New York Globe report of the Webster Case, 1850,
Image No: 57
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New York Globe report of the Webster Case, 1850,
Image No: 57
   Enlarge and print image (106K)           << PREVIOUS  NEXT >>
~6 ins and went to church; he expressed his intention of going to- Boston to see the Parkman family; I 'heard his voice in the house soon after dark, and saw him in his study between 9 and 10 o'clock. Cross-examination of this witness eclined. Thirty-third witness-Dr. WINSLOW LEWIS, called by the defense.-Have been acquainted with the pris- oner for thirteen years; he has always sustained the reputation of bei$g a man of kindly feelings; when be had his laboratory in Mason street, I never could get into it without knocking. Question. Did you examine the cut etween the ribs? Objected to by the Government, on the ground that the defense was reiterated on the cross-examination of the witness. Defense contended that the examination of this witness, in order to test the testimony of Dr. Strong on this point, was competent, and it was ruled to'be so by the Court. Answer.-Iexamined the cut in the ribs and think it was anything but a clean out; can't tell whether it was made before or after death; can't tell whether the bones were broken before or after death; I saw Dr. Strong at the Medical College, after my examination of the soft part of t~ie remains found, had been made; they had evidently been soaked in water. Cross-examined.-Have not the experience in osteology that Dr. Jeffries Wyman has; the parts around the cut, bole, or stab in the thorax, would not retain the tensity in death that this had in life. Thirty-fourth witness-Dr GEO. H. G-sx, sworn by the defense.--Saw Dr. King at the Medical College on Monday; the hole in the chest was ragged ; a clear cut can be made before or after death; it was a question among us whether the hole had not been made with a stick; the parts found in the privy appeared somewhat mascerated. Cross-examination of this witness declined. Thirty-fifth witness-Dr. U. W. HOLMES, called by the defense.-There are two opinions as to the na- ture and quantity of blood in the human body; the average quantity of blood found in the human body is said to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight pounds; in an adult male the quantity is about thirty-four pounds, or near seventeen quarts; have tried experiments concerning the fracture of the hones; while partially cal- cined, they will break outwards and inwards, and in all manner of ways; shouldn't take the opinion of any man on ascientific subject if I was competent to' make the experiment. Cross-examination of this witness declined. Thirty-sixth witness-L'. S. HORSFORD, sworn.-Am an instructor in the University, at Cambridge; I instruct in Chemistry; it is a common thing for Chemists to have nitrate of copper in their laboratories ; I have it always in mine ; organic analysis is the process adopted to discover the constituent pasts of organid bodies. The best thing to dissolve flesh and bone is potash, and next nitric acid '1 have tried nitric acid on the largest bone of an ox ; in four hours all but a few scales were dissolved; in five hours and tweqty minutes the bones were entirely dissolved, and the liquid was perfectly clear; potash will dissolve more rap- idly; I took the laboratories of Prof. Webster afterhis arrest; have never examined the gases arising.from the anatomical vault; a chemist may have occasion to examine their matter; I sent out to Prof. Webster's house in Cambridge from the laboratory a few days after the arrest of the Professor some articles of cloth- ing, pantaloons, overalls, coat and cap ; have seen them since ; I don't think there was any difference in the appearance then from what they were at first; there was no blood on them. Cross-examined.-The clothes had been used by the policemen for pillows; there were four or five bottles of nitric acid in the laboratory store-room, containing about one gallon; should think that it would require more than the weight of a body in nitric acid to dissolve it; no noxious gas will arise from the dissolving of bone and flesh in nitric acid, unless the temperature of the acid is raised to that of boiling water; I have not paid any attention to the spots of nitrate of copper on the laboratory floor and staircase, because it is liable to be spilled about the floor at any time ; I have lately tried an experiment in dissolving flesh anO bone ; had three or four pounds of bone and flesh, and used somewhat more than four pounds of nitriq acid. Direct resumed.-It would depend upon' the thickness of a metal vessel whether it might be eaten up by the acid before the flesh and bone would dissolve. Thirty-seventh witness-Dr. Wit. T. G. MORTON, sworn.-Am a dentist in this city; have practised about eight years; manufacture the mineral that f use. Here the mineal teeth found in the furnace of the laboratory were exhibited to witness.] see no peculiarity about this block of teeth to distinguish them from any other block ; the inner teetlR have the appearance of having been ground; it is a very common thing to grind mineral teeth in this man. nor; they are ground on wheels from the size of four-pence to that of a dollar ; I have used platinum springs in teeth myself, and have known others use 'them ; the spring is inserted in holes rlsually made be- tween the first cuspid and first molar. [Here Dr. Keep s mold of Dr. P.'s jaw was exhibited to the witness.] 1 don't see anything peculiar about the form of this jaw which would enable me to pick it out of a half dozen others laying together. Here the witness exhibited a block of refuse teeth. This block of teeth fits the mold almost exactly- only wants one quarter of an inch more to make it fit perfectly Here the witness produced and exhibited to the court several molds of human under jaws, and also several jaws of human beings, and showed that many of them had the same appearance which was said to be a peculiarity of Dr. P.'s jaw. The block of teeth found in the laboratory furnace was now exhibited to witness. There is something on this block of teeth which is not usual on mineral teeth; it looks as my teeth do when the muffler breaks and lets them fall into the fire. There has evidently been great heat applied to these teetb, and they may have been warped so as to fit the mold which I exhibit. Cross-examined.-I knew Dr. P. while he was Irvin g ;cannot say whether his lower jaw had any remark- able peculiarity; have seen other jaws which so much resembled Dr. P.'s that 1 could not tell which was his among these others; never saw a set of teeth made for one person that would fit the jaw of another &erson. I can tell the names of persons in this community whose jaws resemble Dr. P.'s, but do not like to ivulge the names of my patients ; think if l had manipulated and operated upon the jaw bone of a person while living, that I could not recognize the jaw of that person if it was shown me a great length of time afterwards. Thirty-eighth witness-Prof. DANIEL TREADWELL, sworn.-I remember the evening of Friday, the 234 Nov., 1&19; Prof. Webster and his wife called at my house at about balf past l; o'clock, and remained until half past 10 o'clock ; there were several persons present at my house at the time ; the evening was passed in con-