Dr. James W. Stone. Report of the Trial of
Professor John W. Webster ...
, 1850
,
Image No: 27
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Dr. James W. Stone. Report of the Trial of
Professor John W. Webster ...
, 1850
,
Image No: 27
   Enlarge and print image (57K)           << PREVIOUS  NEXT >>
18 thread or twist, as will be testified to you by a competent person, $n expert in that line. And that around the thigh-bone is a piece of the same description of twine and marline, and upon the exhibition of the two pieces of twine-upon the exhibition of these same pieces which were found-you will be called upon to state whether they are alike. Then I have adverted, also, to something which will come now before you, in connection with the deportment of the prisoner-to the fact that his rooms were searched. The evidence will show you that his rooms, or some of them, were passed through by some of the police officers as early as Monday; that on Tuesday, Mr. Kingsley, the agent of Dr. Parkman, whose mind had become impressed with the conviction that he never came out of the Medical College, went there, to the Medical College, with the police, and that they went through the rooms of Dr. Webster, Mr. Kingsley being present with the officers; that at that time, on Tuesday, the officers, in company with Mr. Kingsley, the agent of Dr. Parkman, the man who had been engaged in the transaction of his business for several years, and who felt great interest in this search, went through these rooms. The conduct of the prisoner, at that time, will be shown; the fact that the officers suffered themselves to be called off from the privy; that the officers, when asking about that, and when replied to by Mr. Littlefield, that it was the private privy of Dr. Webster, who has the key, were led off by Dr.' Webster to another room, they not having any suspicion of Dr. Webster, and most reluctant to believe anything against him; that there was a fire in the furnace at that time ; that during that search, the tea-chest, in which these remains were found imbedded in tan, was seen by Mr. Kingsley, which you will consider a very material fact, when you weigh all the circumstances. Then, Gentlemen, it will appear to you in evidence, that on Mon- day, Dr. Webster gave directions to the express man, who had always been in the habit of going in with entire freedom-that he gave him directions, on Monday morning, to bring certain things from Cambridge, which he did bring on that day, certain fagots and boxes, and told him to leave them outside ; that on Wednesday he carried other things there, and went to Mr. Littlefield's apartments ; that Dr. Webster usually kept the key; that the key was gone, and he had then to leave his things outside. Then it will appear, in the course of that week, Dr. Webster was extremely anxious to have it appear, in his conversations with various persons, that Dr. Parkman had been seen going over to Cambridge, after he was said by him to have been at the Medical College. His manner was striking, and. the circumstances under which he displayed it were peculiar. You will probably give a great deal of significance to this. We shall show that he went so far as to urge upon one lady the declaration that she saw Dr. Parkman on the afternoon of Fri- day, she believing that, if she saw him at all, she saw him on Thurs- day; that Dr. Webster went to her and asked her whether she was certain, and related certain circumstances which will have an effect in determining your minds with respect to the sincerity of Dr. Webster. On the same day, he went to a mechanic in this city, and having ordered a stout tin box, made declarations of Dr. Parkman's having been seen in Cambridge; and he also went on, in the same interview,