Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1850-07-18
PROF. J W. WEBSTER.

Having placed all the document
in the hands of the committee, Nj
: Putnam now proceeded to addres
the committee as follows:
J, Two questions arise with regarl
: to DIR. Webster's statement. First
is il to be believed; second, if believ
( ed, should it lead to a mitigation o
the tence pronounced by tht
Court.
l. After all that has passed, moth
ing can be claimed by DR.. Webster
on the ground of his personal veraci
ity. His mere word cannot now be
taken for anything he may say in
connection with this case. And vel
there are strong, and | think suffi.
cient reasons for believing his state
ment to be true. | will Indicate to
the committee some of those which
have weight in my own mind, with
the hope that they may be able to
find the same force in them.
have already called the attention
of the committee to the circumstan-
ces under which the statements were
made by Prof. Webster; the sort OF
appeal TO which they were a re-
sponse-the relation in which he
and myself stood to each other at the
time; the relation in which he stood
TO the executiye-his first petition
having gone in, and placing his whole
reliance on that and the documents
with which he thought that it could
be forfeited, and having had, as yet,
no idea Of obtaining or seeking a
commutation of his sentence. | trust
that full consideration will be Civ
en- to these circumstances, as going
to show that DR.. Webster did not
make up his story with any view to
the use that is now made of it.
2. His statements, though sudden
and Unexpectedly demanded n d
promptly given, so as to preclude
the idea of a prepared story, contains |
no contradictions, is perfectly con-
sistent with itself, and with all the
known facts Of the case.
3. While til Q statement denies
premediIation of the homicide, it ex-
plains satisfactorily those circum-
stances which were bought forward
at the trial, as tending to show pre-
meditation; such as the sending for
The blood--the conversation about
The gas of the dissecting vault.
Under this head l ought to refer
to Pettee's testimony. Pettee says
hat Webster told him he would
nave no more trouble with DR.. Park
nan, for he had settled Nth hrm.-
Suppose that Pettee recollected the
words right-which DR.. Webster
kinks he does not--then the words
we're not literally true; but they were
ust as near the truth if predicated {
m the expectation that he should
make terms with Parkman, as if
on the expectation that |
lie should silence his claim by mur- !
er. In either case they were pred r
Gated on 4 contingency. And, as \
hey fit one expectation just as well /
s the other, they produce nothing q
ither way. q
On the other hand, DR.. Putnam {,
at some length that, by i:
dopting DR.. Webster's declaration,
hat the homicide was unpremedita- S
I'd, some circumstances are account {
d for, otherwise almost inexplicable. n
uch are the openness of the appoint n
lent;-his making no show of abili- A
= to pay DR.. Parkman;-and the c
lct that he had made no chemical C
reparations to destroy the body e
nd, again, he urged, that DR.. WIS n
a!ement was confirmed by we'll "
nown traits in DR.. Parkman's char p
;ter ;-exacting, sometimes severe b
nd exasperating, and with mania o.
Z making his debtors do just right; al
-while DR.. Webster's character, on b
Ie other hand is sworn to as "timid, pl
1t irritable, hasty, and sometimes p'
Ii
DR.. Putnam then urged the insuf-
:iency of the alleged motive for CT
'emeditated homicide, the little sum hi
S4S3, to a man whose property br
as considerable, though embarrass- =
|. And he added, that if he had de
liberately planned the murder, he
ust have well considered the vital ag
Iestion as to the effect of his hav- hi
g the notes with the marks of can W
llation upon them. He followed ga
is suggestion into detail and then tir
'sed this branch Of bis argument by W
mitting that there was something in
explicable about the notes,-which nc
r. Webster himself probably could in
1t make clear. The theory of pre- m
edltation certainly had the moral ed
,ooaoilities against it,-and grant su
6 that ne could have conceived the m,
an' still there was a greater moral trI
probability that he could, when mi
% moment came, have executed il. co