The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1850-07-04


has been very bad for Cherries and they have rotted
very much.
Confession of Professor Webster.
The governor and council met Tuesday morning,
pursuant adjournment, and after disposng Of some
other papers, Gov. Briggs announced the reception
Of the following
PETITION OF DR.. WEBSTER:
To has Ercellsncy the Gouauor and to the Honorable
Erec,aive Council Of the Commercially Massachusetts,
John White Webster, convict, under sentence
of death, in Boston jail in behalf of himself and of
his wife and his children, respectfully petitions that
the sentence awarded against him by the law NAV
be committed to such other less horrible and igno-
minous punishment your honorable body may
mercifully decree.
Your petitioner fully admits that he was tried be-
fore fair and impartial tribunal, and that under the
law as it exists his jury, composed as was of hon
orable and highminded men, could have returned no
verdict other than they did. But he respectfully re-
minds your honorable body, that the two great NOR
al ingredients of the crime of murder malice and
generalization, have never been found against him
by Jury, but have been necessarily inferred bv the
arbitrary rules of the law, om certain general facts
which your petitioner will deny but the extenu-
ating details of which, no man in your petitioners
situation can possess legal evidence to prove
These details your petitioner has confded to the
friend who presents his petition, with authority to
state them to your honorable body in the hope thayo
will find therein, to extend to your petitioner
and his family, that mercy of which the law has
made you the dispensers.
And your petitioner will ever pray
]. w. WEBSTER.
BosToE, June, 1850.
This petition was forthwith referred to the COM
mittee on pardons, of which Lieut. Gov Reed is
chairman, and IL O'Clock was assigned at his re-
quest, for hearing the Rev. DIR. Putnam in expIa-
nation of and in support Of the petition. AT the
hour named the committee met in the ante-chamber.
read the petition proreUe~1 q. fai H. cu i''N ny
preliminary remarks '1e iOAo"iiis
The grounds which am authorised to take in aid
Oh tne petition OF }. w. Webster, and which take
not as am advocate pledged to side, but in oood
follows f'0l~l oo"ei
That tbo h ruund in the medical
ooaaa Inc RSaRb last were those Of the oto
George Parkman, and that he came to his death bv
the hands OF DR.. Webster, in a moment of passion
under great provocation; that there was no premed
itatlon, nor murderous intent; that there was hon.
lclde, but not murder,-or if it could be called a
murder under the rigid Interpretation of the rules Of
common law prevailing in this commonwealth.-ye
that 1t was not murder according to the moral udp
ments of our people of mankind, not the crime
to which the public of justice awards the nun
ishment of death, for which that punishment ie
inflicted under the usual and actual administration
Of the law in Massachusetts.
am enabled to present from DIR Webster's own
lips, statement OF the facts connected with the HON.
lclde. The cedibillty and value of his statement
must depend partly on the date of it. and the cir
cumstances under which it was made Before read
ing 1t, therefore, will relate those circumstances IN
the committee.
My acquaintance with DIR Webster before his fri
al had been of the slightest and most casual kind.
Soon after his sentence, received from him re-
quest, that | would visit him as a clergyman durino
his Imprisonment. 1t was a service not to be de-
clined.
had followed the reports of the trial, and acoui-
esced in the verdict righteous one, and had no
thought but that the sentence TO be- and ought TO
be, carried into execution. | did not make # INV
object to draw confession from him early. or 10
lead him TO commit himself one way or the other on
the question of his guilt or innocence | carefully
avoided every remark and inquiry that might tempt
him to make any false declaration lie seemed 10
understand me, and neither denied nor declared his
guilt l expected he would finally be induced TO
communicate to me whatever he knew about The re-
mains found at the college, But was in no hurry
about this. thought should be more likely TO OH
tam from HIM the exact truth, by waiting till fav-
orable time. Accordingly it was my object for the
first weeks to become acquainted with him. to win
his confidence and attachment, by attention and
sympathy, and to endeayor to make those impress
sons Of a moral and religious nature, which we're
suited to his situation as more or less sinful and
certainly dying man. AS time passed, seemed to
myself to have succeeded in these objects, almost
beyond my hopes
AT length on the 23d day of May, had made up
my mind to address him in wholly new strain, and
to demand Of him fall statement of facts. then
believed myself to be such terms with him, that
could abruptly and authoritatively demand his con-
fidence. did SO, and was not disappointed nth
result. On entering his cell that day, told him
that was going to breach new and important sub
ject TO him, and he must listen to me seriously and
not reply till had done. / then said to him, that
he must have felt all along that there was one bar
rier to our free communication; one point on which
we did not understand one another; that the embar-
rassment which attended the avoiding of that point
obviously went far to defeat the satisfaction and pro-
fit to himself which ought to result from our inter-
views. | said that he must certainly have some
knowledge RESPECTING the fate of DR.. Parkman, |
which had not, and that the unshared secret must
be to him oppressive and intoerable burden; that
the time had come when he ought to share il with
some one, and under the circumstances with me !: