Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1850-07-12

| they must have been all duplicates, or keys of
| former locks left there by the mechanics or
! antor. ! know nothing about them, and
should never be likely to notice them amongst
the multitude of articles, large and small, of
all kinds, collected in my rooms. The janitor
had furnished me with key TO the dissecting
room, for the admission of medical friends
visiting the college, but had never used it.
| The nitric acid on the stairs was not used to
remove spots of blood, but was dropped by
accident. When the officers called for me on
Friday, the 30th, was in doubt whether |
was under arrest, or whether more strict
search of my rooms was to be had; the latter
| hypothesis being hardly less appalling than
the former. When found that we went over
CIagies' Bridge, | thought the arrest most
probable When | found that the carriage
was stopping at the Jail, was sure of my
fate. Before leaving the carriage, took
dose of strycuine from my pocket and swal-
! lowed 1t. ] had prepared ii in the shape of a
| pill before left my laboratory on the 23d.
! thought | could not bear to survive detection.
! / thought il was a large dose. The state of
! my nervous system, probably, defeated its
action partially. The effects of the poison
| we're terrible beyond description. 1t was in
/ operation at the college, and before | went
there, but most severely afterwards. wrote
| but one Of the anonymous letters produced at
! The little bundle referred to in the letter de-
! taned by the jailor, contained only a bottle of
! citric acid, for domestic use. | had seen it
/ stated IN newspaper, that had purchased
! quantity OF oXallc acid, which, II was presu-
/ med, was TO be used in removing blood stains.
/ | wished the parcel to remain untOIched, that
! it might be shown, if there should be occasion,
/ what it really was that | had purchased.
/ have drawn up, IN separate papers, an explain
! alton Of the use | intended to make Of the
/ blood sent for on Thursday, the 22d, and of
/ the conversation with Litte6eld about the
! dssecting vault | think that Pettee, in his
( testimony at the trial, put too strongly my
words about having settled with Mr.. p
! " Nhateyer ] did say Of the kind, was in the
! hope / entertained that | should be able 10
pacIfy DR.. r., and make some arrangement
with him; and was said in order TO quiet Pet
! Tee, who was becoming Tcstive under the So
+ lIcitations Of DR.. Parkman.
After Dr. Webster had stated most Of the
; facts recorded above on the 23i May, this
! question. with all the earnestness. solemnjtv,
and authority Of tone that DR.. Putnam was
master of, was addressed him
! 'Dr. Webster, in all probability your days
( are numbered; you cannot. YOU dare not speak
/ falsely 10 me nov; you must not die with lie
/ in your mouth; 50, prove 10 yourself that your
!
tell me the truth. then--a confidence 10 be
( kept sacred during your llfa time, and as much
longer as my regard for the happiness OF your
( family shall seem TO me require, and the in
/ terest Of truth and justice TO permit. Search
+ 10 the bottom Of Your heart for the history ot
! your motives, and tell me, before God, did it
/ ever occur to You, before the decease of DIR.
! Parkman, that his death, ii you could bring It
, TO pass, would be Of great advantage to you,
or at least that personal injury TO him might
( be the result Of youl expected conference with
/ HING As dying man, charge you to answer
/ me truly, aud exactly, or else be silent-had
| you not such a thought"
! "No, never said he, with energy and
/ feeling, "as | live, ard as God is my witness,
neveTl | was no more capable Of such a
thought than one Of my innocent children. /
( never had the renotest idea Of injurng Dr. p.
until the moment the blow was struck. DR..
! Pr. was extremely severe and sharp-the most
provoking Of men-and | am irritable and
passionate. A quick handed and brief vio-
( Ience of temper has been besetting sin Of my
( life | was an only child-much indulged-
I and have never acquired the control over my
passions that | ought to have acquired early,
and the consequence Is all this
But YOU notified DR.. Parkman TO meet you
at 4 certain hour, and told him you would pay
him, when you knew he had not the money"
mo" he replied, II did not tell him would
pay him, and there is no evidence that told
/ him so. Except my own words spoken after
his disappearance, and after had determined
TO take the ground that had paid him, those
words were of the miserable tissue Of false.
hoods to which | was committed from the
moment ! had begun TO conceal the homicide.
never had thought of injuring Parkman."
This was accompanied by the statement in
/ which Professor w ebser attempts to explain
as 10 his seeing Llttlefeld, sending for blood,
and of inquiring about gases from the vault.
( After reading the statement, DIR. Putnam pro-
. ceeded TO argue as to its truthfulness, saying
that 1t was made when the writ of error was
! still pending. Also, that Professor Webster's
estate was worth several thousand dollars, and
that he was not IN such state as to commit
I such a crime deliberately. The previous pc
ttion from Professor Webster, protesting his
innocence, and praying for absolute pardon,
he said, was got up by his family, who were
unwaveIing in their belief in his innocence,
until his confession was communicated to them
. about week since. He concluded in assert
! ing his belief that the confession was true.
Members Of the council have retained copy
Of the petition previously presented, and with
drawn by the advice Of DR.. Putnam, which
will probably be published. 1t asserts his in
nocence, and it also asserts that I.ittcfeld, or
some other person, placed the remains in his
room, to compass his ruin.
BosToN, July g.
The wife and three daughters of Profes,
s0r Webster appeared before the Council,
yesterday afternoon, and pleaded in aid of
the petition for their husband and father,
for commutation of punishment.
Mrs Webster said that she had been un-
wayerng in the belief o! her husbands IN.
nocence until he made his coniession.-
She also stated, shat it was chiefly through
her means and representations, that the Pc