by Paul Collins
handwriting, expert testimony on, 198–200
Harte, Bret, xviii
Harvard Branch railway, 32, 119–20, 158
Harvard University
admissions exams, 3–5, 245–46
campus clubs and activities, 9–10
Class of 1853, 3–5, 267
commons breakfast, 7–8
curriculum, 8, 266–67
graduation program, 246
housing, 6
morning chapel, 7
“The University at Cambridge,” 162, 295n
Hasty Pudding Club, 9–10
Hathaway, John, 28–29, 280n
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, xvii, 159, 196
Henchman, the apothecary, 103
Herald. See Boston Herald
Herculean letter, 108, 134, 197, 241
Hill, Adams Sherman, 267
History of Rome, A (Schmitz), 8
Hobbs, James, 181, 308n
Holland, grocer, 48–49, 284n
Holmes, John, 5–6, 275n
Holmes, Oliver Wendell, Jr., 28
Holmes, Oliver Wendell, Sr.
anatomy lectures, 27–28, 29, 105, 133–34
“anesthesia” named, 13
Charles Dickens and, xvii, xix, 269
dean of Medical College, 18, 25–27, 65, 105–6, 145, 236
friendship with Emerson, 27
hired by Medical College, 12, 277n
Med Fac, 18, 27
on Parkman, 268
Phineas Gage and, 18
as a physician, xix, 27
Sarah Furber and, 25–26
and search for Parkman, 65–66
as writer, 27, 267
Homans, Charles, 244
Horsford, Eben, 145–46
Houghton, Jonathan, 47
Howard Athenaeum, 84, 290n
Hufeland, Madam, 54, 285n
Hymns (Samuel Longfellow), 253
Independent Order of Boston Reporters, 67
Irish Secretary, The, 84
Irving, Washington, 158
Jackson, Charles T., 143, 185–87, 189
Jackson, John B. S., 106, 277n
Jones, Edward C., 264
Jones, police officer, 221, 223
Journal. See Boston Daily Journal
Kaczynski, Ted (“Unabomber”), 322n
Keats, John, 254
Keep, Nathan Cooley, 143, 175, 187–88, 189, 190–91, 204, 210
Kennedy, Anthony, 262
kindling, 86, 184
King, Edward, 267
Kingsley, Charles
hired by Parkman, 44
murder complaint against Webster, 149
search for Parkman, 50–51, 56–58, 60, 65–66, 73, 108–9, 116, 134
Knight, Antonio Emanuel, 247, 251, 318n
“L’Allegro” (Milton), 88–89
laughing gas (nitrous oxide), 10, 13
Laws of Harvard University, 7
Leverett Street Jail, 121, 124, 139, 158, 225, 297n
Lewis, Winslow, 143, 190, 191, 228–29
Littlefield, Caroline
and Ephraim’s investigations, 82, 99–101, 109, 110
mornings in quarters, 81, 99, 102–3
and police, 116
Thanksgiving shopping and preparation, 83–84, 85, 99, 289n
Littlefield, Ephraim
after Webster’s conviction, 224, 230, 249–50, 266
blood obtained for Webster’s lectures, 27, 29, 85
breaking into Webster’s privy, 100–102, 105–7, 110–11, 182
discovery of Parkman’s remains, 111, 115–16, 117
dissecting room disposal vault, 21–23, 25
duties in Medical College, 21, 81–82, 85, 159–60, 192
family quarters, 23
and hot wall of Webster’s lab, 85–86, 109, 193
investigations of Webster’s lab, 82, 99–100
and locked doors of Webster’s lab, 82–83, 85–86, 87, 100, 109, 193
offer to buy watch from student, 147
and police search in lab, 125–26
police search of family quarters, 73
quicklime order, 85
and Sarah Furber, 25–26, 106
search for Parkman, 60, 62, 65–66, 100–101, 110–11
suspected in Parkman murder, 146–47, 264
Thanksgiving shopping and preparation, 83–84, 85, 99, 289n
turkey from Webster, 84, 99, 100, 193, 213, 289n
at Webster’s trial, 192–96, 212–13, 214–15
Webster’s visit, 102–3
Lombard, Daniel, Jr., 75, 289n
Longfellow, Frances “Fanny,” 30, 31, 146, 187, 250, 317n
Longfellow, Henry
Cambridge Musical Association, 35, 160
on the Cambridge Tragedy, 152
Charles Dickens and, xvii, xviii, 270
Egyptian mummy and, 236
evening at Deacon House, 35–37
friendship with Emerson, 159
on Harvard Branch railway, 158
Modern Languages department, 32–35
Mount Auburn Cemetery, 30–32
new Harvard students and, 5
and Pietro Bachi, 33, 35
visit to Webster in jail, 158–60
Webster’s arrest and, 137–38, 300n
Longfellow, Mary, 31
Longfellow, Samuel, 253
Lowell, James Russell, 275n
manservant’s theft from Parkman, 44–45, 52–53
Marietta, or The Two Students, 23–24
Marsh test, 14, 27
Massachusetts General Hospital, 13, 20, 27
Matins and Vespers (Bowring), 253
McCarty, Dennis, 293n
McGuire, Francis, 267
McNab, James, 25–26
Med Fac, 17–18, 27
Medical College (Harvard)
land donated by George Parkman, 11, 46, 47, 101, 151–52
medical building, about, 11–12
medical building, opening, 23
start of term in November, 6, 11
wooden model of, 181–82, 189, 266, 308n
medical jurisprudence, 14, 144
Medical Jurisprudence (Taylor), 144
medicine, changes in, 20, 279n
Melville, Herman, xviii, 171, 196
Merrick, Pliny
after Webster’s conviction, 234, 237, 263
during Webster’s trial, 171, 200, 210, 211–13, 217, 222, 224, 263–64
mesmerists, 71–72, 161–62, 205–6
Miller, George, trial of, 198
Millerite end-of-times sect, 84
missing persons, searching for, 70–73
Mitchell, Donald (Ik Marvel), 236
Morse, Samuel, 185
Morton, William, 204
Mount Auburn Cemetery, 30–32
Murphy, Michael, 293n
Mystery of Edwin Drood, The (Dickens), 269–70
New Orleans Delta, 165
New York Globe, 170
New-York Tribune, xviii, 267
Nye, Amelia, 264
O’Connor, Madame, 148
“Old Grimes is dead,” 140–41
one-year-delay law for death penalty, 248–49, 265
Oregon Trail, The (Francis Parkman Jr.), 68
Oronoka letter, 165–66
Parker, Samuel Dunn, 124–25, 126, 127, 133
Parker’s Restaurant, 144, 147, 149, 225, 232
Park, John C., 52–53
Parkman, Francis, 51–52, 54–56, 62, 68, 182–83, 250
Parkman, Francis, Jr., 68
Parkman, George
on asylums and the insane, 68–69, 150–51
Boston Society for Medical Improvement, 19, 46
career in medicine, 46–47, 68
dentures, 73, 143, 187–88, 190
estate of, 55
as expert witness in murder cases, 69
funeral, 150–52
home, 41, 282n
land donated for Medical College, 11, 46, 47, 101, 151–52
lettuce left at Holland’s grocery, 48–49, 58, 72, 174, 284n
mental derangement or aberration rumored, 67–68, 216
Merchant Bank visit, 43–44
money received from Webster, 61–62
morning visitor, 41, 51, 61
old manservant’s imprisonment for theft, 44–45, 52–53
real estate and business dealings, 44, 47, 151–52, 302n
and Robert Shaw, 41–43, 44, 177
Suffolk County Jail land sale, 47
suicidal impulses and, 69, 72
walk through Boston on November 23, 41–43, 44–49, 56–57
see also search for George Parkman
Parkman, George, Jr., 48, 50
Parkman, Mrs. George, 50–51, 181, 321n
Parkman, Samuel, 43, 152
Parkman’s remains, discovery and recovery
below Webster’s privy, 111, 115–16, 117, 127, 175, 182
forensic examination, 143
in tea chest, 134–35, 175
teeth and bone in lab furnace, 126–27, 134, 175, 186
Patrick (McGowan, Parkman’s manservant), 41, 50–51
Patten, Robert (Parkman’s former manservant), 44–45, 52–53
Pearson, Daniel, 248, 249, 251
Peirce, Benjamin, 5, 35, 145–46, 147, 150, 232, 244, 268
Percy, Pamela, 47
Perkins, James G., 71–72, 161, 288n
Perley’s Pic-Nic, 137
Phillips, Charles, 264
Phillips, Edward, 171
Phrenological Collection, 104–5, 294n
phrenology, 104–5, 170
Pierce, Charles, 53
Poe, Edgar Allan, 70
Powers, Michael, 64
Pratt, Jabez, 127, 134–35, 155, 298n
Prescott family, 91, 94, 144
Prisoners’ Friend, 248
Proposals for Establishing a Retreat for the Insane (George Parkman), 68
Putnam, George, 231–32, 238–40, 242, 254, 256–57, 317n
quicklime, 85, 269
Quincy, Josiah, Jr., 10, 151
Quincy, Josiah, Sr., 10, 151
reasonable doubt, 219–20, 234, 262
Redding & Co., 162, 169
Revere, Edward H. Robbins, 277n
Revere, Paul, 12, 187
Review of the Webster Case, by a Member of the New York Bar, A (Hall), 234, 316n
reward offered by Parkman family, 69–70, 75, 93–94, 99, 195, 230, 249
Reynolds, John Philips, 277n
ribwort, 267
Rice, police officer, 99
rioting, 8, 96, 98, 139–40
rumors and sightings of Parkman, 62–63, 70, 76, 98–99, 103, 120, 141, 204–6
runaways, searching for, 70–71
Salem Register, 97
Sanderson, night policeman, 94
Sawin, Mr., 85, 100
search for George Parkman
by Blake, 51–53, 54
dragging the river with grappling hooks, 87, 94, 98–99, 120
by Francis Parkman, 51–53, 54–56
handbills posted, 60, 67, 69–70, 93, 121, 175, 181, 195
by Kingsley, 50–51, 56–58, 60, 65–66, 73, 108–9, 116, 134
by Littlefield, 60, 62, 65–66, 100–101, 110–11
by neighborhood men, 62–63
newspaper notices, 55–56, 285n
by police, in lab, 73–75, 125–27
reward offered by Parkman family, 69–70, 75, 93–94, 99, 195, 230, 249
Robert Gould Shaw, 50–53, 54–56
rumors and sightings, 62–63, 70, 76, 98–99, 103, 120, 141, 204–6
by Tukey, 55–56, 60, 65–66
Webster and, 60–61, 110
see also Parkman, George; Parkman’s remains, discovery and recovery
searching for missing persons, 70–73
Seaside and the Fireside, The (Henry Longfellow), 30, 31
sentencing of John Webster, 225–26
Shaw, Lemuel
after verdict, 224, 226, 236, 262, 265
instructions to jury, 218–20, 234, 261–62
speculation about chloroform use, 219, 262
during Webster’s trial, 171, 172, 174, 188, 198–99, 216
Shaw, Robert Gould
business deals with Parkman, 44, 151
daughters, 42–43
net worth of, 55
search for George Parkman, 50–53, 54–56
testimony at trial, 176–79
walk with George Parkman, 41–43, 51, 177
Shaw, Samuel, 4
Shirley (Brontë), 158
skeleton boxes for anatomy lessons, 28
Slasher and Crasher, 10
sledgehammer missing from college cellar, 100, 193, 241, 249, 250
Snelling, William Joseph, 287n
Society for the Abolition of Capital Punishment, 248, 250
Sohier, Edward
about, 171, 200
after Webster’s conviction, 229, 234, 237, 263, 315n
“Civis” letter and, 209
during Webster’s trial, 177–78, 194–95, 198, 201–2, 217, 222, 263–64, 310n
Sparks, Jared, 5, 159, 202–3, 236, 244
Spear, Charles, 248
Spear, John, 247–48
Spurr, police officer, 119, 226–27
Starkweather, police officer, 109, 119, 122–23, 126–27, 134, 297n
Stone, James, 143, 229
Strong, Woodbridge, 182, 183–85, 212
Sumner, Charles, 159
Sunday Train Bill, 60, 286n
Talbot, Benjamin, 99
Taylor, Franklin, 72
Taylor, Zachary, 245
Thanksgiving, foods for, 95, 292n
theft
of candlewicks from store, 66
by Daniel Lombard Jr., 75, 289n
housebreaking on Thanksgiving, 98
from Mr. Hobbs’s shop, 98, 293n
by Parkman’s manservant, 44–45, 52–53
pickpockets at omnibus stops, 119–20
of watches, 66, 75
Thompson, George, 233, 265
Thompson, William (Registry of Deeds messenger), 70, 72, 204–6, 209
Thoreau, Henry David, xvii, 33, 248
Treadwell, Daniel, 204, 232
Tremont House hotel fire, 188–89
Trenholm, George, 109–10, 116–17, 118
trial of John Webster
Charles T. Jackson’s testimony, 185–86
Clifford’s closing argument, 213–16
Clifford’s opening argument, 174–76
crowds, 168, 169–70, 180–81, 190, 200, 211
Ephraim Littlefield’s testimony, 192–96, 212–13
Francis Tukey’s testimony, 181–82
Gustavus Andrews’s testimony, 197
Jared Sparks’s testimony, 203
Jeffries Wyman’s testimony, 183, 212
jury selection, 171–73
jury sequestration, 180, 196
jury tour of Medical College, 180–81
Marianne Webster’s testimony, 203–4
Merrick’s closing argument, 211–13
names and dates, summary, 167
Nathaniel Gould’s testimony, 197–99
Nathan Keep’s testimony, 187–88, 190–91
published transcripts of, 229–30, 261–62
Robert Shaw’s testimony, 176–79
Shaw’s instructions to jury, 218–20, 234, 261–62
Sohier’s opening argument, 201–2
verdict, 223, 224
Webster’s trial speech, 217–18, 237
William Morton’s testimony, 204
William Thompson’s testimony, 204–6
Woodbridge Strong’s testimony, 183–85, 212
Tukey, Francis
about, 53–54, 64–65, 96–97, 285n
constable roll call and, 59
crank letters and clues received, 66–67, 70, 107–8
and discovery of Parkman’s remains, 116–18
home as 1820
murder scene, 63–64
licensing and numbering of hansom cabs, 103
rescue in Dearborn Block collapse, 53, 64
rescue of printer’s apprentice, 53–54
rioting and, 96
search for Parkman, 55–56, 60, 65–66
testimony at trial, 181–82
yellow envelope with letter received, 66–67
Twain, Mark, 261
vault below Webster’s privy
breaking into, 100–102, 105–7, 110–11, 182
Parkman’s remains in, 111, 115–16, 117, 127, 175, 182
repair, 25
Ware, Dr. (John), 160–61
Warren, John, 104–5
watches
Parkman’s, 76, 77, 108, 241
theft of, 66, 75
wax figure exhibitions, 230, 249, 266, 323n
Webster, Catherine, 90, 225, 261
Webster, Daniel, 263
Webster, Harriet
after John’s death, 259–61, 321n
after John’s trial, 225, 232–33, 242–43, 252
bundle sent by John, 150, 197, 217
extra money earned, 163–64, 259–60, 305n
at home during Cunningham party, 90
housework, 88
during John’s imprisonment, 163–66
and police search of Webster home, 131
visits to jail, 233, 252
Webster, Hattie, 89, 90, 92, 94, 225, 233, 261
Webster, John White
arraignment, 147–49
arrest, 118–25, 297n
attempt to blame Littlefield, 244, 249, 264
bundle sent to wife, 150
burial, 266
Cambridge Musical Association, 35, 160
chemistry lectures, 13, 26–27
confession, 238–42, 243, 264, 317n
Davy Society, 10
debts, 131–32
execution, 254–57
financial affairs, 146, 178–79, 228
funeral, 259
gardening, 21, 89–90
hand cut trimming grapevines, 21, 90
as hired expert in murder cases, 14, 27, 170
at home in Cambridge, 30, 88
in-laws and extended family, 91–92
in jail after arrest, 128–29, 138–39, 144–47, 158–60
in jail after conviction, 225, 231–32, 233
letters from jail, 149–50, 158, 197, 228–29, 233, 250
manner at his trial, 170, 189, 210
meals in jail, 144–45, 147, 221, 232
money paid to Parkman, 61–62
at Mrs. Cunningham’s party, 90–91, 92
open-air gym on Harvard’s grounds, 89, 291n
as Parkman’s morning visitor, 61
pocket contents after arrest, 122, 129–30
and police search in lab, 73–74, 125–27
preparations for execution, 252–54
search for Parkman, 60–61, 110
sentencing, 225–26
strychnine taken, 123, 228, 241
taken to lab after arrest, 125–27