THE PARKMAN MURDER. TRIAL OF PROF. JOHN W. WEBSTER. FOR THE MURDER OF DR. GEORGE PARKMAN.
This piece below is one of the classic murder cases in the annals of American law. Dr. Parkman disappeared on Friday, Nov. 23, 1849. Nothing became of a city-wide search for the missing doctor until the Harvard Medical School janitor, Ephraim Littlefield, surfaced with his suspicion that Prof. John Webster was connected with Parkman's disappearance. A week earlier Littlefield had witnessed an argument between Parkman and Webster over money owed to Parkman by Webster. In the ensuing few days, Littlefield noticed Webster began to lock his office door; and when officials searched the college premises, Littlefield remembered that Webster had steered the searchers away from his privy, which was also kept locked. The janitor became convinced that Parkman's body was hidden in the privy, and after two days of work removing several layers of bricks, he peeked into the privy and saw part of the remains of the unfortunate Dr. Parkman. A thorough search of the laboratory led to the discovery of Parkman's teeth in the furnace, and his thorax and a thigh in a tea chest. Webster's trial lasted about eleven days and brought out many important figures of the day as witnesses, including Oliver Wendell Holmes and Jared Sparks. Webster was found guilty, and before his execution he admitted to the horrible crime.
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