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TRIAL OF JOHN W. WEBSTER.
On that day, I was passing by the College, at about half-past three or
four o'clock, and met Mr. Littlefield. He told me that he had com-
menced digging through the wa11, and, of his suspicions of Dr. Webster.
He said that he had told the officers, that every place in the College had
been searched, except the Doctor's private privy; and that he was now
going to dig through the wall, to satisfy himself and the public, and see
if there was anything there. He took me into the dissecting-room
entry, and told me, that the wall had been very hot the day before; so
hot, that he could not bear his hand on it. 1 put my hand, by his direc-
tion, upon the wall, but could not then feel any heat. We then went
round to the front of the building; and, while we stood talking, Dr.
Webster came up, and said to me, "What, about that twenty-dollar bill?"
I told him, that I had not heard anything about it. He then said that an
Irishman came to the Cambridge Bridge and offered a twenty-dollar bill,
to pay one cent toll, The toll-man thought that it was strange, that an
Irishman should have a twenty-dollar bill, and he asked him, where he
got it; and he said, "From Dr. Webster." Dr. Webster said, that the
Marshal had the bill, and had sent for him, to identify it; but, said he,
"I told him that I could not swear to it." The Doctor then went off,
bidding me good-night. Mr. Littlefield told me to come back in twenty
minutes, and he would then be through the wall.
I was gone about twenty minutes; cape back. and asked Mrs. Little-
field, If her husband had come up from under the, building'? She said,
that he had, and had gone to Dr. Bigelow's. I asked, If he had found
anything? and she said, he had. She asked, If I was afraid to go down,
if she gave me a light? and I said, No. She showed me the way to the
trap-door. I went dawn with a light, and crawled out to where he had
been digging, put the lamp through, and my head as far as my shoulders,
and looking in, saw the parts of a body, afterwards shown to Professor
i Webster. I then came up, and waited till Mr. Littlefield returned with
the Marshal, Dr. Henry J. Bigelow, and Mr. Clapp.
I assisted in taking out the remains. We all went down, to get them.
Mr. Littlefield, and I, crawled through the hole. I held the lamp, and
Mr. Littlefield passed the remains out. They were only passed through
the wall, and then laid upon some boards, close under the building. I
don't recollect, whether we went into the laboratory, before Dr. Webster
came. The Marshal left me alone, in charge of the iuilding, and I
stayed there.
It was nearly eleven o'clock, when Professor Webster, and his party,
arrived. I was not at the front door, when they came. Mr. Littlefield
came, and told me, that the party had returned, and he and I went
up through the laboratory, and forced the door, between the back room,
and the lecture-room, so !that the party could get in. Some one asked
for the key of the privy-door; and Mr. Littlefield made answer, That
the Doctor had tile key, as he always kept it himself. The Doctor then
pointed to a hook, or a nail; and said, that "It was up there." I think
Mr. Starkweather took the key down, and handed it to Mr. Littlefield.
He and I went down to the laboratory, and the key would not unlock
the privy-door. I then tried the key, and told Mr. Littlefield, that it
was not the key. We went up stairs, again, and Mr. Littlefield told
Professor Webster, that, that was not the key. I don't recollect what
Professor Webster replied. The door was hen broken open.
Up in the back room, I did not take so much notice of Doctor Web-
ster, as down in the laboratory. He appeared differently, in the two
rooms; more agitated in the laboratory. He snapped at the water given
to him. I remember the inquiry being made about the bones in the
furnace, but by whom, I don't know; it was while the Doctor was in the
room.
Mr. Adams, Mr. Rice, and myself, remained in charge of the College,
all that night. I remained there, Saturday, and until Sunday; and only
left for a few moments. The remains were put into a box, in the privy,
and nailed up, Friday night. I heard no particular instructions given,
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