|
TRIAL OF JOHN W. WEBSTER. 95
Monday. A piece of the cover of the small box was broken off, one end,
and I observed a piece of a small check handkerchief. I did not try
the door. I saw the other things there,-the grape-vines and the box.-
though not the bag of tan. If it had been there, I think that I should
have seen it.
I went to the College, after the arrest of Professor Webster. I could
not find but one box, which I could identify, and that was the small
one, which I took in, on Wednesday; the box which had the check
handkerchief. It was marked with red chalk, "J. W. Webster, Cam-
bridge." I saw the grape-vines, but not the other things. The other
boxes were made of pine.
Cross-examined by Mr. Sohier.-I carry boxes very frequently to the
College. I never saw any tan, in barrels, in the lower laboratory. Dr.
Webster did not say, that the door was locked, when he told me to leave
the things in the cellar, on Monday.
I have seen this clasp-knife, or jack-knife, before; [that found in the
tea-chest, was here exhibited to him by Mr. Sohier;] I saw it on the 17th
of November last, in Dr. Webster's hands, in his garden, at Cambridge.
He was trimming his grape-vines, and was standing on some steps. He
came down the steps, with this in his hand, to speak to me. He had cut
his finger a little, so that it bled; and this led me to make a remark about
it and the knife, I noticed it as a very peculiar knife, and am positive
that this is the same. 11
Derastus Clapp, sworn,-examined by Mr. Bemis. I am a police-
officer; and have been such, since 1828.
[Two promissory notes, an account, and three memoranda were
exhibited to the witness, and identified by him, as having once been in
his possession, and now bearing his initials. He was then asked, How,
and under what circumstances, he came to have any knowledge of
them ? ]
On the 5th of December, I was directed, by the City Marshal, to go
to Cambridge, and get a Cambridge officer, and search the house of Dr.
Webster. I took Officer Hopkins, of Boston, with me, and procured the
aid of Officer Sanderson, of Cambridge, and went to Cambridge. We
went to the house of Dr. Webster; No others went up-stairs, while I
remained down. This was the second search which was made there.
I went to search for a particular parcel of papers in Dr. Webster's
house, in consequence of directions which were given me, before leaving
Boston. I asked Mrs. Webster, If she had in her possession, any par-
ticular parcel or package given her, by the defendant at the bar? Shortly
after asking this question, she left the room, in company with Mr. San-
derson, and presently returned, bringing a bundle of papers. The
papers, (the three first of those shown to me,) not being articles named
in the search-warrant, I requested Mr. Sanderson to replace in the trunk,
up stairs, where he had found them, and to bring the trunk down. The
trunk was brought down; and I requested Mrs. Webster to hand them to
me, as I wished to take them to the city, and would give her a receipt
for them; which I did.
I believe the officers went up stairs again; but this was all that we
found, or took away. The Cambridge officer had a search-warrant. I
did not know what the package contained, which I asked for, but I
supposed that that handed me by Mrs. Webster, was the one. I recog-
nized the handwriting of Dr. Parkman on two of the papers, and put
my initials on all of them, for the purpose of identification.
[The notes, bearing the witness's initials, were here produced, and
put into the case: the defendant's signature to them being admitted by
his counsel, and Mr. Bemis stating, that the Government would prove,
hereafter, that certain memoranda upon them in pencil, or in ink, which
were not admitted to be his, were also actually made by him. The follow-
ingare copies of the notes:]
|
