Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1850-07-15
CONFESSION OF PROF. WEBSTER,
OF THE MURDER OF DIR. PARKMAN,

AT the meeting OF the council this NOR
ming, the case Of Prof. Webster was refer
red to committee. a1s1sz 2 ssaf a5 j
Before the committe, at 10 clock, ap
peared the Rev. DR.. Putnam, the spiritua
adviser of the condemned, with a petition
for Communication of punishment, togethe
with confession that he edDr. Parkman
The revered gentleman prefaced the state
ment by few remarks relative to the man
ner in which the confession was made te
him. He e'stated that he had no previous
acquaintanceship with Prof. Webster before
being called to act as his spiritual adviser
In the first few weeks of his visits he sough,
no acknowledgement of the prisoner. A,
length, on the 23d of May, he visited him
in his cell ,and demanded of him, for his own
well-being, that he should tell the truth in
regard testhe matter, and he acceded to the
request, by making statement which was
now submitted for the consideration of the
Council. It was in substance as follows:
] THE CONFESSION. @
On Friday, 2Oth November, ] sent the
note to DIR. Parkman, which it appears was
carried by the boy Maxwell. I handed it to
/ Littlefeld unsealed. 1t was to ask DR..
Parkman to call at my rooms, on Friday,
the 23d, after my lecture. He had become,
Of late, very importunate for his pay. He
had threatened me with suit; 10 put an
officer in my house, and to drive me from
my professorship, if / did not pay him. The
purport of my note was simply to ask the
conference. did not tell him in it, what
I could do, or what had to say about the
payment. wished to gain, for those few
days, release from his solicitations, TO
which Twas liable every day. on occasions,
and in manner very disagreeable and a.
farming, and also to avert for so long time.
at least, the fulflment of recent threats of
severe measures l did not expect to be a.
bic to pay him when Friday should arrive.
My purpose was, if he should accede to the
proposed interview, to state to him my en-
barrassments and utter inability to pay him
at present-to apologize for those things in
my conduct which had offended him-to
throw myself upon his mercy-to beg for
further time and Indulgence for the sake of
my family, if not for myself, and to make
as good promises to him as I could have
any hope of keeping. ..
= l did not hear frem him on that day nor
the next Wednesday, but I found on
Thursday he had been abroad in pursuit Of
me without finding me. I imagined he had
forgotten the appointment, or else did not
mean to wait for it. l feared he would
come in upon me at my lecture hour, or
while was preparing my experiments for
it; thereforeI called at his house that NOR
ming tFriday,) between 8 and 9 o'clock to
remind him of my wish to see him at the
College at half past l-my lectures closing
at l. l did not stop to talk with him, for
expected the conversation would be long
enc, and | had my lectures to prepare for,
for it was necessary for me to have my
time, and, also, to keep my mind free from
other exciting matters. DR.. Parkman a.
greed to call on me as l proposed. He came,
accordingly, between half past and o.
clock, entering at the lecture room door. I
was engaged in removing some glasses
from my lecture room table into the room
in the rear, called the upper labratory. He
came rapidly down the step, and followed
me into the labratory. He Immediately ad-
dressed me with great energy-@Are you
ready for me, sir? Have you got the money!"
q I replied, @No, DR.. Parkman," and was
then beginning to state my condition, and
my appeal to him, but he would not listen
to me, and interrupted me with much vehe.
mence. He called me a scoundrel and a
liar, and went on heaping on me the most
bitter taunts and opprobrious epithets.-
While he was speaking, he drew a hand
full Of papers from his pocket, land took from
among them my two notes, and also an old
letter from DR.. Hosack, written many years
ago, congratulating him on his success in
getting me appointed Professor of .Chemis-
try. sYou, see, he said, II got you into
your Office, and now I will get you out of
it. He put back into his pocket all the
papers except the letter and notes. I can
not tell how long the torrent of threats and
invectives continued, and I cannot recall to
memory but small portion of what he
said; at first, kept interposing, trying to
pacify him, SO thatI might obtain the OBJ
ject for which I sought the interview, but I
could not stop him, and soon my own.tem-
per was up; | forgot every thing, and felt
nothing but the sting of his words.
I was excited to the highest degree of
passion, and while he was speaking and
gesticulating in the most violent and men
aclng manner, thrusting the letter and his
flst INTO my face, in my fury seized what
ever thing was handiest, (it was stick of
wood, } and dealt him an instantaneous
blow with all the force that passion could
give it. did not know, or think, or care,
where it should hit him, nor how hard, nor
what the effect would be. 1t was on the
side of his head, and there was nothing to
break the force of the blow. He fell in
stantly upon the pavement. There was nc
second blow; he did not move. stopped
down over him and he seemed to be lifeless
Blood flowed from his mouth, and got a
sponge and wiped it away. got some
ammonia and applied it to MS nose, bu
without effect. Perhaps I spent 10 minute!
in attempts to resuscitate him, but foune
he was absolutely dead. In my horror
and consternation, ran instinctiyely to thu
l. -. IL L,o1<oI kL>,,, Al .c = L. 10