Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1850-07-19
objec, in ordering the box and making the

| had before intended 10 oct such things to
send to Fayal-lhe box 10 hold the plants and
other articles which | wished TO protect from
salt water and the sea air. and the hooks to
| be used there in obtaining Coralline plants
from the sea. 1t was this previously intend
ed use OF them that suggested and mixed il
self up with the idea of the other application.
/ doubt even now 10 which use they would
have been applied; had not used the hooks
/ al the time of the discovery.
| The tan put into the tea chest was taken
from barrel Of It that had been in tue labcr-
atory for some time; the bag of tan was
/ brought IN on Monday, was not used, nor in
tended TO be used; it belonged to a quantity
| obtained by me long time ago for expert
/ mentS IN tanning, and was sent in by the fam
/ Ily to get 1t out of the way. Its being sent
/ IN just at that time was accidental. [ was
not aware that | had put The knife in the
chest; the stick found in The saucer of ink
WAS Tor marking coarse diagrams on clolh:
/ the. bunch of filed keys had been used long
ago by me on Front-st., and thrown care!ess-
/ ly INTO drawer; never examined them, and
+ do not know whether they would fiji any Of
the locks of the College or not; if there
! Were other keys fitting doors with which
/ had nothing to do, | suppose they must have
/ oeen al duplicates, or keys If former locks
! lett there by the mechanics or iauitor:
know nothing about them, and should never
/ be liheiy to notice them among The multitude
OF articles, large and small, of all kinds, col
/ Iecled IN my rooms the Jauior had furnished
me with key TO the dssectiug room, for tie
admission OF friends visiting the College. bar
/ l had never used 1t. The nitric acid on the
stairs was not used to remove spots of blood
/ but was dropped by accident.
W hen the officers called for me on Friday.
4 the 8Oth, | was in doubt whether | was an
rested or whether more stiict search Of my
rooms was TO be had, the latter hypothesis be
4 Ing hardly less appalling th1n the former
/ W hen found that we went over Craigie's
/ DTidge, | 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 sir,c ch-
nine from my pocket and swallowed IT,
had prepared it in the shape Of pill before I
/ left my laboratory on the 23d. ! thought [
1 could not bear TO survive detection. | thought
/ II was a large dose. The state Of nv nerv-
Gus system probably defeated its action par
/ tally The effects of the poison Were terri
bic beyond description. 1t was in operation
at the College and before ] went there, but
/ most severely aiterwdrd. | wrote but one Of
the anonymous letters produced at the trial
/ the one mailed East Cambridge. The
! lItile hurdle referred to IN the letter detained
/ by the jal0r, contained only bottle Of nj
/ rIc acid for domestic use. | had seen il stat
+ ed IN newspaper that J had purchased
quantity of oXdlic acid, which ii was pTesu.n-
] GtI was 10 OG uStu IN DlOodSldlOS. WISH the
parcel TO be kept untouched that II NAV be
shown, if there should be occasion, what It
really was that | had purchased.
/ have dawn up In separate papers an ex-
planation of the use | intended TO make of the
/ blood sent for on Thursday, the 22d, and Of
/ the conversation with Littlefcld about the dis
secting vault. | think that Pctee in his tes-
timony at the trial, put too strongly my words
about having settled with DIR. p. Whatever
! did say of the kind was in the hope that
should be able to pacify DR.. p, and make
some arrangement with him, and was said in
order to quiet Pettee, who was becoming
! TestIve under the solicitation Of DR.. PaTknlan
After DR.. w had strted most Of the facts
/ recorded above on the 23d of May, this qucs
/ ton, with all the earnestness, solemnity and
authority of tone that DR.. Putnam was master
+ Of. was addressed him: :" DR.. Webster In
4 all probability your days numbered You
cannot, you dare not speak falsely 10 me n W,
/ you must not die with lie in youg mouth
+ 50 prove to yourself that your repentance for
the sins Of your past life Is sincere tell M
/ the truth then-a confidence to be kept secre.
I during your lifetime and as much longer as
my regard for the happiness Of your family
i shall seem 10 me to require, and the interest
of truth and Justice to permit. Search to the
I bottom of your heart for the history of your
motives, aud tell me, before God, did it new
I oT occur TO YOU, before the decease Of d.
/
pass, would be of great advantage TO YOU, on
at least that personal injury 10 him might pos
sibly be the result of your expected confer
ence with him. As dying man I charge
you to answer me truly and exactly, or else be
silent. Had You not such a thought -
. no, never!' said he, with energy and feel
Ing, Z" as live, and as God is my witness.
never, was no more capable Of such a
thought than one of my Innocen. children |
never had the remotest idea Of iniurng Dr.. i.
until the moment the blow was struck. Dr.
p. was extremely severe and sharp, the most
provoking of men, and | am irritable and pas
Slonate. quick-handed, and brif violence Of
temper has been besetting sin OF my life
was an only child, but much lnduIged, and
have never acquired the control over my pas
sions that | ought to have acquired early, and
the consequence is all this" " But you no
tilted DR.. Parkman to meet you a certain hour
and told him you would pay him. when you
knew you had not the means p
- No." he replied - did not tell him I
would pay him; and ihcro is no evidence |
told him so, except my own words spoken AZ
ter his disappearance and after had determin-
ed to take 'he ground that | had paid him;
those words were of the miserable tissue of
falsehood to which | was committed from the
moment had begun to conceal tn homicide
| never had thought of injuring DIR. Park
man.
This was accompanied by the statement in
which Prof Webster attempts to explain as
10 his seeing Littlfeld sending for blood,
and then Of inquiring about gases from tho
vault.
After reading the statement, Dr.. Putnam
proceeded to argue to lis truthfulness, saw
ing that It made when the writ of error
was pending-also, that Prof. Webster's 8
tate was worth several thousands Of dollars. and
that he was not in such a strait as to commit
such crime deliberately.
The previous petition from Prof. Webster
protesting his innocence and praying for alb
solute pardon, he said was got up by his fam
lily, who were wavering in their belief in his
innocence until his confession was communl-
Gated 10 them about week since.
lie concluded in asserting his belief that the
Confession ,ras frnc