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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    Bemis, Esq., appeared for the Commonwealth; and Hon. Pliny Merrick, and Edward D. Soiiier, Esq., for the pris- oner. The prisoner having been placed at the bar, the clerk. George C. Wilde, Esq., called over the list of traverse jurors summoned for the term, sixty in number, all but four of whom were in attendance, and answered to their names. The Court then proceeded to hear the excuses of those who had any to offer, and fifteen were excused on account of age, ill health, enrollment in the militia, &c. The calling of the list having been completed, the Attor- ney General arose, and submitted the following motion : May it please Your Honors, The Grand Jury for the County of Suffolk, at the last January term of the Municipal Court, found and returned an indictment against John 'W. Webster, for the murder of George Parkman. That indictment has been duly certified into this court. The prisoner, at a former day, was arraign- ed thereon, and pleaded Not Guilty. Counsel was assigned him to aid him in his defence, and this day was appointed for his trial. The prisoner and his counsel are present in court; and I now move Your Honors, that a jury be empan- elled to try the issue. The Court having directed the clerk to proceed with that duty, Mr. Wilde addressed the prisoner : John W. Webster. —You are now set to the bar to be tried; and these good men whom I shall call, are to pass be- tween the Commonwealth and you, upon your trial. If you would object to any of them, you will do so as they are call- ed, and before they are sworn. You have a right to chal- lenge twenty of the jurors peremptorily, and as many more as you have good cause for challenging. He then called the name of the first juror on the list. Mr. Sohier, for the defence, moved that the statute ques- tions, in regard to certain disqualifications of the jurors, be put to them before the prisoner should be called upon to ex- ercise his right of challenge. By the Chief Justice. The usual course is to be pursued. We have uniformly held, since the adoption of the Revised Statutes, that, on motion of counsel on either side, the Court would put the usual interrogatories to the jurors, to ascertain if they had formed or expressed any opinion ; and also, whether they have conscientious scruples, or such opinions 1*