The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-07-17
The Express Job once


patch. @s 3s-tsa.,,E va#
cidental. was not aware that had put the
knife in the chest. The stick found in the sau.
Ger of ink was for making coarse diagrams on
cloth. The bunch of field keys had been used
by me long ago in Fruit street, and thrown care
lessly into drawer. l never examined them,
and do not know whether they would fit any of
the locks of the college or not. If there were
other keys, fitting doors with which had moth.
ing to do, suppose they must have been all du-
plicates or keys of other locks, left there by the
mechanics or jailor. know nothing about them
and should never be likely to notice them
mong the multitude of articles large and small,
of all kinds, collected in my rooms. The .ian-
tor had furnished me with key to the dissect-
ing room, for the admission of medical friends
visiting the College, but l had never used it.
The nitric acid on the stairs was not used to re-
move spots of blood, but was dropped by acci-
dent. When the officers called for me on FRI
day, the 30th, | was in doubt whether was un-
der arrest, or whether more strict search of
my rooms was to be had, the latter hypothesis
being hardly less appalling than the former
when we went over Cragie's bridge, thought
the arrest most probable. When I found that
the carriage was stopping at the Jail, was sure
of my fate. Before leaving the carriage took
dose Of strychnine from my pocket and swal-
lowed it. had prepared it in the form of pill
before left my labratory on the 23d. l tho't
| could not bear to survive detection. thought
it was large dose. The state of my nervous
system probably defeated its action partially
The effects of the poison were extremely terrible.
1t was in operation at the college, and before I
went there, but most severely afterwards
wrote but one OF the anonymous letters produ-
ced at the trial, the one mailed at East Cam
bridge. The little bundle referred to in the let
ter detained by the ja;ler contained only bot.
tie Of nitric acid for domestic USE had seen it
stated in newspaper that / had purchased a
quantity of oxalic acid, which it was presumed
was to be used in removing blood-stains. wish
The parcel to be kept untouched that it may be
shown, if there should be occasion, what it re-
ally was that had purchased
have drawn up in separate papers an expla.
nation of the use | intended to make of the blood
sent for on Thursday, the 3d. and Of the con-
versation with Littlefeld about the dissecting
vault. think that Pettee in his testimony at
the trial, put too strongly my words about hav-
ing settled with DR.. P. Whatever l did say of
the kind was in the hope that should be able to
paclty DR.. Z. and make some arrangement with
him, and was SAID in order to quiet Pettee, who
was becoming FESTIVE under the solicitation of
Dr.. Parkman,
After DR.. w. had stated most ofthe facts re-
corded above on the 23d of May, this question,
with all the earnestness, solemnity and authority
of tone that Dr.. Putnam was master Of was ad-
dressed him. "Dr. Webster, in all probability
your days are numbered, you cannot, you dare
not speak falsely to me now you must not die
with lie in your mouth-so prove to yourself
that your repentance for the sins of your past
life is sincere; tell me the truth then-a conf
dence to be kept secret during your lifetime and
as much longer as my regard for the happiness
Of your family shall seem to me to require, and
fl,>, -F
Search to the bottom ofyour heart for the history
Of your motives, and tell me, before God, did it
never occur to you, before the decease of Dr..
Parklnan, that his death, if you could bring it to
pass, would be OF great advantage to you or at
least that personal injury to him might possible
be the result of your expected conference with
him. AS dying man charge you to answer
me truly and exactly, or else be silent. Had
you not such thought" "No, never!" said he.
with energy and feeling; Gas live, and as God
is my witness, never; was no more capable of
such thought that one ofmy innocent children
never had the remotest idea of niuring Dr.
p. until the moment the blow was struck. Dr.
I. was extremely severe and sharp, the most
provoking of men, and am irritable and passion
ate. A quick handled and brief violence of tenn
per has been besetting sin Of my life. | was
an only child, much indulged and have never
acquired the control over my passions that
ought to have acquired early, and the conse-
quence is all this" "But you notified DR..
Parkman to meet you at a certain hour, and told
hun you would pay him, when you knew you
had not the means:'
"No,' he replied 81 did not tell him would
pay him; and there is no evidence l told him SO,
except my own words spoken after his disap-
pearance and after had determined to take the
ground that had paid him; those words were of
the miserable tissue Of falsehood to which was
committed from the moment had begun to con-
ceal the homicide 1 never had thought of
injuring DR.. Parkman.'' -. ......... 49,. .-.
This was accompanied by the statement in
which Prot. Webster attempts to explain as to
his seeing Littefeld, sending for blood, and Of
inqulring about gases from the vault.
Afterreadng the statement, DR. Putnam pro-
ceeded to argue to it's truthulness, saying that
it was made when the writ of error was pending
also. that Prof. Webster's estate was worth
several thousand of fdolla1s, and that he was not
in such strait as to commit such crime delib-
erately.a E-.r..... n.....- u.t.
The previous petition from Prof Webster,
protesting his innocence and praying for absolute
pardon, he said was got up his family, who were
wavering in their belief in his innocence until
week since.
He concluded in asserting his belief that the
Confession was true. 0 Ss4ts
Members of the Council have retained copy
ofthe petition previously presented, and with
drawn by the advice of DR.. Putnam, which will
probably be published. Itasserts his innocence,
and it also asserts that that Lttlefield, or some
other person, placed the remaius in his room to
compass his rum
Petition of Professor Webster,
The following is the petition Of Prof. Webster
to the Governor and Council Of Massachusetts:
John White Webster, a convict, under SEN
tence of death, in Boston Jail, in behalf of him.
self and of his wife and his children, respectful
ly petitions, that the sentence rendered against
him by the law, may be commuted to such 9TH
er less horrible add ignominious punishment as
your honorable may mercifully decree. M
| Your petitioner fully admits. that he was tried