The Parkman murder : trial of Prof. John W. Webster, for the murder of Dr. George Parkman, November 23, 1849 : before the Supreme Judicial Court, in the City of Boston with numerious accurate illustrations.
- John White Webster
- Date:
- 1850
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The Parkman murder : trial of Prof. John W. Webster, for the murder of Dr. George Parkman, November 23, 1849 : before the Supreme Judicial Court, in the City of Boston with numerious accurate illustrations. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
20/128 page 12
![IS After talving oat atout hslf the contents of the furnace, I found some charred substances sticking to the jam bacli of the furnace, which I brolie off. At quarter past 2 the Court adjourned til! half past 3. AFTER?JOON SESSION. Tn« Court came in at half-past 3 o'cyocfc. JABEZ PRATT, Coroner, resumed. In addition to the part I discovered sticking to the jam inside Ihe grate, tliere was a piece of artiiicial jaw, and cne or two manfactured and fiUed teeth; found tlie jaw and teeth near tlie bottom of tbe grate; the jaw was in one piece. Tlie blocJt of teeth was half vray from tlie top of the aslies to the bouom of the grate; several teeth v/ere found distinct from the jaw. I gave directions for the contents of the fur- race to be given to the medical men and chemists. I sent for Dr. Jelferson Wyman of Cambridge, on Sunday, at the request of one of the medical gen- Hsmen present with the jury. The remains of the body were pat into the privy oa Friday night for safe keeping. I took the bones from the grate on Saturday. The medical gentleman were there on Saturday afternoon. 1 have in my custody a tin box, said to have been made by Mf Waterman for Prof. Webster. I had a note from S. D. Parker, Esq., stating that a box ordered by the Professor was at Waterman's shop. I went and got it m com- pany with Mr Parker. [The tin box was hei-e shown. It has been at various times fully describ ed in the history of this basiness.y Cross-examined by SOK3ER. I do not pretend to judge of the contents of the furnace, but am sure there were some bones. Tlie portion which waa attached to the back of the grate I examined before I knocked it off. There appeared to be some sin- gle mineral teeth in the furnace. Dr. WIN'SLOW LEWIS, Jr. called a^id awom. I was one of the physicians called to the Medical College; was called on Saturday; Dr. Martin Gay end Dr. C. T. Jaclcson met with me; Coroner Pratt requested my presence; I went about 3 o'clock.— Dr. George H. Gay, Dr. Stone and Dr. Wyman were elso present. Drs. Martin Gay and C. T. .Jackson took charge of the bones and teeth. Doctors Gay, Stone, and myself prepared a report of what we had particularly mspected. We rendered that report to the Coroner's Jury. The report was reduced to ■writing. [This report, drawn up and signed by Drs. Wins- cw Lewis, Jr., J. W. Stone, and George H. Gay, was here read to the Court and Jury by Mr Bemis. ft was very minute in detail, and comprehensive of medical and anatomical phrases, which were ex- plained to the comprehension of the jury by Dr. Lewis, who in this way followed the reading of the report with a running commentary. It is doubtless a very able report, as it is very lengthy. It proved that the remains found in difi'erent parts of Professor Webster's premises constituted an individual body Bauscular and devoid of fat, advanced in life. The left thigh had a string tied around it, just above the kjiee joint. The measurement of the limbs was made with great precision, maliing, with the com- jMSi'Etive length of the missing parts (the head and f?'et) the total length of the subject 5 feet 10 1-2 ia- ctlfes. This was the height of Dr. Perkman.] Dr. Lewis was then examined at considerable Itsngth by Messrs. Clifford and Bemis. I knew Dr. Parkman, and saw nothing in the appearance of the limbs and body submitted for examination dissimi- lar from what I should expect te find in the body of Dr. P. It bore no indication of being a subject for dissection,. The remains were doubtless one and the same body. A block of mfneraT feetn atjout g inches long was handed to me, which I subsequently gave to Dr. Keep, a dentist. He afterwards return- ed them to me, and I placed them in care of the Coroner, Cross-examined by Sehier. I have been acquain- ted with Dr. Pa]-kman about 20 years. If I had not been told Dr. Parkman was missing, should not have thought it was his bedy. There were no peculiar marks about the body. We can get very near the height of a body by comparison, as in this inatancej I should shink within half an inch. The opening in the chest I think was a stab. It had been affected by some chemical agency. The aperture was on the left side. The flesh was very soft from the action of this chemical agency. Can- not tell whether the aperture or wound was made before or after death. We discovered no marks up- on the ribs; might say a person of similar frame would contain 2 gallons of blood; very little bloott is found in subjecjs for dissection; I saw the furnace;, cannot tell with any accuracy how long it would take to consume by the action of fire the parts of the body missjng. I think the remains were those of s man about .66 years old; it might vary ten years. The lower limbs showed great muscular develop- ment. Dr Keep examined the teeth, returned iheia to me, and I gave them in care of the Coroner. By Mr CLIFFORD. From the wound in the side- he would have bled internally, into the cavity of the chest. DR. J. W. STONE, called and sworn. Signed the report with Drs. Lewis and Gay. The remains- exhibited an unusual quantity of hair on the backj the lower limbs exh-ibited great nmscular develop ments; on one side of the trunk, the hair had ap- paiently been burned; we say in the report that he was between 50 and 60 years of age. I knew Dr» Parkman; have known him five or six years. Saw nothing in the remains by which 1 would suppose is might not have been Dr. Parkman. The natural conclusion was, that the person who cut up the body knew somethang of anatomical science; the breast bone was removed, and the joints separated, as a surgeon wouki do it. The body had no appearance of having been prepared for dissection. Cross examined by Sohier. There was no ap- pearance of a stab when we examined the body the fast day. The next day I heard there was such an appearance, but 1 did not see it. There were marks of fire upon some parts of the body. By Mr Clifford. The membrane was perforated in some places between the ribs; there -jvas no mark of a knife on the ribs. DR. GEORGE H. GAY, called and sworn. I am one of the physicians who signed the rep.art. I agree now with its statements; the manner in which th& body v/as separated exhibited some anatomical knowledge; the separation of the head from the trunk was done by sawing; it is difficult to separate the thigh from the hip; in tliis iustarice, no jiroficienS anatomical knowledge was displayed, but a certain degree. I saw the ai)erture in the side while an oiiicer was moving the body; had not noticed it be- fore; I examined it, and thouglit it was made by & stick in the hands of the oflicer. Cross examined by Sohier. I had the impression that the opening was made by a stick wiili whicll the police oUicer was moving the trunk; I merely looked into the opening; saw no indicaiions that a knife had been used. Dr. WOODBRIDGE STRONG, called and ex- amined. This witness was called as an anatomist and examined in relation to the action of fire upon human flesh. A pirate who had been hanged waa given me to dissect, by the United States Marshal; he was a large man, with a good deal of fat; I kin- dled a large fire, and laid the flesh and muscles upon it; 1 set up ail night, kept up a roaring fire, but did not succed in getting rid of the flesh; a large portion was left in the morning. It is a very diJlicult matter to burn flesh. Pitch pine is perhaps the best kii-Kj](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21083617_0020.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
