The North-Carolina standard., 1850-04-10
Conyfction Of Professor Webster.


the murdee0 OF Dr. Parkman, has been concluded.
terminated on Saturday night at near l2 o'clock, il
the conviction of the prisoner. 1t had occupie,
eleven days, exciting deep interest every wher
throughout the country and the whole of the circum
Stances and proceedings form of the most remark
able cases in criminal annals. The entire evidence
from first to last, has been circumsantial, and if
believe all the witnesses testified truly, far from com
plete. Bnt the of defence has surprised every
one. The counsel, while the government was pro
ducng ts strongest testimony, have crept along will
mildness amounting to indecsion; and no one car
carefully survey the ground they occupied and the
efforts u behalf of their client without oming to the
conclusion that their hearts were not in the work
The reasons for this may remain for all time secret
hat it hSshad as powerful an influence in producing
HE confeton of the prisoner, as though they had al
Once admitted guilt. and that they were at work ir
the face of full confession. There is evidently
not beeAmade to APPEAR
The $Raments Of counsel having been concluded
the prisdner spoke in his own defence, thing rath.
unusual in our criminal trials. What he says will
be read with deep and painful interest. He com.
plains much of the course Of his counsel. The fol-
lowing are the proceedings in the case after the con-
clusion Of the argument:
AePRoFEssoR wEBsTER's SPEECH.
The Attorney general having concluded his remarks
Chief Gce Shaw, with much emotion, stated to
the prsober that it his privilege now to address
the jury, he had anything to say, or any exPlana'
very dist tnct voice, made the following remarks
have desired to enter into an explanation of the
complicated network of circumstances which, by my
peculiar position, the government has thrown around
ne, and which, in nine out of ten, complete
y distorted, and probably nine-tenths of which could
be satisfactorily explained. All the points of testi
mony have been placed in the hands of my counsel,
by whom my innocence could have been firmly es-
tablishedS Acting entirely under their direction,
have sealed my lips during the period of my confne-
ment, trusting myself entirely to them. They have
not de4hed it necessary, in their superior wisdom,
(this said in an ironical tone) to bring forward
the evl nce which to exonerate me from va
Jiety ofA acts. The government have brought
forwards fhatever consummate ingenuity could sug-
Rest agd st me, and hope it will not have an undue
tnaaendeRpon my jury. ! will not ailude to many
Of Che Charges, but there is which touches me,
and thatfs the letter which has been produced. II
is not tai first have read in the daily prints which
have beM distributed in my apartments, and various
publica87hs which have been made respecting them.
One hent was that had, after the disappearance
of Dr.. E1rkman, purchased quantity of oxallc acid
remoy the stains of blood, and it instantly occur
red to that this parcel mightb saved and produ-
ced wbeia For several days Mrs. w. had
reouesteme to purchase some acid for domestic use
and as m wife had repeatedly laughed at me because
had nd purchased it, had borne it in my mind
that after oon and had gone into Thayers store, un-
der the n were House, made the purchase, and wait
ed till tl& Cambridge hourly came along, and then
jumped Into the omnibus with the bundle. l went
home and gave the bundle to my wife, when after
wards heard much said about the bundle, 1t fash
ed on my mind in moment that this must be the
bundle. 1t was to this bundle, and not to any docu
ment referred in the direction to my wife. AS re-
CARDS the nitrate of copper in the usual lectures pre-
ceding arrest, had occasion to use the influence
of chemical agents in producing changes OF various
Among others gases. prepared large
quantity ID oxalic acid gas. gallon jar was fill
L .l-.A fha oINonrr fP0Sv,
dark color 10 orange, and also in air. On great heat
being applied to the jar the gas was drawn through
water. AS to the nitrate of copper spilled on the
floor of the laboratory, it was spilled accidentally
from quality, and by me- in my lectures. between
the day of DR.. Parkman's disappearance and my own
cumstances which have been distorted. My counsel
have pressed me to keep calm. My very calmness
has been to bear against me; but my trust has
been in my I5od and my own innocence. In regard
to money, Hmust say a word. The money which
paid to Dr.. Harkman the afternoon of Friday, No
vembef 23da had saved up from time to time, and
kept it in 4runk in my house in Cambridge; but,
no one ever saw take it out-here-
fore can nly give my word that such is the fact.
Several .ys ago, l had students who were in the
habit Of bel in my laboratory, and who injured my
apparatus, erefore, prepared everything tor my
own ase iiS8ny lectures with my own hands, and
that is the G. son why excluded persons from my
laboratory. As regards my whereabouts from the
hour of Dr:sP's disappearance l have put into my
counsels hastls satisfactory information, which will
account for. cry day had spent during that week
hEeverys "a and every hour. l never was absent
from 3h6d As to being seen by MIR. Sanderson, l
was athome ebery evening. One thing that has been
omitted by my counsel was, that on the Friday on
which the alleged murder said to have been COM
mitted, had purchased Humboldt's new work, Cos
mos, and while waiting for an omnibus, stepped into
Brigham's to stake a mutton chop, and, in coming
out to take omnibus, had forgotten my book but
after my arrest remembered the place where l had
tea 1T, and mentioned it to my counsel. They had
pehtto BrighaA's and the book had been found"
99as Profess here sat down, but almost instantly
felt very much distressed by the production of those
letters, more so than by any thing that
has occurred daaing the trial. call my God to wit
ness that ifE&as the last hour of my life, never
wrote those lett{rs. Since the trial commenced, a
lsiter has been deceived from this very Civis' BY
one of my counsel. If this person has any spark OF
humanity, calf upon him to come forward. no.
tice to this effect has been put in the papers,"
DR.. Webster again took his seat, having evidently
made deep impression upon all present by the serl-
BUSINESS of his remarks, and the earnesness Of his
manner.
CHARGE OF CHIEF JUSTICE SHAW.
Gentlemen-I rise with the deepest sense of the
which presses upon this tribunal. You
have been so long engaged in this important case,
HAT Meannot detain you much longer in suspense:
not, at this late period, keep you long confined
ine6nsidering the facts which have been so fully laid
before you, and it is mainly question of facts.
shall rather dwelt upon few plain principles 1t is
the nature of our laws under which our lives are
secured to distribute the several organs Of govern
ment each it's sev raj department of dutes and each
is responsible for is own. We are not here to make
the laws, but to- execute them. This indictment
charges the prisoner at the bar with murder Murder
is the highest species of homicide. Homicide is a
general term, including several degrees; some oi
which are usti6abe, such those committed in jus
tiiable war or BY the officers ofiustice with proper