|
190 TRIAL OF JOHN W. WEBSTER.
ance of Dr. Parkman. He states the circumstances by which he recol-
lects with accuracy the time of this occurrence,-the most material of
which is what occurred between himself and his wife, when he returned
to his home in the evening of the following day. She told him that two
men had been there inquiring for Dr. George Parkman, who was miss-
ing from the city; to which he replied, that he thought he could not
be far away, as he saw him in Court street the afternoon preceding. Mr.
Wentworth, moreover, states other facts, which you will remember,
of his going to Haymarket Square and to Quincy Market, on particular
business; which cannot but convince you that he is not mistaken in his
recollection or in his statements of the day, or of the hour of the day,
when he met Dr. Parkman.
It is true that Mr. Russell, who is called and examined by the Gov-
ernment, does not recollect the time as it is remembered by Mr. Went-
worth. Indeed, he seems to have no recollection whatever upon this
subject, other than that such a meeting did, at some time, take place.
He thinks, to be sure, that, if it was upon the occasion stated by Mr.
Wentworth, the disappearance of Dr. Parkman, so shortly afterwards,
and the great inquiry which was instituted respecting him, would have
brought this occurrence distinctly to his recollection. But when he
states, as he does, that he cannot tell whether it was one day or three
months before that time, it is plain that all knowledge of time has
faded from his recollection; and that no other trace remains but the fact
that Dr. Parkman was met and observed by them, just as is stated by
Wentworth.
There is nothing remarkable in this. The same event makes, upon
different individuals who observe it, different degrees of impression.
We are all engaged in many occupations, and are conversant with
many individuals. Crowds pass us in the street. We recognize our
friends and our acquaintances, as we meet; but, unless there be some-
thing to fix our attention, these casual notices pass away from our recol-
lection, and are so completely forgotten as to be to us no more than if
they had never existed. I might appeal to your own experience. I
m4ght ask you if you could now, separated as you have been
for many days from your families, your business, and your
acquaintances, recall to your memories anything like the prob-
able number of persons whom you met or conversed with on
the day next before you came to take your places in this important
trial. But surely it cannot be necessary to argue, that the forgetfulness
of Mr. Russell is no impeachment of the recollection or of the veracity
of Mr. Wentworth; or that, because the one has forgotten what to hint
was a casual and unimportant event, it should not be treasured up in
the memory of the other. Mr. Wentworth is an unimpeached and unim-
peachable witness, and his uncontradicted testimony should be held
sufficient to establish a fact, the existence of which he states with
undoubting confidence.
I come next to the testimony of Mr. Cleland, of Chelsea, a gentle-
man of intelligence, and of most respectable position in society. On
the morning of Friday, the 23d of November, as a member and one of
the officers of a religious society in that town, he came to this city, to
make arrangements to secure the services of a clergyman at his church
on the ensuing Sabbath. Not having succeeded in his object during
the morning, he went in the afternoon to call upon Rev. Mr. Wildes,
in Franklin street. He returned through Washington street; and he
testifies that on his return, between the head of Franklin and Milk
streets, he met Dr. Parkman, at a time which could vary but little, if
at all, from twenty minutes after three o'clock. He saw him under
circumstances which particularly attracted his attention. He appeared
to be walking with a laboring man, in his common working-dress; and
Mr. Cleland says that the contrast immediately occurred to his mind,-
Here is Dr. Parkman, a man of wealth and affluence and high personal
|
