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character, where direct evidence is brought to bear upon a party,
which it does in all doubtful case, or where the Government depends
upon circumstantial evidence, which make up, of course, doubtful
cases, and which trust be doubtful cases.
Where a man stands charged, on circumstantial evidence, and in a
doubtful case, with the commission of a great crime, the very greatest
weight is to be given to character. And his character is always
admissible, with this view. If a man should be proved, by direct
evidence, to have committed murder, it would be of little importance
to prove that he had previously been of good character. The only
issues that could be made of his character, in such a case, would be
to show that the witnesses who swore to the fact could not be true.
The argument would be, that the witnesses did not swear to what he
chid do.
But when you come to a doubtful case -a case of circumstantial
evidence-then there is weight to be placed on character; and a man
has a right to be judged of, by his fellow-citizens, by a character
which he has earnt and established by a long life. Now, in introduc-
ing character, a man shall be at liberty to introduce it simply and
solely so far as his traits of character have a direct bearing upon the
offence charged. For instance, suppose a man should be indicted for
felony and larceny. It would be perfectly ridiculous to show that
his character for humanity was good. His character for honesty
would be in issue. Suppose a man was indicted for perjury. His
character for truth and veracity would be at stake.
Professor Webster is charged with doing a violent, inhuman and
cruel act. And I shall introduce evidence, with regard to his charac-
ter, by which you will judge whether he would do this act. And I
shall be very much mistaken, if we do not establish strongly upon
that ground. Again, we shall undertake to show, so far as proof is
accessible to us, (for you will bear in mind that the arrest of Professor
Webster took place after a week, in which many of his acts were
committed,) what his conduct was, and how he spent his time, during
that period.
We shall also introduce proof, Gentlemen, in regard to the question,
whether'Dr. Parkman was ever out of that College, after that fatal
Friday noon. For we are mistaken if there is not proof to show that
he did come out of it. That may not have bearing as to whether that
is his body or not; but it will have an important bearing as to whether
he was destroyed by Professor Webster, as is alleged by the Govern-
ment. The facts are simply these, in regard to the evidence we
introduce : -
In regard to the character, and to the various heads to which I have
alluded, Professor Webster is a person who has all his life been devoted
to the pursuit of chemistry. He is a person of nervous disposition ;
but a man exceedingly peaceable and harmless in his habits and his
conduct. We make no question, in regard to his nervousness. He
may sometimes show petulance. But so far from being a violent man,
familiar with deeds of blood, nothing can be further from this. He is
naturally a timid man.
He has, Gentlemen, as I have stated to you, always been devoted
to this pursuit; and he has devoted his days and his nights to it.
Whatever advancement he may have made in this pursuit of chem.
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