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TRIM. OF JOHN \\'. WEBSTER.
the Professor's private room, and poked out some of the ashes to see
if I could discover anything in them. I did this at the suggestion of
Mr. Fuller, the iron-founder, who had advised me that day, before
going into the College, to look among the ashes in all the fire-places, in
order to see if I could not find anything like buttons, or other sus-
picious articles, There was no fire at the time in the stove, and I drew
the ashes out upon the hearth.
We then went down into the lower laboratory. I went up to the
furnace there, (the same in which the bones were afterwards found,)-
and, looking under 'the grate, saw the bright light of afire, and the
ashes underneath all swept up. I think Professor Webster was talking
with Mr. Clapp at this time, at the bench by the window. They- two did
all the talking. We went out to the southwest corner of the room, and
there was a considerable lot of rubbish. I saw a tea-chest there with
some tan in it, and some minerals on top of the tan. The stones filled
up the tea-chest. The officers took up some of the minerals and spoke
about them. I remarked about it afterwards. and remember the fact
of seeing the tea-chest with tan in it, distinctly. A question was asked,
while we were there, about the privy. Clapp inquired, "what door
was that?" pointing to the privy; and Littlefield said, that that was the
Doctor's private privy, and that he had the key to it. Either Dr. Web-
ster, or some one else, then called attention to the other side of the
room.
I noticed, when we went down stairs into the laboratory, that they
were wet, as if water had been spilled on them. I had noticed the same
thing the day before, and thought of it this day, (Tuesday,) because they
did not seem to have dried.
I think we went out into the dissecting-room entry, and that Dr.
Webster shut the door after us. I don't remember hearing him lock it.
We made no more thorough search on this occasion, because the
officers had no suspicion of anybody in the College; and, as Mr. Clapp
had told Dr. Webster, we were not going to turn over anything. I
thought that they rather laughed at me, for my suspicion in regard to.
the College. Besides, I had no orders to make search, as Mr. Clapp
had, from the City Marshal.
After Tuesday, the search for Dr. Parkman was continued by myself
and others, till Friday night. I think, however, that it was not prose-
cuted so vigorously on Wednesday afternoon, and Thursday, (Thanks-
giving-day,) as it had been before. Rewards were offered. One for
$3,000, on Monday, or Tuesday, and one for $1,000, on Wednesday. The
handbills containing these were posted up very extensively throughout
the city, and sent round to the neighboring towns. No tidings were
heard of Dr. Parkman till Friday afternoon. About half-past three or
four o'clock of that day, I called at Mr. Littlefield's apartments, in com-
pany with officer Starkweather, and inquired of Mr. L.'s wife if he
was at home. In consequence of what she said, I went round to the
front door and rang the door-bell, and presently Mr. Littlefield came
out from his apartments and round to where we were, with his overalls
on, and covered with mortar and dirt. I had been informed, a few
minutes before, of his having borrowed a. bar and tools to dig through
a wall, and I was determined to find out what he was about. Before
ringing, I put my ear to the wall, and could hear a clink, as if somebody
were working on a brick wall inside of the building. We talked
together a few minutes, and I satisfied myself that he was at work on the
wall. Littlefield went back, and we went off to the Marshal's office.
I was not at the jail, when Professor Webster was first brought in
from Cambridge that night, Friday, after his arrest; but went down
there, subsequently, about ten o'clock, in company with S. D. Parker,
Esq., Dr. Martin Gay, and others. When I went in, Dr. Webster was in
the lower lockup, underneath the jail-office, lying on the bed, with his
face downwards. He was asked to get up: he said that he was not able
to. He appeared to be in a state of great agitation and prostration.
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