The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-05-09
PROF. WEBSTER.
Eugene Aram and the Crime Of Murder.

During the reign of George H., al
the literary world was astonished by th'
arrest, for the high crime of murder, o
a man who had until that time been tn,
envy of the scholars of his age. Thi
person had mastered all that was thei
known of the natural sciences, and n!
antiquarian and philologist, had become
so famous, that his opinion was consid
cred final on any point under discussion
He was not wealthy, for scholarship wa.
not more productive that it is now; We
he was not in want His freside wa:
adorned with wife who had been ths
companion Of his youth. and large ant
promising family, which would probabl,
have reaped the benefit of his self-deny.
ing existence. but for the events of his
after life. The name of this man, was
Eugene Aram. 1t will be remembered
that we speak now Of the historical be-
ing, not of the hero of romance. We
have little doubts that the simple facts ol
the tale disclosed by the strange career
of this man would be far more poetical,
and make a deeper impression on the
mind, than does the touching love story
which the ideality of Bulwer has woven
into the tangled web of life, Of perhaps
his most brilliant crea ion. The quiet,
retired scholar, lost to the vanities of the
world, had, however. his own ambition,
the intensity of which alone was crime.
He was anxious to be handed down to
posterity as one who had advanced the
knowledge Of his kind, and, at great
sacrifice of all that vul gar minds hold
dear, had advanced far towards the COM
pletion of a pathological work, portion
of which is said to exist, a monument of
rarely united qualities of brilliant talent
and patient industry of the scholar. A
season of trouble came over his house
hold; he could find no relief beyond it,
for the whole country was in state of
similar difficulty. At this time man
in possession OF much money disappear
ed, after having been seen in company
with Aram. Suspicion was aroused,
and the scholar was examined; but there
being universal prejudice in his favor,
he was discharged without difficulty
Years rolled on; another king reigned,
and additional progress was L ade to-
wards the completion of the great book,
until its end was almost in sight. At
this time, Aram was again arrested on
the old charge, arraigned, tried, convict
ed and executed His defence of him
self on that trial, (for the barbarity of
the English law denied him counsel, J
will remain subject of admiration as
one Of the greatest efforts of man
strong in intellect, struggling against
fearful odds for the preservation Of his
existence. 1t drew tears from the au-
dience, and attracted the commendation
of the judges at the same time, that they
instructed the jury to disregard it.
One hundred years have rolled by,
and the world has, within very short
time, learned to think that Eugene Aram
was guikless Of murder Attention has
been called to circumstances which have
convinced two of the most powerful
minds of the day, (Sir Edward Lytton
Bulwer, and, IRE think, the learned Ser
geant Foublanque. that a judicial mur-
der was committed on the day lin Au-
gust, l779,) when Eugene Aram was
executed at York. There is little doubt
that Aram and an accomplice robbed
the missing man, but it is now almost
certain that the murder was subsequent
ly committed by Houseman, (as Bulwer
calls him in his novel, the accomplicc
of Aram: and that, though bad man,
with high requirements engraited on
evil propensities, Aram was not blood
stained.
At this time public attention is direct
ed to a tragedy which has occurred in
our own ghborhood. presenting many
similar features In each case the re-
mains of the victims were found precise
ly where they would most likely be found
in deserted hermitage and in a medi-
cal college, in each case man under
some suspicion is an accuser; in each
case, the alledged murderer and his VIC
tim are friends: in each case the accu-
ser has a worldwide reputation; in each
case the tenor of the lives of the accu-
sed would rebut suspicion Of such a
crime; and in each case stress is laid
on the proven pecuniary difficulties of
the scholars. May we not hope, then,
that in the present case, unlike the past,
timely proof may be had that the accu-
sed is innocent: or, at least. in such a
crisis, should not the public hesitate be-
fore that irredeemable blow be stricken
which reduces man who hitherto has
occupied the highest position, to that OF
the lowest Of the law: We would not
spare the guilty, but we would have
proof strong as Holy Writ, that the con-
demned is guilty, before he falls beneath
the blow of the executioner.-[N New
York Express.
William Worsdell was convicted in
Pittsburgh, last week, of an attempt to
murder MIR. John Johnson in that city.
The witness stated that he was coming
over Hand street bridge on the night OF
the 23d February, when the defendant
started up, demanded his money, fired a
pistol at him, which tore hole in bis
coat sleeve, stabbed him in the neck
cheek and eye. The defence was tha
the prisoner was stranger and in a
starving condition-the same with his
family. His last place Of residence wa:
Cincinnati. He had been Mill erite
and under the belief that the world was
to be DESTROYED soon. had sold all his