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TRIAL OF JOHN W. WEBSTER. 6'i
I then went up stairs, through the front entry, and tried the door,
that leads into the lecture-room. I put my key into the door, to unlock
it. I found it unlocked but bolted, on the inside. I went down stairs,
again, went into my kitchen, stopped a spell. and then went, and laid
'down.
About four o'clock, P. M., Miss Sarah Buzzell, a young lady, staying
at my house, from Medford came to my bedroom, and told me, that
there was a gentleman at the door, that wanted ~to see me. I got up,
` and went out, to see the gentleman: it was Mr. Pettee, messenger of
the New England Bank, the collector for the College. A student, by
the name of Ridgeway, was going out of town, early, the next morning;
and Mr. Pettee had come there to fill out the tickets, for him, for the
course of lectures. He filled out all, except for Dr. Webster's course,
and those I had, myself. I had half a dozen, which the Professor gave
me to sell, if anybody wanted to buy them. Mr. Pettee gave me the
tickets, and went away; six tickets, being all that Mr. Ridgeway would
need, except those for Professor ebster's course. I was to take the
tickts, and get all the money from Mr. Ridgeway. After Mr. Pettee
went away, (he might have been there fifteen minutes, or longer,) I went
to the door under the laboratory stairs, and found that, and the other
doors all fast, the same as when I went to get in the first time.
I don't recollect that I tried his door again, that,afternoon, until late
in the evening. My object in trying his doors, was; to clear his furnace,
to clear up his table, and to wash up his appartus.
In the evening, about half-past five o'clock -I cannot be precise
as to the time, it was between half-past five, and six,-as I was coming
out of my kitchen, I heard some one coming down the back stairs that
lead'from the front entry, down into my cellar. It was Dr. Webster.
He had a candle-stick in his hand and a calidle, burning. He always
used candles; I never knew him to use a lamp. He blew the candle
out, placing the stick on the settee, and went out of the east passage-
way, through, what I call, my door. I was so near him, that he could
not help seeing me.
I did not see Dr. Webster, again, that night. I fixed myself, and
went out to a party, to a Mr. Grant's, and get home about ten o'clock.
When I carpe home, I went to my kitchen, took off my outside coat, and
took a lamp, to go and fasten up the building. The first door, that I went
to, was Dr. Webster's laboratory-stairs door. I found that fast. I
then started to go into the dissecting-room, that extends on the south-
west part of the building; and by the way, tried the store-room door,
leading into the laboratory, and found it fastened. I went to put out
the lights in the dissecting-room, as the students dissected some times
as late as ten o'clock. I saw no lights, and no one there. I shut the
door to, came out, and bolted the outer door of the passage-way, which
opens out-doors. It has a large bolt. I sat up a spell, and then went
to bed. I never knew Dr. Webster's rooms locked in this way, at night,
in lecture time, before since I have been at the College.
Saturday morning, I had only one furnace-fire to make. There were
only two lectures, that day, from nine 'to eleven. I made the fire in
the furnace that warms Dr. Ware's room. I then went to the dissecting-
room, to make the fires there. I found the outer entry-door unbolted;
It was a-jar, not shut to. This was about seven o'clock; it might have
been somewhat earlier, or later. No one had had access to the room,
that morning. I supposed, when I found the door of the dissecting-
room unfastened, that I had locked some student in, the night before,
and thought no more of it, at the time.
No one had a key to the outside front-door, except Dr. Leigh, the
librarian, that I know of; Dr. Leigh has been there, two years. No
one, that I know of, except him, could gain access to the building after I
had locked it' up at night.
I tried to get into Dr. Webster's back-room on Saturday morning.
I unlocked his lecture-room door, by which he had come out the night
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