tumbler like a dog, or a mad person. i, I went to the furnace, and picked out a bone from it. I was told to let all remain as they were. We went down into the cellar, and passed up the remains on a board to the trap-door, and laid them on the floor. Dr. Webster was brought down near them. Mr. S. D. Par- ker asked Dr. Gay if these were human remains. He said they were. Dr. Webster was much agitated, and perspired. After looking some time, the parties retired, and officers were deft to guard the premises. Dr. Webster's working-dress was a pair of thin overalls and an old coat; have not seen the overalls since the arrest. I think he had on the overalls Monday or Tuesday before his arrest; have always seen him have them on when he was at work. All the keys I know of the Doctor's having were of his own rooms and the dissecting-room. I know a bunch of skeleton keys were found in his drawer; they were found in his small back room. Know of towels being found in the privy-vault; they were a diaper-roller and two crash towels ; the crash towels were marked W. The roller towel I knew; he had had it several years. On Friday, when I washed some glasses for him, I wiped my hands on that towel; I don't recollect that it was marked; I had that to wash for him a good many times. [A bunch of skeleton keys were produced, found in Dr. Web- ster's private drawers. The prisoner's counsel objected, and asked what they had to do with the case. The Attorney General claimed that they were accounted for by the