The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-04-20

der one Daniel Clark, a shoemaker,
and conceal his body. His motive, as
Aram alleged after bis trial, was re-
yenge on his wife's paramour, but it
was in evidence that he got from his
crime the whole of Clark's wife's dow
ry, to the amount of f16O. In fact,
Aram looks, when viewed in the most
candid light, TO have been one of those
hypocritical and cold blooded Williams
OF ability who sometimes appear TO
disgrace humanity. Fourteen years
after the murder, peasant, digging
stones for lime kiln in the neighbor.
hood, found human skeleton two feet
| below ground, with the frame so well
kept together as to enable it to be seen
that the body had been bent and buried
double. As Clark had never been
seen alive since l744, and as Arams
wife had formerly thrown out dark
hints that he had been murdered, pub.
lic suspicion was aroused, and an in
quest was held upon the bones. At
this inquest she was summoned, and
testified that she thought Clark was
murdered by Aram and Houseman.
When taken before the Coroner,
Housman was in great confusion,
trembled, changed color, and faltered
IN speech, under examination. The
Coroner desired him to take up one of
the bones before him to take up one
OF the bones before him, thinking to
see what further results would follow.
Taking up one of the bones, he said
This is no more Dan Clark's bone
than it is mine" These words were
40 pronounced az to convince those
present, not that Houseman believed
Clarke was alive, but that he knew
very well where his bones lay. Qf the
reader will read Housemans words
aloud, with strong emphasis on the
word this, he will see little what
hey might be made to mean.) After
some evasions, he finally broke down
and confessed that Aram an1 he had
murdered Clarke, and though these
we're not his bones, they might be found
where they were buried, at dead of
night, in st. Roberts cave, near where
the bones were found, adding that
Clarke's head lay to the right in the
trn at the entrance of the cave. Up
on search, skeleton was found exact
ly as described. Aram himself was
arrested while acting as usher of
school at Lynn in Norfolk. Upon trial
Houseman was used as Kings witness
-Aram defended himself in written
speech full of fact and antiquarian
lore, in which, with a skill beyond
most lawyers, he probed into the weak
points of the circumstantial evidence
against him, urging the great uncer-
tainty of its being Clarke's body, since
ST. Roberts cave had been a place of
hermits, who very likely, according to
their custom, had buried there. He
was convicted and afterwards confess
ed his crime. Failing in an attempt al
suicide with razor, he was nursed
back to life sufficiently to be hanged
and his body sent to rot in chains at
knaresborough, near the scene of his
crime. So perished one of the most
learned criminals of the world. Crime
comes and sometimes may strike very
close to any one of us. 1t is, above
all, necessary that punishment also
should be made swift and sure. This
result is reached by the careful and
scientific study of evidence, especially
on its circumstantial side. Upon a
vide view of the history of crime in
this world, it may be safely said thai,
punishment, though slow is sure, and
If justice, what the old Greeks said of
God, that he comes with leaden feet,
but strikes with an iron hand.