Report of the case of John W. Webster, indicted for the murder of George Parkman, before the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts : including the hearing on the petition for a writ of error, the prisoner's confessional statements and application for a commutation of sentence, and an appendix containing several interesting matters never before published / by George Bemis.

  • Webster, John White, 1793-1850.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the case of John W. Webster, indicted for the murder of George Parkman, before the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts : including the hearing on the petition for a writ of error, the prisoner's confessional statements and application for a commutation of sentence, and an appendix containing several interesting matters never before published / by George Bemis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    fession, thirty years, in this city ; now live, adjoining the resi- dence of Dr. Winslow Lewis, Jr. I have given attention, both to artificial and natural teeth. I knew the late Dr. George Parkman. I became acquaint- ed with him, as early as 1825, when I was a student of medi- cine with Dr. John Randall. Dr. Parkman was sick at that time, and was attended by Dr. Randall, and I afterwards call- ed at his house, myself. Our acquaintance began from that period; and since 1825, he had employed me as his family- dentist, and called on me, himself, whenever he needed any assistance or advice in the care of his teeth. Some mineral teeth were shown to me, by Dr. Lewis, on Monday, December 3d, on my return to Boston from Spring- field. I recognized them, as the teeth which I had made for Dr. Parkman, in 1846. [The blocks of teeth taken from the furnace, were here exhibited to the witness.] These blocks, now shown to me, are the same which I then recog- nized as having made for Dr. Parkman. Dr. Parkman's mouth, was a very peculiar one : so marked, in respect to its shape, and the relation of the upper and lower jaws, that the impression of it on my mind was very distinct. I remember the peculiarities of the lower jaw, with great ex- actness. The circumstances connected with the ordering of these artificial teeth by Dr. Parkman, were somewhat peculiar. [Mr. Sohier objected to the witness's detailing these cir- cumstances. But the Court thought the statement of them admissible, so far as they went to explain the witness's means of identification.] When Dr. Parkman ordered the teeth, he inquired how long it would take to prepare them ; and, upon my asking his reason for the inquiry, he replied, that the Medical College, (which was then building,) was going to be opened with some inaugural ceremonies, on a given day ; and as he was expected to be there, and should perhaps have to make a speech, he wished to have the set finished by that time, or he did not wish to have them at all. The interval named, was rather a short one ; but I undertook to fulfil the order. The peculiarities of the mouth made it a very difficult case, requiring the exercise of as much skill and care as could be bestowed upon it. I began the undertaking as soon as pos- sible ; gave a large part of my time to it; saw the work fre- quently, while in progress, under the care of my assistant ; and, from the circumstances attending the expedition neces- sarily used, I remember, very distinctly, the particulars of completing the set; more, than in ordinary cases.