Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

Hide Articles List

9 articles on this Page

-,--- -----_-----------.___.---PROFESSOR…

News
Cite
Share

PROFESSOR WEBSTER'S CONFESSION OF THE MURDER OF DR. PARKMAN. Professor Webster has addressed a letter to the Governor and Council of Massachusetts, confessing that Dr. Parkman was killed by his hand, but that it was not a murder, and praying that the sentence may be commuted. The following is his account of the last interview with Dr. Parkman and the murder I was engaged in removing some glasses from my lecture- room table into the room in the rear, called the upper laboratory, when he came rapidly down the step and followed me into the laboratory he immediately addressed me with great energy, I Are you ready for me, sir? Have you got the money?' I replied, I No. Dr. Parkman,' and was then beginning to state my condition and my appeal to him, but he would not listen to me, and interrupted me with much vehemence; be called me scoundrel and liar, and went on heaping on the most bitter taunts and opprobrious epithets. While he was speaking, he drew a handful of papers from his pocket, and took from among them my two notes, and also an old letter from Dr. Hosack, written many years ago, and congratulating him on his success in getting me ap- pointed Professor of Chemistry—' You see,' he said I I got you into your office, and now I will get you out of it.' He put back into his pocket all the papers except the letter and the notes. I cannot tell how long the torrent of threats and invectives continued, and L cannot recall to memory but a small portion of what he said, At first I kept interposing, trying to pacify him, so that I might obtain the object for which I sought the interview; but I could not stop him, and soon my own temper was up. I forgot everything, and felt nothing but the sting of his words. I was excited to the highest degree of passion, and while he was speaking and gesticulating in the most violent and menacing' manner, thrusting his letter and his fist into my face, in my fury I seized whatever thing was handiest, (it was a stick of wood,) and dealt him an instantaneous blow with all the force that passion could give it. I did not know, or think, or care, where I should hit him, nor how hard, nor what the effect would be; it was on the side of his head, and there was nothing to break the force of the blow he foil instantly upon, the pavement; there was lio second blow; I stooped down over him, and he seemed to be lifeless blood flowed from his mouth, and I got a sponge and wiped it away I got some ammonia and applied it to his nose, but without effect; perhaps I spent ten minutes in attempts to resuscitate him, but I found he was absolutely dead. In my horror and consternation I rail instinctively to the doors and bolted them ••—the doors of the lecture-room and of the laboratory below —and then what was I do ? It never occurred to me to go out and declare what had been done, and obtain assistance; I saw nothing but the alternative of a successful movement, and concealment of the body, on the one hand, and of in- famy and perdition on the other. The first thing I did as soon as I could do anything, was to draw the body into the private room adjoining there I took off the clothes end began putting them into the fire, which was burning in the upper laboratory they were all consumed there that after- papei-s, pocket-book, and whatever they contained I did not examine the pockets, nor remove anything except the watch I saw that, or the chain of it hanging Out; I took it and threw it over the bridge as I went to Cambridge my next move was to get the body into the sink which stands in the small private room, by setting the body partially erect against the corner, and by getting up into the sink myself, I succeeded in drawing it up there; it was entirely dismem- L' bered; it was quickly done as a work of terrible and des- perate necessity; the only instrument was the knife, found by the officers in the tea-chest, which I kept for cutting corks. I made no use of the Turkish knife,as it was called at the trial; that had long been kept on my mantle-piece in Cambridge, as a curious ornament. My daughters frequently cleaned it, hence the marks of oil and whiting found on it. I had lately brought it into Boston to get the silver sheath repaired. While dismembering the body a stream of Cochituate water was running through the sink, carrying off the blood in a pipe that passed down the lower laboratory,—there must have been a leak in the pipe, for the ceiling below was stained immediately around it. There was a fire burning in the furnace of the lower laboratory. Littlefield was mistaken in thinking there never had been a fire there. He had pro- bably never kindled one, but f had done it myself several times. I had done it that day for the purpose of making oxygen gas. The head and the viscera were put into that furnace that day, and the fuel heaped on. I did not examine at night to see to what degree they were consumed. Some of the extremities were put in there, I believe, on that dey. The pelvis, and some of the limbs, perhaps, were all put under the lid of the lecture room table, in what is called the Well—a deep sink lined with lead. A stream of cochituate was turned into it, and kept running through it all night. The thorax was put into a similar well in the laboratory, which I filled with water, and threw in a quantity of potash, which I found there. This disposition of the remains was not changed till after the visit of the officers on Monday. "I When the body had been thus all disposed of, I cleared away all traces of what had been done. I think the stick with which the fatal blow had been struck, proved to be the stump of a large vine—say two inches in diameter, and two feet long. It was one of several pieces which I carried in from Cambridge long before for the purpose of showing the effect of certain chemical fluids in colouring wood, by being absorbed into the pores. The grape vine, being a very porous wood, was well adapted to this purpose. Another longer stick had been used as intended, and exhibited to the students this one had not been used; I put it into the lire. I took up the two notes either from the table or the floor, I think the table, close by where Dr. Parkman had fallen. I seized an old metallic pen lying on the table, and dashed it across the face and through the signatures, and put them in ray pocket. I do not kuosv why I did this rather than put them in the fire, for I had not considered for a moment what effect either mode of disposing of them would have on the mortgage or my indebtedness to Dr. Parkman and the other persons interested, and I had not yet given a single thought to the question as to what account I should give of the ob- ject or tie of my interview with Dr. Parkman. I never saw the sledge hammer spoken of by Little field, never knew of its existence, at least I have no recollection of it. The doctor admits that he took a dose of strychine after he Was apprehended.

[No title]

Advertising

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRINCIPALITY.

SIlt B. HALL AND ROBYN DDU.

TO THE EDITOR Of THE PRINCIPALITY.

GORHAM v. THE BISHOP OF EXETER.

COMPANY OF COPPER MINERS IN…

[No title]