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TRIAL OF JOHN W. WEBSTER. 101
for the body- of Dr. Parkman. We shall not look for his body, any more;
and you are now in custody, on a charge of the murder of Dr. Parkman."
He articulated half a sentence; I could not understand, exactly, what it
was, and then said, "I wish you would send word to my family." I
recommended to him, to have it postponed, until the morning. I told
him, that it would be a sad night spared to them. He seemed inclined
to talk to me, about the crime which was charged to him, and I said to
him, "Doctor, I think that you had better not talk to me on the subject."
He wished me to notify some of his friends in the city. I told him,
that it would not be necessary to do it, that night, as he could not see
them, if they came, and that he had better let it remain, until morning.
I told him that I wished to see, if he had any articles about him,
improper to carry into the jail. I took from him, or he handed to me,
a gold watch, a wallet, (containing the three memoranda, before pro-
duced,) $2 40 in money, an omnibus-ticket case, and five keys. [Witness
produces the keys; one of which, an iron key, four or five inches long,
and somewhat rusty, had a pasteboard label on it, marked, "Privy."]
The privy-key had the label on it, as at present.
I took all these articles, and tied them up in a handkerchief, and
afterwards carried them to the Marshal's office. There, I locked them
up in my private drawer, of which I had the only key, and did not see
them again, until Sunday, about twelve o'clock.
I left Dr. Webster in the custody of W. Starkweather and Mr. Spurr,
in the back office, while I went into the front room to make out a
mittimus, or commitment. After making out the mittimus, I requested
them not to commit the Doctor, until they heard from me; and, taking
Mr. Spurr with me, told Mr. Starkweather to remain with the Doctor
until I returned. Mr. Spurr and I then left, and went to the Marshal's
office. After locking up the articles there, I went in pursuit of the Mar-
shal. Jailer Andrews was not at the jail, when we left our prisoner
there. We did not find the Marshal, or Mr. S. D. Parker. We then
went down to the College, and found Dr. Webster there, in charge of
two jail-officers. Mr. Parker and the coroner, and others, were there;
there were also several physicians there.
I first saw the party, in the laboratory; they were standing by the
sink, from whence the Cochituate water runs. Dr. Webster was already
down stairs, and there was a great inquiry for the key to the privy.
Mr. Littlefield went and got several, but none would fit. I got the poker,
somebody got something else, and we pried into the door of the privy,
and in so doing, the lock came off.
I did not then know, that I had a key in my possession that would
unlock the privy. On Sunday, I found the key marked "Privy," while
looking at the articles which I had taken from Professor Webster. I
showed it to the Marshal, went .to the College, and found this lock`,
[exhibdting one] on a shelf behind the door. I put the lock on the
privy-door, put in a screw, and then applied the key, and found that it
fitted.
I have some keys, which I got at Dr. Webster's house, on the second
search. [Witness produces them.] They are the keys which fit Dr.
Webster's apartments. The two keys which fit the two front doors
of the College, the upper and lower, were found in a drawer in his
laboratory.
I saw Coroner Pratt in the laboratory, when Dr. Webster was there,
after I got back from Cambridge. I think that the attention of the
County Attorney was called to the bones in the furnace at that time.
At that time, or soon after I went into the laboratory, I found the
Doctor standing, facing the north side of the building, and trembling,
as if in a fit. Some one put a tumbler to his mouth, but he did not
appear to have power to drink. He did not seem to notice any one, or
anything that was said to him. He appeared like a person in a fit of
delirium tremens, or trembling madness, more than anything else that
I can think of.
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