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.
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![i ng. Was told that Dr. Lewis wished to see me. At that time Dr. Lewis presented to me the portions of mineral teeth now in my hands, saying he was requested to bring them to me for examination. On looking at them, I recognized them as portions of the same teeth I made for Dr. Farkman. The most perfect portion remaining was the block belonging to the left side of the lower jaw. The shape and outlines of them were recognized as the same which I remembered as laboring on so long. Several of the other portions were very much injured by expo- sure to fire. I looked for the model from which those teeth were made. On comparing the left lower block with the model, the resemblance was very striking. [The witness appeared much affect- ed at this point of the testimony. He then went on to point out the positions of the several teeth in his hands, to the different blocks, and described some of the injuries to them. Among the remains were found five portions of blocks, the places of which were identified by me, and one piece, which was not identified. [The moulds and teeth were now exhibited to the jury and the court, and the points of resemblance with the places where the teeth belonged were pointed out.] Among the portion of the mineral teeth, are found some minute portions of gold. The gold found is what is called cancellated. The last time the doctor called upon me, I saw his teeth as he conversed. The presumption is, from the apjjcar- ance of the teeth, that when burnt, they were in the head, or muitled. If thrown into the fire without being muffled, they would have been exploded into a multitude of pieces, especially after the teeth had been warm. With these teeth were found portions of the jaw. My assistant in making these teeth was Mr Noble, now attending his studies in the Balti- more college. Cross examined by Mr Sohier. The particular circumstances of makinff these teeth have seldom been out of my mind: whenever I saw Dr Parkman I thought of them. I do not think I have taken any pains to recollect the matter. The first thing I thought of when seeing the teeth brought to me by Dr Lewis, was that they were those I made for Dr Parkman. The name of Dr P. on the mould was put on at the time of making them. The mould was preserved in case of necessity for future use. Dr P. had previously had a smaller block of teeth. This was just previous to his going to Europe. I heard of the disappearance of Dr Parkman either on Fri- day or Saturday night, when it was advertised in the papers. This was before I went into the coun- try. Dr Parkman had no separate or single teeth to wear after the block made for him. In answer to a question by the Government, the witness pointed out where the natural teeth re- maining in the jaws were situated. One of the roots of the natural teeth adhering to the block of min- eral teetli, was broken off while before the Grand Jury. When handed to me by Dr Lewis, there were three blocks together—two lower back blocks and one upper; one of them has since been separa- from the others. Dr LESTER NOBLE called and sworn. I was formerly an assistant of Dr Keep; was with him from the 11th or 12th Sept. 1846, to the middle of July, last year; am now in the Baltimore College. I recollect workins: upon teeth for Dr Parkman in the autumn of 1846. The writing of the name of Dr Parkman on the mould spoken of, is in my hand, dated Oct. 1846. The teeth were first exhibited to me in their present condition in the presence of the Attorney General and the City Marshal. I remem- ber the teeth fiom their general shape and configur- ation. They struck me at first sight as being those made for Dr Parkman. In looking at them careful- ly saw several peculiarities in making and putting them together, particularly their appearance of hav- ing been ground. I saw Dr Keep grind the teeth of Dr Parkman. They were ground after they had been used. I see as good reason to believe these are the teeth made for Dr Parkman, as I have of any fact. I have not the slighesl doubt they are the same teeth. The promptness required of us in ma- king the teeth, which was characteristic of Dr Parkman, fixes the fact of making them, in ray mind. The occasion was that of the opening of the Medical College. Delay was occasioned by the sj(oiling of one of the blocks, which required me to work nearly all night. They were done just in time for the Doctor to us9 them at the College. I went to the College and sat where I could see how the teeth operated while the Doctor was speak- ing. It being 2 o'clock, the Court now adjourned t half past 3. AFTERNOON SESSION. The Court came in at twenty minutes to four 'clock. Dr NOBLE upon the stand. I havn an impres- sion the opening of the Medical College was in the early part of November, 1846. The time required for the work of making the teeth, was a number of days. I have put blocks of teeth in the fire to try them, and have never found any but what were cracked by the operation. The teeth may gradually be heated and cooled without injury. I coincide with Dr Keep in what he says in relation to the ac- tion of water and fire upon them. At some period subsequent to the finishing of the teeth, Dr Park- man came to the office wifh two of his teeth bent together, by some means. They were repaired by me. Dr JEFFRIES WYMAN, called and sworn. I am Professor of Anatomy in Harvard College; have been a teacher of Anatomy for the last eight years. I flistwent to the Medical College in relation to the subject of remains found, on Saturday, Dec. 2. My attention was called particularly to the portions of bones found in the furnace. I made the first cata- logue of the bones, which is contained in the report made before the Coroner's Inquest. Tiie box now before me, contains the bones there found. On en- tering the room I saw the remains in the posses- sion of Drs Lewis and Gay. The diagram before me, exhibits the bones. [This diagram was exhibi- ted to the jury.] The portions of remams did not appear to have been those of a subject for dissec- tion. The appearance of them indicated a knowl- edge of anatomy by the person who dissected the remains; this was shown in several particulars. My attention was not attracted to the manner of separating the head from the trunk. I coincide with the other medical gentlemen in relation to the parts found. I should judge the person to whom they belonged, must have been some one past the middle period of life. On turning the trunk ov- er, my attention was arrested by the quantity of hair on the back—more than I had ever observed on any body before. This hair was about the mid- dle of the back, on each side of the spine. On the supposition that a blow had been inflicted between tlie sixth and seventh ribs, the flow of blood outwardly would have depended on the depth of the stab. In case of the effusion of the blood outwardly there would have been no difflcnlty in removing the blood. Post mortem examinations may be made on beds without the effusion of any blood upon the bed. Certain spots on the stairway near the bottom were called to my attention, which proved to be to- bacco spittle. [The places of these sjiots were pointed out on the model.] The s])ots higher up on the stairs, I did not ascertain with any certainty. These were said to be nitrate of copper. I did make an experiment on human blood with nitrate of cop- per, at the suggestion of Dr. Jackson. The action of it was not immediate, but in tlie course of a few hours the character of the blood was destroyed, so far as it could be seen by the microscope. Besides this method of destroying blood, there is a chemical means. There was no object on the building on which blood could be recognized. There was brought to me a pair of slippers and a pair of pantaloons oa.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21083617_0023.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
