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3'70 TRIAL OF JOHN W. WEBSTER.
wholly unaware. I was entirely ignorant that there was any key that would
fit the
lock of either of the front doors of the College. Had I been aware that
there was
among those keys one by which I could enter either of those doors, 1 should
have
put it upon the bunch I carried with me. I have often gone to the College
with my
bunch of keys, and been obliged to wait some time after ringing the bell,
until some
one came and unlocked the door. I never opened either of these doors with a
key
in my possession.
When the College was built, locks more or less similar to each other were
put
into the many doors; and, finding that my rooms could be entered by means of
several keys, and fearing derangement and injury to my apparatus, I caused
other
locks to be put upon several of the doors.
There are three doors in the lecture-room, each of which had origially one
lock; on two of these doors I had a second lock put. The three keys of the
original
lock being alike, I needed but one on my bunch; the others were laid aside
in a
drawer. Upon the door between the lecture-room and back laboratory, I also
had a
second lock put, about a year before November last. I afterwards had the
lock
taken off, and procured three locks alike, for the three doors in the back
room;
one key, which fitted all three locks, I put upon my bunch; the others,
together
with the old key, were laid aside in my drawer.
In the lower laboratory are five doors. These all have locks, the duplicate
keys
to which were laid aside with the others.
As the College is open cften, at times and seasons when there are no
lectures,
and as not only students, but strangers, and many persons visit it when I
am absent,
and as it was desirable that there should not be free access to my rooms,
containing
valuable apparatus and costly chemical articles,-I had the additional locks
put on,
leaving the lectureroom accessible; this being the only room of much
interest to
strangers who might wish to see the arrangements in the new College.
The changes and additions of so many locks caused the accumulation of old
and
duplicate keys; and I have never used one of those keys to open any doors
in the
building, except those in my own room. I have more than once, in going round
with some friend or stranger, had to wait at the door of the museum or
library, or
some other door, until I called the janitor or his wife to bring the key,
which I
should not have done had I been aware that I had a key that would admit us.
On the morning of Friday, November 30th, as I was leaving home, Mrs.
Webster desired me to bring with me, on my return, some citric acid for
domestic
use. I purchased some at Thayer's, under the Revere House, waited in his
shop until
the omnibus came along, took the parcel, jumped into the omnibus, and
delivered it
into the hands of Mrs. Webster on my arrival at home.
In consequence of seeing a paragraph in a newspaper, a few days after my
arrest, stating that I had purchased oxalic acid for the purpose of
removing blood-
stains, I wrote to my daughter, desiring her not to have the parcel of
citric acid
opened, as I supposed it was the purchase of that which gave origin to the
paragraph; and I knew, if it were untouched, the false statement could be
disproved.
It was not opened, and was taken to Court by one of my daughters; but it
was not
called for, or any opportunity given for explanation.
The tea-chest was not sent in that week, but had been in the lower room
several
months; having been sent on from New York with glass.
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