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'statements made by him that he was in great pecuniary distress, and that
an oflicer of the law
was about to distraan his furniture. Dr. Parkman was a man of strict
principles, and he thought
that all other people possessed, or should possess, the same sentiments and
feelings a§ himself'. If
he was deceived he was harsh, and pursued his debtors who were dilatory or
delinquent with
peculiar tenacity and vehemence. In this relation Professor Webster stood
to Dr. P., and the
Doctor pursued him with relentless fury as a dishonest man.
It would be proved by the Government that Dr. Parkman had openly threatened
to institute
legal proceedings against him for his dishonesty ; that on the 12th of
November, 1849, Parkman
had called on Mr. Petty, Professor Webster's agent, for the sale of tickets
to the lectures deliv-
ered by the Professor at the Medical College, and asked him the amount of
money received by
him as proceeds of his sales ; and at a subsequent period had again called
and asked the same
question of Mr. Petty a second time, declaring his intention of trusteeing
him for the amount
then in his possession. This threat, it would be shown, had been
communicated to Prof. W. by
Petty, on the morning of the 23d of Nov. It would be shown in the evidence,
that Prof. W. had
called at the residence' of Dr. Parkman, in Walnut st., and appointed to
meet Dr. P: at the Me-
dical College on that day, and at the hour when the missing man was last
seen.
It was not known at the time by the family of Dr. P. that it was Prof.
Webster himself who
called that morning to make the appointment, but the Government had
witnesses who would
conclusively prove that such was the fact. It would be shown by the
Government testimony,
that on the Saturday and Sunday immediately succeeding the 23d 1V ovember;
that Prof. W. was,
contrary to his custom, in his Laboratory, and that during that time and
several days thereaftcr,
several doors in the building, which were usually unfastened and open, were
shut and fastened
On the Saturday after the disappearance of Dr. Parkman, Petty, Webster's
agent, had given to
Prof. W. the proceeds of the sales of tickets to the lectures, amounting to
ninety dollars, and had
at that time reminded the Professor of the threat made by Dr. P. to trustee
the amount of sales
in his (the agent's) hands, to which the professor had replied, `° You will
have no more trouble
with Dr. Parkman, for I have settled with him."
Mr. Clifford spoke for two hours and a quarter, but owing to the distance
of the reporter's
desk from the bar, many of his remarks escaped our ear.
Mr. Clifford now moved to introduce testimony in behalf of the government.
Examination of Witnesses.
CHARLL'S M. KINGSLEY called-I have been the agent of Dr. Parkman since
April or May,1836 ;
I was accustomed to see him once.a-day at least, and often more than that ;
Dr. P. owns consid-
erable property near the College; I reside in Blossom street ; the doctor
has an estate near my
residence ; I used to call at his house, and he would sometimes call at
mime ; on the afternoon of
his disappearance; I wished .to see him, and called at his house in Walnut
street before 3 o'clock,
and was told he had not been home to dinner ; his usual hour was half-past
two o'clock; he was
usually very punctual in his arrangements.
I left word where I could be found that afternoon; heard nothing from him
in the afternoon,
and went to his house early the next morning, and learned that he had not
been at home during
the night ; I was told that he had an engagement to meet a person at half
past one o'clock on the
preceding day ; at once began to seek with whom this engagement was made; I
traced the Dr
to Washington st, thence into Exchange and State sts. to Court st., and
back to State st. ; thence
into Lynde st., Vine and Blossom sts., to Court square; from thence out
into Cornhill square,
near Joy's Buildings; thende into Water and Devonshire and in this latter
place I Learned from
the boy that Dr. P. had been there the day before at about half past 1
o'clock, and purchased let-
tuce there, but had not carried it away; I afterwards traced the Dr. to
Grove st., and to the
Medical College.
I continued my search until the middle of Saturday night; on Saturday
afternoon the first
reward was offered through the presses; in what papers it wa%pffered I
don't recollect; after-
wards, on'Saturday, got hold of a story that he had been seen iri East
Cambridge, at the Registry
of Deeds ; did not go until I had examined the houses belonging to the
Doctor on the jail lands;
went the neat day to East Cambridge, where I remained until 11 o'clock, A.
M. ; I neat returned
to Boston, and went to the College with Constable Starkweather; we went all
over the building
and. dissecting-room, and looked into the large vault for, the reception of
the offal from the dis-
secting-rooms ; we did not go to the cellars; we went into Prof. Webster's
room; it was then a
quarter or half past 11 o'clock; we found the room door locked.
Here the Court adjourned until half past three o'clock, P. M.
- Afte•'noon Session.
The Court entered and recommenced proceedings.
Continuation of the examination of Mr. Kingsley.-I was accompanied to the
Medical College
is company with officer Starkweather and Mr. Littlefield ; we had knocked
once without gaining
admittance, and Mr. Starkweather had just turned to go down stairs, when
Littlefield said that
the Professor was in, and that we, could gain admittance; Prof. W. soon
came to the door, bat
did not pay much attention or speak to us; we entered and went through his
rooms, and then
went down stairs; on the following day I again went to the College in
company with officers
Clapp, Rice and Fuller; we went into Littlefield's apartments and searched
every room, also his
coats and pantaloons ; we made quite a thorough search of the apartments
and looked under
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