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TRIAL OF JOHN Zv. WEBSTER. 15
that week and observing his conduct, to consider a variety of facts like
these: That, you will remember, was Thanksgiving week. Thursday,
the twenty-ninth of November, was Thanksgiving day. It was a week
of vacation at the College, no lectures having been delivered after
Tuesday; yet during that week, Dr. Webster was at the College, locked
into his rooms daily, and at unusual hours.
It will be shown that he directed that no fires should be made in
his rooms that week; and yet that he had fires, kindled by himself,
of a more intense heat than had ever been made there before: That,
on Tuesday, he purchased several large fish-hooks, which were after-
wards found upon the premises, under circumstances which will prob-
ably connect them, to some extent, with these remains; that they were
made into a grapple, being fastened to a. staff by a peculiar species of
twine or marline, a ball of which was also found in one, of his private
drawers; and that around the thighbone found in the tea-chest, was
tied a piece of the same description of twine, the identity of which
with that found upon the grapple, will be testified of by an expert in
its manufacture.
I have already averted to the fact, and to the character, of the search
of Dr. Webster's rooms. The evidence will show you, that they were
merely passed through by some of the police officers, as early as Mon-
day; that on Tuesday, Mr. Kingsley, the business agent of Dr. Park-
ma.n, went through these rooms with several police officers, and Mr.
Littlefield, the janitor, accompanied by Dr. Webster. The conduct of
the prisoner at that time will be shown; that the officers, when ask-
ing about the privy, were replied to by Mr. Littlefield, in the presence
of Dr. Webster, that it was the private privy of Dr. Webster, who had
the key of it in his possession; that, thereupon, they suffered themselves
to be called off from the privy, by Dr. Webster, to another room, they
entertaining no suspicion of him and having, indeed, already informed
him that their examination of his apartments was a. mere matter of
form. It will be proved that there was a fire in the assay furnace at
that time, and that the tea-chest, in which the remains were found
imbedded in tan was then observed by one of the witnesses, with the
minerals upon it.
It will be proved that on Monday, Dr. Webster gave instructions to
the Cambridge express-man, who had always before had free access
to his apartments, and had been used to deposit all the packages which
he brought, inside of the laboratory, to carry certain fagots, a box, and
a bag of tan, from Cambridge to the College, and leave them in the
entry, outside the door of the laboratory; that, on Wednesday, the same
express-man, Mr. Sawin, carried two boxes to the College, and left
them in like manner, outside the door, being unable to find the key
in the place where Dr. Webster had usually kept it.
Evidence will be offered, tending to show that in the course of that
week, Dr. Webster, in conversation with several persons, endeavored
to impress them with the belief that Dr. Parkman had been seen going
over to Cambridge, after the time when it was stated by him that he
had been at the Medical College that he went so far ag to urge upon
one witness, Mrs. Coleman, the. declaration that she saw Dr. Parkman
on the afternoon of Friday; she having stated to him that it was on
Thursday; and that he made to her certain representations, which will
probably have some influence in determining your judgment with
respect to the sincerity of his inquiries, that on Friday morning, he went
to a respectable mechanic in this city, and ordered a tin box to be
made very strong, and in such a, manner that he could solder it up him-
self perfectly tight; and that in the course of his interview with this
mechanic, he stated that it had been discovered by certain mesmeric
agencies that Dr. Parkman's body had been carried off in a cab, and
that the cab had been found, saturated with blood.
There is another branch of this case to which the Government will
ask your intelligent attention. Much has been said of late, approach-
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