True Crime Writing -- The Book

Trial Transcript

2006-08-28T04:51:00.000-07:00

I have started to re-read Bemis's transcript of the trial to see if I missed anything. The Massachusetts D.A. Clifford really hammered Webster in his opening remarks for the prosecution. But the coroner's jury and the grand jury did that before the trial. Webster didn't have a chance. As one member of the trial jury said (he reported after the trial): "Is this all we have from the defense? We had no choice but to convict the professor." -- or words to that effect.

HOOT!! This morning I get to take left-overs to the dump, aka transfer station. There's not a whole lot, though. Speaking of "hoot", we spotted a couple of dozen Canadian geese heading south yesterday afternoon. The swooped about 100 meters over our house, honking like they were happy or something.

True Crime Writing -- The Book

2006-08-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

True Crime Writing -- The Book
Didn't get much of a chance to write yesterday. We spent all day on the garage sale which was quite a success. There is still stuff left over, so I have to gather that along with the miscellaneous card tables and tote it to the basement. There is one item that we couldn't even give away: a X-C ski machine that is supposed to be for exercising. Don't need that much exercise. Guess it'll go to the dump.

True Crime Writing -- The Book

2006-08-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

True Crime Writing -- The Book
The garage sale is going pretty well. It's now about 5:30 pm and we've made a little over $300. Raining off and on during the day.

Now, about The Book.... I found out that the Websters have a family plot in Mt. Auburn cemetery in Boston. Two little kids are buried there along with Webster's father and mother, etc. Two kids are John who died at age 18 months and Harriet who died at age 10. After Harriet died, they had another daughter, and they named her Harriet.

Got a copy of Webster's probate file. Lists everything that he owned. Harriet (Mrs. Webster) owed money after all the bills were paid. She was awarded $450 for her troubles as administatrix of the estate. First thing she had to do was pay George Parkman, Jr. the entire amount he had borrowed from Parkman... $1,200 I think.

The Latest

2006-08-24T06:20:00.000-07:00

We're having a garage sale, so the past couple of days have been prepping for that. Meanwhile, I've discovered some interesting things about Ephraim Littlefield. Fiest off, he got the reward money for finding Parkman's body in Webster's indoor outhouse, aka "the privey", even though at the trial he testified to never wanting the money. After the trial, he had a model of the Leverett St. jail built, and took that plus wax models of Webster and Parkman to NYC where he exhibited them for a fee, of course.

The plot thickens!! I have little doubt that Littlefield did the dastardly deed.

What I've done so far

2006-08-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

The Murder of Andrew Sigler was published in August, 2005 by Dog Ear Press. Since then it has sold more than 700 copies. Not a big deal you say, but I'm impressed. It is a book about a woman caught in an abusive relationship and her only way out ...is only a bullet away. The story takes place in Hurley, Wisconsin, in the mid-1920s. The book won an Honorable Mention in the IPPY Awards (one of twelve best books from indeoendent publishers).

I'm working on another true crime titled "Resurrectionist Man". Dr. George Parkman was murdered in 1849 in Boston. Professor John White Webster was executed for the murder, but I doubt if he killed Parkman. There are many glaring inconsistencies about the crime. The custodian of the medical college, Ephraim Littlefield, was responsible. When I researched the case, I discovered that Littlefield had motive, means and opportunity. The title "Resurrectionist Man" came from Littlefield's sideline profession: supplying bodies to the Harvard Medical School where he had his residence and Webster was Professor of Chemistry.

Like my first true crime book, this one melds fact with fiction.