The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1850-07-11

"'eSoeu Nhe WIN great energy, 'ATe you Iea-
dy for me, sir-have you got the money 2"
replied, "No, Dr. Parkman," and was then
beginning to state my condition ard my ap-
peal 10 him, but he would not listen 10 me,
and interrupted me with much vehemence
he called me scoundrel and liar, and went on
heaping on me the most bitter taunts and :
probrious epithets; while he was speaking
he drew handful of papers from his pocket
and took from them my two notes, and also
an old letter from DR.. Hossack, written many
years ago, and congratulating him on his
success in getting me appointed Professor of
Chemistry. "You see" he said, II got you
into your office, and now will get you out
of it," He put back into his pocket all the
papers except the letter and the notes can
not tell how long the torrent of threats and
invectives continued, and l cannot recall TO
memory hut small portion of what he
said.
AT first kept interposing, TT irg 10 pacify
him, so that might obtain he object for
which l sought the interview, but could not
stop him, and soon my own temper was up /;
| forgot everything, and fe 1t nothing but the
sting of his words. was excited to the
highest degree of passion, and while he
was speaking and gesticulating in the most
violent and menacing manner, thrusting the
letter and his fist into my face, in my fury
seized whatever thing was handiest, (it was
stick of wood, } and dealt him an instan.a-
neous blow with all tn, force that passion
could give it. did not know, or think, or
care where 'hould hit him, nor how hard
nor what the effect would be; it was on the
side of the head, and there was nothing to
break the force of tke blow ;he fell Instantly
upon the pavement; there was no second
blow he did not move stopped down o.
yer him, and he seemed TO be lifeless :;
blood flowed from his mouth, and | got a
sponge and wiped it away; Igot some am
monia and applied it 10 his nose, but with.
out effect; perhaps spent in Ten minutes in
attempts 10 resuscitate him, but found lie
was absolutely dead in my horror and con-
sternation | ran instinctively TO the doors and
bolted them-the doors of the lecture room
ard of the laboratory below; and then what
was 10 do? 1t never occurred to me to 90
out and declare what had haen done, and
obtain assistance, I saw nothing but the al
tentative of successful movement and con-
cealment of the body on the one hand, and
of infamy and distraction. on the other. The
The first thing did, as soon as | could do
anything, was TO draw the body into the pri-
vate room adjoining, where l took off the
clothes and began putting them into the fire,
which was burning in the upper laboratory
they were all consumed there that afternoon,
with papers, pecket-book and whatever they
contained. | did not examine the poe kets
nor remove anything except the watch l
saw that, or the chain of it, hanging out !
took it and threw it over the brid a:
went 10 Cambridge. My next move was t6
get the body into the sink which stands in
the small private room, by setting the body
partially erect against the corner, and by
getting up into the sink myself. Isucceeded
in drawing it up there it was entirely dis
membered; it was quickly done, as a work
of terrible and desperate necessity. The
only instrument was the knife found by the
officers in the tea chest, which | kept for
cutting corks. made no use of the Tur-
kish knife, as it was called at the trial that
had long been kept on my parlor man.el-
in
My daughters frequently cleaned il, hence
the marks of oil and polishing found on it
l had lately brought it into Boston to get the
silver sheath repaired.
While dismemhering the body stream
of Cochit;ate water was running through
the sink carrying off the blood in pipe thai
passed down through the lower laboratory
There must have been leak in the pipe fol
the ceiling below was stained lmmediatel,
around it.
There was fire burning in the furnace o
the lower laboratory Littlefield was mista
ken in thinking there had never been a fire
there; he had probably never kindled one
but l had done it myself several times |
had done it that day for the purpose of ma
king oxygen gas; the head and viscer;
were put into that furnace that day, and fuel
heaped on; did not examine at night to see
TO what degree they were consumed some
of the extremities were put in there, / be
lieve, on that day. The pelvis and some
of the limbs, perhaps, were all put under
the lid of the lecture room table, in what il
called the well, deep sink lined with LEAD
! stream of Cochituale was turned into il
and kept running through it all Friday night
the tborax was put into similar we'll in the
lower laboratory which filled with water
and threw in quantity of potash which |
found there. This disposition of the re.
mains was not changed till after the visit ol
the officers on Monday. When the body
had been thus all disposed of, | cleared
away all traces of what had been done. -
think the stick with which the fatal 5!ow
had been struck proved to be piece of the
stump of large grape vine--say two in.
ches in diameter and two feet long. 1t was
one of several pieces which had ca ried in
from Cambridge long before for the purpose
of showing the effect OF certain chemical
fluids in coloring wood by being absorbed
into the pores the grape vine being very
!