Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-02-22
larriage, he had added to the embarrassment Of

man who associated with such low persens a,
Clarke and Houseman was deeply skilled ia the
ancient and modern languages, including the
Hebrew, Arabic and Celtic, and was alike con-
versant in the belles-letters in antiquities, and
in several branches of modern science. our won
der amounts almost to disbelief; yet there can
be no doubt of the fact. He had even, before
his apprehension, advanced great way in a
comparative polyglot lexicon, upon new, and,
for that age, profound plan, in which it seems
not unlikely that, if it had been CARRIED into
effect, he might have anticipated some of the
honors of the German philologists. He had
also composed several tracts upon British antiq-
ities. In fiction grounded upon his story by
one Of the most delightful of modern novelists,
his thirst for knowledge is seized with admirable
art as means Of palliating his crime he is
there represented as entering into the base plans
of his accomplices, for the purpose of supplying
the means of study. But no such motive can
be traced in his real story, which simply sets
him down as remarkable example of capacity
and talent, degraded, lost through moral i'm
trinity. Yet, even while we execrate the afro.
cious guilt of Aram, such is the homage we
naturally yield to intellectual superiority, such
the sympathy we accord to the painful strug-
giles of the mind devoted to knowledge, that he
has never been reckoned ono Of the herd of Or
binary criminals In Caulfeld's Portraits there
is genuine likeness of this singular man--an
intellectual but melancholy countenanoe, form
ing touching commentary on his history.
At the trial of Aram, which took place be-
fore the York assizes, on the Sd of August, 1859.
Richard Houseman was admitted king s evidence,
and gave a minute narration of the murder,
slightly distorted, it was supposed, in order to
tighten his own share of the blame. According
to the witness, Clarke had received his wife's
fortune, amounting to one hundred and sixty
pounds, on the night before he was murdered.
He called at Aram's s with this sum in his pook-
ct, and also carrying the plate which he had
obtained among his friends. He and House
man, at the request Of Aram walked out in
the direction of ST. Roberts Cave, where the
party had no sooner arrived than Aram knock
ed down Clarke and murdered him. House.
man, according to his own account, then re-
tired but it afterwards appeared that he had
assisted in burying the body in the cave. The
Aram 8 house and burnt, but not without be-
traying the secret to Mrs. Aram After this
and other evidence had been given, Aram de-
livered written defence, in which he endeavor-
cd, by the exercise of much ingenuity and a
show of curious learning, to make up for the
want of exculpatory evidence.
g First, my lord, the whole tenor Of my con-
duet Of life contradicts every particular of this
indictment. Yet had never said this, did not
my present circumstances extort it from nae land
seem to make it necessary. Permit me here, my
lord, to call upon malignity itself, 80 long and
cruelty busiedin this prosecution, to charge upor
nae any immortality of which prejudice was moi
the author. No, my lord, concerted nc
schemes of fraud, projected no violence, injured
no mans person or property My days were
honestly laborious, my nights intensely studi
ous And humbly conceive my notice of this
especially at this time, will not be thought i'm,
pertinent Or unreasonable, but at least deserv.
ing some attention; because, my lord, that any
person, after temperate use of life, series Of
thinking and acting regularly and without one
single deviation from sobriety, should plunge
into the very depth of proAigacy precipitately
and at once, is altogether improbable and un
precedented, and absolutely inconsistent with
the course of things Mankind are never cor
rupted at once vilanly is always progressive
and declines from right, step by step, till ever.
regard of problty is lost, and every sense o
all moral obligation totally perishes.
"Again, my lord, suspicion of this kind
which nothing but malevolence could entertain
and Ignorance propagate, is violently opposed
by my very situation at that time, with respec
to health for, bat little space before, I hat
been confined to my bed, and suffered under
: very long and severe disorder, and was not able
for half year together, 80 much as to walk
The distemper left me- indeed, yet slowly ant
in part but so macerated, so enfeobled, that
was reduced to crutches, and was so fur from
, being well about the time l am charged Will
this fact, that never till this day perfectly re
, covered. Could, then, any person in this con
/ dition take anything into his head 80 unlikely
t SO extravagant9 ], past the vigor of my age
0 feeble and valetudinary, with no inducement t
engage, no ability to accomplish, no wcapo
1 wherewith to perpetrate such fact withou
0 interest, without power, without motive, with
q out means.
f =" Besides, it must needs occur to every on
+ that an action of this atrocious nature is nevt
o heard OF, but. when its springs are laid opcr
y it appears that it was to support some inds
: lence, or supply some luxury; to satisfy som
r avarice, or obligo some malice; to prevent som
y real or imaginary want; yet lay not under tn
It influence Of any one of these. Surely, my lore
q may, consistent with both truth and modest,
n affirm thus much and none who have any v,
t, racity, and knew me, will ever question this.
!, lie then endeavors, by instances, to show ths
70 the disappearance of man is but an imperfe,
argument for the supposition of his being dead
d " Permit me next, my lord, to observe Ii
of tie upon the bones which have been dscovere,
Of 1t is said, which perhaps is saying very far, th
to these are the skeleton of man. 1t is possibl
Or indeed, they may be; but is there any certa
h- known criterion which incontestably disti
of guishes the sex in human bones! Let it
le considered, my lord, whether the ascertainir
as OF this point ought not to procede any attem
I'd to identify them