The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-05-02
Very Interesting Statemant of one Of
the Jurors in Webster's Case. ..-Au.
thentic report Of their Proceedings In
the Jury Room.

the Jurors in Webster's Case. ga IL
thentic report Of their Proceedings in
the Jury Room.
BosroN, April 4.
| The following account Of the proceed
ings Of the Jury in Webster's trial, are
very interesting at this junc,ure, and may
be looked upon as semi-oticial:
"Having read in several papers what
purported 10 he a relation of the scenes and
events which transpired in the Jury Room,
on the trial of DR.. John w Webster,
! have felt desirous, now that the subject has
! been brought before the public mind, that
| a plain statement OF the more important
matters connected with the JUICY Room
should be made; as it might prove enter
| tanning if not instructive TO the community.
| The jurv was composed of IL men from as
many different branches of the mechanical
| and mercantile professions. They were
! from 4 different religious denominations,
and their ages varied from % to 90 years.
They were men " HON should designate
as possessing good, sound, common sense
men capable of judging, of discerning, of ap-
preciating evidence and estimating its inn
portance. The Jurors, after they had be-
| come better acquainted with eaca other,
and as the evidence began to bear with
crushing weight upon the prisoner, and the
net work Of complicated circumstances be-
gan 10 encircie him, felt strongly the need
Of that wisdom which cometh from above,
to guide and direct their minds Alright, IN
their most mo,nentous and responsible Sit
uaiion.
IL was then that our worthy foreman,
whom we all most highly respect, and whom
we shall ever remember with pleasure,
proposed to the jury that they should have
religious services every evening. me
proposition was most cheerfully responded
to, aad ever after that time the voice of
praise and prayer daily asrended, as we
trust, ,from sincere hearts, TO the throne ofin-
finite wisdom and mercy. need not say that
the burden Of every prayer was for wisdom
to guide and direct US unto right decision,
and for blessings most rich and precious to
descend upon the prisoner and his afflicted
family. now come to the closing part of
this tnomentous trial When the witnesses
for the defence had given in their testimony,
and the counsel for the prisoner announced
the evidence on their part closed; feeling
of pain and anguish must have come over
the mind of every juror. What! can no
more be said, no more be done in behalf Of
the unhappy prisoner? Isthat the evidence
the only evIdenCe-on Wh,ch-We are 70 base
cur verdict Of not guilty?
At that very time, with the light which
the able charge of the Chief Justice after
wards gave US on several points of the law
and the evidence--think | speak the senti
ments of nearly. if not quite, ali the jury,
when say that they we've, when they re-
tired, as fully prepared for their verdict, AS
they were when they returned from the
jury room. After listening to the most
able and eloquent pleas of the prisoners
senior counsel, and the Attorney General,
so strongly, so fully had the evidence point
ed to the prisoner as the guilty man, and to
no one else. After the jury had gone to the
room, with the various evidences Of gull.
spread out on the table before them, and
the door locked upon them; shut out, as it
were, entirely from the world, with moth
ing but the eye OF the Omniscient God up
on them, so painful was the sense of respon-
sibiity, so unwilling were they to come to
the result which all felt they must come to,
! that so to 40 minutes were spent ere any
| thing was done; when at last the voice Of
the Foreman was heard calling them to or
der, and reminding them of duty, however
painful; and when they had all taken their
seats around the table, then 1t was that one
| of the Jurors rose and said-"Mr. Fore
man, before entering upon the further con-
! sIderation and further decision Of this most
important matter, would propose that we
seek for Divine wisdom and guidance u
| The proposition met with cordial response
and the foreman called upon the Jury to
offer prayer. This was done most feelingly
and sincerely. We then proceeded to the
most trying and painful part Of our arduou:
duty; the various articles which were pu
into the case were examined by the Jury
and particularly those things which seemed
TO bear most strongly against the prisoner
The final decision of the question was re.
solved into three parts:-
Ist Are the remains Of human bod,
found in the Medical College Oh the s0tt
Nov, 1S49, those of the late DR.. George
Parkman!
Cd. Did DR.. George Parkman come tt
his death by the hands Of Prof. John w
Webster in the Medical College on ih,
esd Nov. ls49?
3d. Is Prof John w. Webster guilty
as set forth in the indictment, of the wilfu
; murder Of DR.. George Parkman?
When the vote on the first question wa
put, twelve hands arose Immediately
Some little discussion then took place
when the second question was tested, ant
twelve hands at once arose. The third
the most important Of all, was next to b
tried--guite pause ensued--one Juror, j,
his sympatbies of kindness for the prison
er who was his personal acquaintance an,
, friend, and his afflicted family, shrunk from
the fiery ordeal--"Can't we stop here
Can't the law he vindica,ed and justice sat
isfed, if we pause heres must we take th
life Of the unhappy prisoner?" Some dis
cussion ensued--the mind of the Juro
seemed more calm, and he expressed hi
readiness to vote on the final question
which was then put and twelve hanbs rose
The die was cast, and John w. Webste
was pronounced guilty of murder Thu
ended the closing scene in the Jury-room
What afterwards tanspired in the Cour
1 room is already known to the public. Whe
our foreman then pronounced that awfu
word, Guilty, the jury. ns well as the pris
oner, trembled and grew faint, and what
relief to US it was when we were again al
lowed to go free, and rejoin our famllie
after. so long and painful separation, an
there was not jurors heart but woul
have leaped for joy, could the prisone
have been justly allowed the same unspeak
able blessing.