Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1850-04-11

oil --of these probabilities, which should
have operated in his favor, growing ont Of
his age, his amiable and respectable char.
acilr, and his position in society. Men
who have lived for sixty years devoted TO
tie pursuits Of science, surrounded by at
fecliona,e families, known To the conmu-
,ily, and esteemed by its wol'hcst mem
bers for good qualities and bameess lives,
are not usually The men who commit MUIR
ders, and especially murders of horrid pre-
meditation, for he grossly base and pitiiul
purp;s sc OF wiping out deb, Of few hun
dred dollars or escaping the disgrace of
bankruptcy. ], is improbable that men in
such circumstances should commit murder
and in probabilities of this character .hould
always be counted in their favor, until des-
troyed by the ovelpowering evidence Of
guit.
But tn re were far more important i'm
probabililies--.and numerous Ones---whch
should have been considered in Professor
Webs,er's favor. but OF which no account
whatever vas taken by Court or jury, and
little or none by his counsel.
i, is improbable that Professor Webster
that any intelligent or cunning man---de-
signing murder, would have proceeded
about it in way, and hy means, and, in q
place 80 public that he would have gone
10 his victims house, 10 invite him to his
laboratory in an institution Of learning
thronged by students and professors, open
TO visitors and attendanis.--in broad day,
too--.,hcre meaning to kill him, while ex-
posed to interruption, to prevention, IL de-
tecion in the very act. This implies an
audacty Of nurderous courage worthy OF
foolhardiness of mingled malice and bid
ness utterly unnatural in one whose noted
charac cIisiIcs were easincss and iimidity
of temper. II was held to be one Of the
worst circumstances against Professor W.,
as 1t was certainly most important one,
that he was not able 10 prove his having
provided the money wherewiih to pay DR..
Parkman at this appointed 'isit but does
not the idea of his appointir q such a visit,
without having the money in readiness,
, ere il only to be used as blind and as
help in eiiectng his purpose, indicate de-
gree of cool aud desperate recklessnsss
wholly out of character beth with the man
and the object.
/, is also improbable, in the highest de-
gree, that Prof. Webster, having killed his
yict IN and II Gaming to destoy the eviden-
ces Of his guilt, should no. have employed
those meals so we'll known to him as a
chemis, for dissolving the b " out Of sight;
as il is also improbable that, having resolv-
ed upon the murder beforehand, he should
rot have prepared aud had in readiness the
acids and alkales for lis immediate decou,-
position. And having none Of these means
al hand, and being reduced to The necess:-
~ Of destroy ing Tie body by fire, it is i'm
probable he should, after first making
away with the head, hands, arms, and legs,
have then omitted the burning of the mex,
mos, easily idcnl(iable parts, the ,horax,
and thighs, in order FIRST to destroy the in
,ernal yiscara-.-the brain, heart, lungs, liv-
or, and bow wels---parts, in themselves. Ut
,cr'y Incapable Of Identification, and, be il
remembered, parts, too, from their very nr-
ture, far more Difficult, to be destroyed by
fic than the 'horax and pelvis. What be-
came of the victims clothes, and the me-
,allic relics Of buttons, watch, knife, and
other tn ncs such as men usually carry
about 'h il persons We Must believe
that Professor Webster carried away all
these things, even 10 the last button And
is it to &c believed, that, after taking such
care Of than, he would leave behind hi m
set "s false teeth, which he could have
taken away so easily in his pockets ! We
are to believe that the accused was enpag-
ed during a whole week in destroying this
bo! ; that he should have commenced, ma
turaly enough, by destroying the most
IVA h'ii'H"iS tH''S ihht shOuIu udSc tncU
addressed himself to parts Tot at all lden-
lidable, and exceedingly difficult, almost
impossible, to be burned leaving, during
the whole Of the time, in the easy accessi-
lilny of his laboratory, the false teeth OF
his victim in his fsrnace, and the CORY,
stah-marked ,horaX in "A tea-box set openly
on one of his shelves. Are such probabil.
ties, or improbabilities, as these not to be
thought of Are they no balance and oflse.
to the not more striking ard conclusive
probabilities upon which he has been con-
demned Do they not create doubts, seri-
ous and terrible doubs, over which judges
and counsel should have expalia,ed and
jurymen pondered, giving the unhappy
prisoner all that benefit OF lhem which the
mercy, nay the justice Of the law, has here.
tolore required that every man arraigncd
for murder should enjoy.
We say again, we do not write these
lines with any purpose or thought of advo-
eating the innocence of Prof Wetste, or
OF raising OR voice agains, the rgh,inl