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72 'TRIAL OF JOHN ~V. WEBSTER.
down to Mr. Foster, and picked out the turkey, such qn one as I wanted,
weighing eight or nine pounds. It was the first time that Dr. Webster
ever gave me anything.
I came home, and stayed round, till hbout six, and then fixed myself,
to go to the Suffolk Lodge of Odd Fellows. As I was coming out of
the entry, to go there, I heard some one corning down the back stairs. I
don't think that it was so late as half-past six. It Wag Dr. Webster,
with a candle, burning, as before. He blew it out, and laid
the stick upon the settee. He went out with me and walked
along with me, through Bridge street. I asked him, If he wanted any
more fires, that week? as the lectures closed, that day, for the week.
He said, " No, I shall not want any more fires, this week." Just before
we got to Cambridge street, says he, " Mr. Liftlefield, are you going
down town? " I replied, "Yes, sir, I am going down to the Lodge."
Says he, " You area Freemason, arn't you? " I told him, " Yes; they
call me a part of one." We then parted; he went towards the bridge,
and 1, lip Cambridge street.
There was nothing more, that night. I fouled that the door of the
laboratory was bolted, after I came back from Mr. Foster's.
Wednesday morning, Dr. Webster came to the College pretty early.
I saw him when he came in. He went tip the back stairs, into the front
entry. Pretty- soon I heard him move things round in his laboratory.
I went to his laboratory-door, leading from the store-room, and tried
to hear what was going on, and to look through the key-hole; but the
ketch was over it, on the inside, and I could not. While I was there,
near the door, listening, I saw my wife, looking at me. I took my knife,
and undertook to cut a hole in the door. I took out a little chip, but
it made a cracking, and I thought Dr. Webster heard me, and stopped.
It was at this time, that I saw my wife, and I went into the kitchen.
I then returned to the store-room, and laid down on the floor, with
the left side of my face to the floor, so that I could look under the door.
I heard a coal-hod move on the bricks, in the direction of the privy.
I saw him come along with a coal-hod. I could see him as high up as
his knees; he went along towards the furnace, where the bones were
found. There were kept bark, charcoal, Cannel and Sydney coal, in
the closet, near the privy; and anthacite coal in the bin,, near the
furnace. When he went near the furnace, he was out of my sight; but
I could hear him move things, though I could not tell what he was
doing. I laid about five minutes, then got up, and went down town,
with my wife, about nine o'clock, and did not return until one o'clock
in the afternoon.
About three o'clock in the afternoon, I was passing through the
dissecting-room entry. When I came by the stair-case, leading to the
demonstrator's room, I found the walls hot near where Dr. Webster's
laboratory is. I was in close contac with the wall, on account of the
projection of the stairs into the entry-way. I put my hand on the wall,
and found it so hot, that I could hardly bear it there. I knew that it
must proceed from the assay-furnace, where I never made a fire, and
never knew a fire to be. I was afraid that the building would take fire.
I went back to the front store-room, unlocked the door, and went in
out of the dissecting-room entry. I found that the door leading into
Dr. Webster's laboratory, was bolted on the inside, but unlocked. I
next went to the laboratory-stairs door, leading from my cellar, and
found that fast. I then went up stairs, unlocked his lecture-room, and
went in, for the purpose of going down that way. I found the door
to the back room locked. I finally went down stairs, to look out of
my cellar-window, to see if I could discover fire proceeding from the
rear of the building.
Not being able to see anything, and to satisfy myself, I got out of my
back door, and climbed on the wall to the double window of the labora-
tory, where the lights are on each side. I found the window unfastened,
raised it, and went in.
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