|
TRIAL OF JOHN W. WEBSTER. ! l
had no chance to take his keys. Some one said, " Force the door."
Either Mr. Starkweather, or Mr. Trenholm, went round with me, through
the cellar, and up, the stairs, and helped break the door open.
When Mr. Tukey and I went into ,the laboratory, to the furnace„
previous to this, we had gone in by the laboratory-stairs door, which
had been left open, for the first time, by Dr. Webster, that afternoon.
When I went round with Mr. Trenholm, or Starkweather, I went that
same way,-what used to be, the common way.
When I got into the back room, they wanted to go into the other
private room, where the valuables were kept. I told them that I never
had had a key of it; and Dr. Webster made the same answer as to the
key, that he did in relation to the other door. I was asked, Where the
key of the privy was? and I told them "That they must ask Dr. Webster;
as I never saw the inside of it, in my life." Dr. Webster said, "There the
key hangs, upon the nail." Mr. Starkweather handed the key down to
me. Mr. Trenholm said, " Let me have it;" and he tried it, with no
better luck. I then went up, and told Dr. Webster, " This is not the
key; it don't fit." "Let me see it," said Dr. 'Webster. I did; and he
said, " This is the key of my wardrobe; but the other is up there, some-
where." They hunted round -for it, but could not find it; and then I
understood Dr. Webster to say, that he did not know where it was.
The privy-door was broken open. I was hunting round for a hatchet,
when the door from the back private room to the little room, was about.
to be broken open. I could not find the hatchet in the place where it
usually hung, and asked the Doctor where it was. He said that it was
down in the laboratory, in the sink; upon the floor of the sink. I went
down and found it, and brought it up. The hatchet was a shingle-
hatchet, and had a ring in the handle. I found it where Dr. Webster
told me it was. There was another hatchet found in Dr. Webster's
drawers, in his little private room. As one of the officers was undoing
it, Dr. Webster said, that it was new, and never had been taken out
of the paper. We went down stairs, and broke open the privy. T can't
say whether Dr. Webster was down there, or not, at that time.
When he got down into the laboratory, he asked for water. I got
a tumbler, and handed some to him. When hp took the tumbler in
his hand, he trembled, and snapped at it, as a ad dog would; he did
not drink any. One of the officers took hold o-, the tumbler, and held
it to his lips. He got some water into his mouth, but it appeared to
choke him.
Some one asked, "Where that furnace was, where the bones were? "
The inquiry was put to me; I don't know who put it.-I went to the
furnace, and uncovered it, taking off all the minerals which were upon
the cover. I put my hand in, and took out a piece of bone, which
appeared to be the socket of some joint. Mr. Pratt was there; some-
body else took out some. Somebody said. " Don't disturb the bones."
Mr. Parker, the County Attorney, and Mr. Gustavus Andrews, the jailer,
were there. I think it was Mr. Pratt, that said, "Don't disturb the
bones."
After this, we went down under the building, and brought the
remains up. Mr. Trenholm, Mr. Clapp, and myself, went down for
them. The party all walked into the front cellar, where the remains
were deposited. Dr. Webster was led in, when the rest of the party came
in, and stood within five or six feet of the remains. I heard Mr. Samuel
D. Parker ask Dr. Gay, " If those were the remains of a human body?"
Dr. Gay said, "lie should think that they were." Dr. Webster appeared
to be very much agitated; sweat very badly, and the tears and sweat
ran down his cheeks, as fast as they could drop. The party then went
off.
Mr. Adams, Mr. Fuller, Mr. Rice, and Mr. Trenholm, were left in
charge of the College, that night. I think, that there were four officers.
I received six lecture-tickets from Dr. Webster, and sold three, at
$15 each., The money for Ridgeway's ticket, I paid over, on Saturday-
|
