parkman
murder
The Prosecution - Prosecuting Atorney George Bemis & Attorney General John Clifford
Like most everyone associated with the Webster trial, the prosecuting attorneys each came from distinguished families. The son of a prosperous manufacturer, George Bemis graduated from Harvard College law school. Bemis made specialized in penal reform and, early in his career, became one of the most widely respected prosecutors of his time. He was the primary chronicler, as well as the head prosecutor of the Webster trial. His version of the trial, the "Bemis Report", was received as the "official" version, and one of the most widely circulated.Bemis's co-prosecutor, John Clifford took the first steps in his budding political career at the Webster trial. Although he ran unsuccessfully for governor, Clifford eventually became governor of the Commonwealth, the president of the Massachusetts State Senate, and later was on the board at Harvard College. While Clifford was a political animal and Bemis a legal scholar and rigorous prosecutor, the consensus at the time was that their differences complimented one another, and that they argued a strong case together.
