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TRIAL OF JOHN SST. WEBSTER. ii;
The first place which I went to, was the small furnace, in which the
bones were found. There did not appear to be much fire there. The
furnace was covered up with a soap-stone cover, and the cover and
range, all covered with minerals. There was a large iron cylinder
lying on the top of the range. I then went to the door, leading to the
place where the large furnace, (in the passage to the dissecting-room
entry,) is, and took up a broom, to try the water in the hogshead. There
were two hogsheads of water, in one of which was a copper gasometer.
I measured one with the broom-handle, and found that two-thirds of
the water was out. I did not measure the other, which had the gaso-
meter in it but the gasometer showed that the water was out. They
were both full on Friday. A spout, about twelve feet long, laid on the
floor, leading from one of the hogsheads to the sink in the middle of
the floor.
I then discovered, that about two-thirds of two barrels of pitch-pine
kindlings were gone. On Friday, one of these was full, and the other
about three-quarters full. As I went up stairs, I observed spots which
I had never seen before. They did not look like water. I put my finger
down to them, and tasted them, and they tasted like acid. When I got
into his back private room, I found the same kind of spots there. They
were still wet. I then went down and got out, as I went in, by the
window. I told my wife about these things.
I noticed that the Cochituate water was running all the week. I
noticed this, as Dr. Webster had previously said, that he did not wish
the water to run, as it spattered his floor; besides, the noise annoyed
him. I never knew the water to be kept running before this time, except
in order to draw it off.
I did not see Dr. Webster again, that day, nor on Thursday, the next,
which was Thanksgiving-day.
Thursday, I tried to get some grat-vines, and a box which had
stood outside of the laboratory-door, into the laboratory. There was a
bunch of grape-vines, an empty box, and a bag of tan, which had lain
there, outside of the Doctor's door, since Monday. I cannot say, how-
ever, how long the tan had been there. I am pretty sure that I saw it,
Monday. But that, and not the rest of the .things, might have been
taken in by the Doctor, Tuesday. I had tried to get these things into
the laboratory, a number of times.
(I was mistaken, when I stated before the coroner's jury, that I got
the order on. Mr. Foster, for the turkey, on Tuesday: the day was
Wednesday; and, I went to one of ,the jury, Mr. Merrill, afterwards, and
made the correction.)
Thanksgiving-day, I went down to Mr. Hoppin's wharf, and got a
piece of lime for Dr. Webster, which he asked me for, on Tuesday; he
wanted a lump, " as large as my head." It is nothing unusual for him
to have it. I have procured it for him every winter.
At this stage of the proceedings, it being two o'clock, P. M., the
LCourt adjourned till three and a half o'clock. ,
Afternoon Sitting.-Friday, March 22d.
The Court came in at half-past three, and the trial proceeded.
Ephraim Littlefield,-Direct examination resumed. I was in the
-cellar, in the forenoon of Thanksgiving-day, Thursday, for the pur-
pose of getting the grape-vines out of the cellar, as the children had
picked them off and scattered them all over the house. In the after-
noon, I went to work to dig a hole through the walls under Dr. Web-
ster's privy. I should think that I began, about three o'clock. I wanted
to get under there, to see if anything was there, and to satisfy myself
and the public: because, whenever I went out of the College, some one
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