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9
cessories of clime, as the thought instantaneously flashed on his
logical mind,-what fearful evidences !
It was urged by the prosecution that the remains were found in
Dr. Webster's custody; but was not Littlefield keeper of the prem-
ises ? It was urged that Dr. Webster had had a week to consum-
mate his bloody work ; but who was the most in the building and
haunting the-laboratory passages with singular fascination ? It was
urged that Dr. Webster was constantly making pointed en-
quiries as to the disappearance ; was not Littlefield doing the same
thing ; was not the latter fretted and irritated from his own account
by the questions hourly put him on the subject; was he not found
an hour or two after his Sunday interview with Dr. Webster, talk-
ing of the disappearance to the toll man and some bystanders at the
bridge office, and carefully repeating the admission Prof. Webster
had made as to the interview ? It was urged that Dr. Webster went
into hysterics one evening ; was not Littlefield in a round of suspi-
cious excitement, curiously associated with merry-makings, for a
whole week? It was urged that Webster, on his trial, was anxious
and troubled in physiognomy ; was that worse than the flippant
oratorical manner of Littlefield, who was on the stand swearing away
the life of a seven-year employer, solicitous to inform the jury that
Webster had never given him a cent-worth gratuity, (although
it was well known that Webster's generosity was prejudicial to his
interest,) and endeavoring to be humorous ?
Remember in all these statements we are pursuing an hypothesis,
which we have a right to do in pursuance of the rule of law, which
was acknowledged by the Judge and the Attorney-General, but
strangely disregarded, that the matters of circumstantial evidence
must approach direct testimony and lead to no other rational hy-
pothesis than the guilt of the accused.
Much stress has been laid upon the conduct of Dr. Webster. We
consider that his conduct offers, from first to last, striking evidence
in his favor.
He is at home on the fatal Friday, by bi-, domestic board, calm
and easy. He mingles in the social amenities of life, (pleasanter
than which exist in few places out of Cambridge,) with his usual
hilarity. He retires to his couch-breakfasts with his family-is
absent a few hours before his dinner-returns at one o'clock to dinner
-remains at home the entire afternoon-reads from a book to his
family in the evening-attends the college chapel in the morning-
remarks to his household that he must go ;to Boston and visit Dr.
Parkman's family, because he has observed enquiries after the icn-
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