Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-03-12
AFAMOUS MURDER RECALLED.

/ Tine UiScOFery OF P0cketbOok
Brinss TO Hind Noted Crinne--
"Reminiscences or the Celebrated
4 Parlmau Murder, Committed in
IS49-A Massachusetts Professor
| Kills Man, and Then Burns the
BODY.
A memorial of startling occurrence
| in the annals OF Boston was lately
shown to the writer, which wildly
recalled the circumstances of q tragedy
| familier to his boyhOod, and which is
still subject Of conversation from
time TO time among people IN middle
/ life. The relic was nothing less than
an old fashioned pocketbook which
! belonged to Prof. Webster, and was
taken from him at the time OF his an
rest for the murder of DR. George
P&rkman, of which he was afterward
convicted This pocketbook has an
! interest aside from this ownership,
from the fact of its still containing
paper OF strychnine, some of which
Prof Webster took, when arrested,
/ to quite his nerves or possibly TO com
NIT suicide. He had made a pin Of
strychniue in,bis laboratory. as he'con.
/ fessed, with the same object. The
pocketbook, which is stained and
| faded, also contains q number Of soda
! tickets bearing the name of a Harvard
square apothecary, ana piece of
tanned human skis. This skin has
been Unidentified, by the name marked
upon it, as that of pirate who was
hanged upon Boston Neck many years
ago. When Prof Webster first placed
this relic of victim Of the galIows
in his pocketbook he little dreamed
that he should share his fate
The writer was in the teens when
the disappearance of Dr. Parkman
caused such excitement IN the Hub.
The city was much smaller than it
now is, and the missing man was so
we'll known that there was a general
interest, not 10 say anxiety, about his
fate. He was a singular looking man,
tall AVID thin, wearing his hat on the
back of MS head, aud striding along
the streets with one hand clutching
an arm behind him. One OF his most
prominent features was his chin, and
it was a mistake about this which led
some witnesses at the trial to testify
that they had seen him walking about
the streets at time when he was ua-
doubtedly dead in the medical col
lege. When DR.. Parkman did not
return home on the night of Friday,
Nov. %, 1S49, his family were very
anxious about him, as, beng a man
of methodical habits and almost never
away from home at that time, it was
feared, as ne had large sum of mon
ey with him, that he had become the
victim of foul play. He was traced
the next day to the medical college in
! Grove street, but as no suspicion was
then entertained Of Prof. Webster,
the police confined their search to The
houses in the ncighborhood AN
advertisement for the missing man
was published IN tho afternoon pa
pers On Sunday the search was CON
tinued about the city and also at East
| Cambride, in consequence OF q story
of his having been seen there. Ga
Monday the search was extensively
prosecuted, messengers being sent in
all directions for fifty or sixty miles.
The river and harbor were dragged,
and a hsndbill was issued offering
So, 900 reward for information leading
/ to his discovery if alive, or for the
detection and conviction or such per
sons as had inflicted injury upon him /
| On the same day search was made
at the medical college, but as Prof !
Webster was in his laboratory no.h- !
ing was disturbed there. The next
day another search was made at the
college, particular attention being
given TO the apartment occupied by
| the ianitor, Littleheld who had
already become the subject Of vague
suspicion The police officers were
careful to tell Prof. Webster that
nothing would be moved ln his
quarters and that ne was not suspect
ed. On the following day, Wednes-
day, a reward Of 81, 600 was offered
for information leading to the dis
covery of DR.. Parkman's body. There
was now a general belief that he had
been murdered, bat the mystery which
hung over TIE affair seemed impene
| trable.
Meantime, Little6eled, the janitor
of the medical college, began to have
suspicion of Prof. Webster He had
seen DR.. Parkman and him together
at the college four days before the
latters disappearance, and heard ey-
cited words between them in reference
TO the professors Indebtedness and
abuse Of confidence Prof. Webster
had asked him about the condition Of
the vaults where the remains from the
dssectng room we're put and said he
wanted to get some gas from it 10 ex
pertinent with. The day before DR..
Parkman disappeared, Prof Webster
told Littlefeld that he wanted him to
get pint of blood for the next days
lecture. On the day of the disappear
ance the janitor saw Dr. Parknan
walking rapidly toward the college.
He also saw sledge hammer in be
hind the door in Prof Webster's back
room, which had always been kept in
the laboratory below. He noticed that
on the dav d. ParkmAn disappeared
Prot Websters doors were bolted on