of the
parkman
murder
November 23, 1849
Dr. George Parkman disappears, last seen walking toward Harvard Medical College to meet John Webster.
November 25, 1849
The search for Parkman intensifies over Thanksgiving. Handbills advertising a reward are put up all over the city.
December 1849
The janitor at the Medical College, Ephraim Littlefield, digs through Webster's lower chambers and unearths putrefying flesh and bones.
December 1849
John Webster is arrested for the murder of Dr. Parkman.
January 1850
John Webster is tried for the murder of Dr. Parkman.
March 1850
Webster is convicted and hanged. The public questions the integrity of the trial. The trial's official report is rewritten with the cooperation of the the three justices, including Justice Lemuel Shaw, the prosecution, and the defense.
