The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1850-07-13
From the Boston Atlas
Confession of Professor John w,
Webster.


Webster.
AT meeting of the Governor and Executive
Council, yesterday morning, the case of Prot Web
ster was referred to the committee on parlons, o
whchiis Honor, J. Reed is chnirn and those nsso.
ciated with him are Messrs. John Tenney, Luther
V. Bell, Samuel Wood and Charles NJ Owen. A
bearing was had before thisconnittee, in the Coun-
III Chamber, about IL clock, NJ, Rev. DR. George
Putnam, the spiritual adviser of DR. Webster ap.
pcarcd and presented the following
PETITION OF DR. WEBSTER.
To HIS Erceliencyh tie GOrsraor, ,and IN tie Tom
ordbie hrecufirc CouHcdOt Tie Commonwealth
Of NasSdchuScHS
lulm White Webster, convict undo, sentence
o death, ~ Boston Jail, in behalf of himself, his wifi,
nnd hls children, respectfully petitions that the sen
tcncc awarded against him by the law may be com
nuled to such other less horrible and glomiuiou,
punishment as your honorable body may melciully
decree.
Your petitioner fully admits that he was tried be-
orc l.ir and impartial tribunal, and that under the
law a5 exists his Jury, composed rs it was ol hon-
orabr and highmndtd men, could have returned
no verdict other than they did But he respectful
ly reminds Your honorable body that the two great
moral ingredients, Of the crime Of murder, malice,
Fermentation, have never been found against him
byalury, but have been necessarily inferred by the
ap39rnry rules OF the law from certain general facts
whkh your petitioner will not deny, but the eXtenu-
ating details OF which, no man in your petitioner :
situation, can ever possess legal evidence to prove
These details your petitioner has coatded 10 the
TREND who presents his petition, with authority TO
state Them To your honorable body, IN the hope that
you viii Ind therein reason 10 extend 10 vour pct-
toner and his family, that mercy of which the law
has made you the dispensers
ANA your petitioner will ever pray.
Boston, June 1880. J. " WEBSTER.
The petition having been read, the Rev. DR.. Put
nam made the following:
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
The grounds winch am authorized to take in aid
of He petition Of w Webster, and which tokr
not as an advocate pledged To side but in GOOD
follows
That The human remains found in the metirucol-
lege IN November last, were those OF the late Geo.
Pafkman, and that h. came TO his death hv ,he
hands OF DR., Webster, IN a moment ofpassion and
great provocaton; that there was no premedltntion
nor mnrdcrous intent; that there was homicide.
nut not Hurdcr-Or II It could be called murder
under the rlgd Interpretation Of the rules ofcommon
law prevailing IN this commonwealth,-yc that IL
was not murder according 10 the moral judgments
OF our people, or Of mankind--not the cnluc 10
winch the public -ru-c OF Justice awards the punish
ment ot death, or tor which that punishment is in
iIced under the usual and actual administration of
the lawn Massachusetts
am enabled To present from DR.. Wcb,ter's own
nS statement of the facts connected with the ho-
mcide. The credhIli,y and value of his staremen,
must depend partly on the date oft and the circmn-
stance under which 1t was made Before reading
committee
My acquaintance with Dr. Webster before hisrri-
NJ had been ct the sIlgh,es, and most casual kind
soon after his sentence | received from him n re-
quest, that would visit him as clergyman during
hls impeachment. 1t was a service not 10 be de-
ciincd
! had followed the reports ofthc trial, and acoui-
csced IN the verdict rs righteous one, and had no
thought but that the sentence was to be and ought
10 De carried INTO execution. ! did not make II my
nhlcct to draw confession from him carly or TO lead
nm to commit himself one way or the other on the
question OF his guilt or innocence / carefully a.
Nolded every remark and inquiry that might ttmpt|
hlm TO make any false declaration He seemed 10
understand me, and neither denied or declared his
Eul.t. ! expected he would finally be induced To
communicate 10 me whatever he knew about the
disappearance Of DR.. Parkman, and nhout the rc-
mans found at the college. But was in no hurry
about tbs; | thought should be more likely To OBJ
tam from hni the exact truth by waiting till ia
yomblr tine. Accordingly it was nav object for the
ilrSt weeks TO become acquainted with him, to win
MS conhutnCe aud attachment, by attention and
sympathy, and 10 cndcnvur to make hose unr,s-
SIonS OF a moral and religious mature, which were
sulicd 10 ms situation ms more or less sinful and
certainly dying man As time passed, seemed to
iny'eii To nave succeeded in these objects, almost
beyond my hopes.
Al length on the 23d day of Nav, had made up
my mind to address him IN wholly new strain, and
To demand ot him full statement of facts | then
,,chcyGd mys'iito be on such terms with him, that
Sould abruptly and authOratlvcly demand his con-
| al "a, | Il
result On entering his cell, that day, told him
'lat was gonglo broach anew and important sub
tct to hlin and he must listen to me seriously and
not reply till | had done. then said TO hm, that
he must have felt all along that there was one bar
Irr 10 our Tree communication one point on which
We dld not understand one another that the en-
1arrasSintli which attended the avoiding of thai
point obviously went far to defeat the satisfaction
ana prnili 10 himself which ough, To result from our
SAID that he must certainly have some !
NnoWl,drc respecting the fate of Dr. Parkman,
winch had not, and that the uusharcd secret must
lr "hman oppressive and mtoIcrablc burden that
hr Tine had come when he OUGHT to share il with
some one, and under the circumstances with me
mat mad scrupuousy torchomc hitherto to pres.
ln on tins point, aud urged 1t now only because |
lcllcyci II would be for hs relief and peac, of mind:
mat thought he must feel hy this time that he ow-
ri me the truth, and that he could trust me that he
need not tear TO tell me the whole truth. for | WA. |
'omort HIM IN hls distress, and To help him in max.
NJ peace with God and his conscience, and to nS.
lst him, il might, to live while he lysJA.nl die .
when he should die, with the humanity ~ sinner.
ma lhr ilImucss of man, and trusted, the hone .
II a christians lint in order ofmy being ofanv real .
ervlcc To HIM, there must be truth and true rclp-
IONS brtwecn us. cautioned him not to answer
ne hastily, not To speak I'LL he was prepared to tell
he whole and absolute truth-that would cndra.
or 10 put "A favorable construction upon his silence
hat was in no hurry, aud that he might take
ny or two more to consider whether my advice TO
nm to make full disclosure was not reasonable
nd good.
| spoke to him some time in strain which Ihnye
hns indicated, lie seemed to me much atlcctcdhy
what said, and when lpaused, he said Immediate
Y, 81 am ready to tell YOU all. 1t will be relief
I, me- lie ihcn proceeded to state the facts which
have since embodied in the statement now 10 be
resented, and put to him n great number of oucs.
ions, ALT OF which he answered promptly, and with
very appearance II seemed To me OF an honest pur-
Nl