Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1850-07-11

|tnDSk PfoOdDies Wnen L tOuno tno car
|riage was stopping at the Jail, l was
sure Of my fate. Before leaving the
carriage, | took dose Of strychnine
from my pocket and swallowed it,
Il prepared itin the shape Of a pill be-
fore left my laboratory on the 23d.
Il thought could not bear to survive
detection. thought it was large
dose. The state OF my nervous sys-
Item probably defeated its action par
|tiaIly. The effects Of the poison were
|terrible beyond description. It was
En operation at the College and be-
fore / went there, but most severely
afterward. wrote but one of the
ANONYMOUS letters produced at the
trial-the one mailed at East Cam
bridge. The little bundle referred
to in the letter detained by the jailor,
only bottle OF nitric acid
Tor domestic use. had seen 1t stat
led in a newspaper, that | had Pur-
chased a quantity Of oxalic a i'd,
which it was presumed was to DO
used in removing blOod-stains.
wish the parcel TO be kept untosch-
ed that it may be shown, il there
should be occasion, what il really
was that | had purchased. l have
drawn up in separate papers an ex-
pIanstion of the use ] intended to
make of the blood sent for on Thurs
|day, the ODD, and of the converse
|!ioa with Littlefeld about the dis
|secting vault. think that Petiee,
lin his testimony at the trial, put too
strongly my words about having set
tiled with DR.. P. Whatever ] did
say of the kind was in the hope that
Il should be able TO paciiy DR.. F., and
make some arrangement with him.
and was said in order to quiet Pet-
Tee, who was becoming restive under
the solicitation Of DR.. Parkman.
After DR.. w. had stated most of
the facts above recorded on the 23d
|of May, this question, with all the
earnestness, solemnlty and authority
lof tone that DR., Putnam was master
|of, was addressed to him: DR.. Web
|ster, in all probability your days are
numbered; you cannot, you dare not
speak falsely TO me now: you must
. not die with lie in your mouth-so
prove to yourself that your repen-
.tance for the sins Of your past lie is
sincere; tell me the truth then-a
confidence to be kept secret during
your lifetime and as much longer as
h my regard for the happiness OF your
family shall seem to me to require,
and the interest OF truth and justice
to permit. Search TO the bottom of
svour heart for the history Of your
amotives, and tell me, before God,
did it never occur to you, before the
decease Of DR.. Parkman, that his
death, if you could bring it TO pass,
would be OF great advantage TO you,
or at least that personal injury to
shim might possibly be the result OF
your expected conference with him!
4 As dying man | charge you to an
swer me tIuly and exactly, or else be
silent. Had you not such thought"
l"No, never" said he, with an ener-
4 gy and feeling; Gas ! live, and as God
4 is my witness, neverl was no more
capable of such a thought than one
4 OF my innocent children; never had
the remotest idea of injuring DIR. P.
until the moment the blow was
struck. DR.. p. was extremely Sc
we're and sharp, the most provoking
Of men, and ! am irritable and pas
sionate. A quick-handed and brief
violence Of temper has been be-
setting sin of my life. was an on
A ly child, much INDUCED, and have
never acquired the control over my
passions that / ought TO have acquire
ed early, and the consequence is all
this"
"But you notified DR.. Parkman to
meet you at certain hour, and told
4 him you would pay him, when you
knew you had not the means!" "No,"
he replied, al did not tell him l
would pay him; and there is no evi-
|dence told him so, except my own
words spoken after his disappear
|ance and after had determined to
take the 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 the homicide.
never had thought Of injuring DIR.
|Parkman."
This was accompanied by the
statement in which Prof Webster at
|tempts to explain as to his seeing
|Littlefeld, sending for blood, and OF
|inquiring about gases from the vault.
After reading the statement, DR..
Putnam proceeded to argue as to It's
truthfuInsss, saying that It was made
when the writ of error was pending
also, that Prof. Webster's estate
was worth several thousand dollars,