The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-11-17
A FAMOUS MURDERER
THE TRUTH AecyT EUGENE ARAM
AND HIS CRIME.

The Hero of Bulwer's Novel and
Hoods Poem Was a Liar and q
Thief Who Abandoned Wife and
Children and Knew No RemOrse.
Eugene Aram, the scholar and muir
derer, who inspired two Of the master
pieces of English observation-disclosures
poem and Bulwer's novel-was hanged
on Aug. 6, 1T5G.
The real Eugene Aram was liar and
u thief, who, despite his learning, sur
rounded himself with low companions
and who was the author Of plot to kill
q shoemaker for the sake Of little mon
ey. He abandoned his wife and chill.
dren to shift for themselves for IA years,
and on trial for Lis life, instead of show
ing remorse, he conducted his own de
Tense in a most mastery attack on Cir
cumstantial evidence.
Aram was born in tI04 in Yorkshire.
By the time he was ii years old he was
regarded In the neighborhood as q prod
ICY Of learning. His fame for piety
and genGeness as a scholar spread, and
as q result he was invited to Knares.
borough to open n school in 1874. There
strange development took place in
Aram's character. He formed an ASSOC
citation with drinking, turbulent crowd
Of men, the opposite of himself. Among
them Daniel Clark, who kept little
cobblcrs shop; Richard Houseman, 4
fax dresser; Terry, IN alehouse keeper,
and Hes, pawnbroker, were prominent.
In 1T4j Clark married i woman with
small fortune OF ZOO. Immediately he
and his companions devised scheme
to rob her and her friends. Clark was
to obtain all the goods he could on
credit and hand them over. to Aram and
Houseman, who were to deposit them il
n safe place. Then after securing the
plumber Clark was to decamp, leaving
his wife to shift for herself, and the
property was to be sold and divided be-
tween the three men. This was the
scheme in which the noble Eugene Aram
of Lord Lytton was to and did bear his
full part.
Clark went about procuring wide va
riety of articles OIL credit. He pretended
he was about to give Il great wedding
feast and borrowed silver tankards,
salvers, spoons, etc, from whomever
would lend them. AS fast as the differ
ent articles were obtained Clark, accom-
panied by Aram and Houseman. carried
them to place called st. Roberts cave,
situated in Il field adjoining the Md, a
river near knaresborough. All the
plate was hammered down fiat and the
smaller articles got in a shape difficult OF
identification under the supervision of
Aram. When Clark had borrowed"
about everything valuable his acquaint-
ances had to lend, the plotters decided it
was time for him to disappear. So in
the early morning of Feb. s, 1745, he.
Aram and HouseLan went to the cave
to divide the spoils before Clark left.
Aram and Clark had quarreled good
deal during the progress Of predatory OPP
erations. At the entrance to the cave
the quarrel was renewed, and Aram.
who was Il man evidently of great
strength, pushed Clark away and rained
down tremendous blows on his head and
chest Clark fell and died in 4 moment.
Houseman, terrified at the sight and,
rs he said, afraid Of meeting the Same
fate, turned and ran away. Aram did
not show Il particle of remorse or fear.
He gathered up the booty and carried
it to his house, where he buried part OF
it in the garden. He buried Clarks
body and heaDcd stones over the grave.
In the afternoon he went for Houseman
and threatened him if he disclosed the
murder and made him believe he was
equally guilty in law. Aram's wife
heard the two mon whispering over the
deed. She told Houseman she believed
her husband had made way with Clark.
Houseman told the gentle Aram. where
upon he said they could admit the wo.
man into the room aud shoot her. Mrs
Aram, greatly terrified, asked no moro
questions.
Clark's disappearance was not noticed
for day or two. Then the people from
whom he had BORROWED jcwelry and
plate began to make inquiries. Suspi-
cion was directed at Aram in some way.
The village authorities searched his
house and found bundle containing
plate and clothing stained with blood.
Notwithstanding this evidence of Aram's
completely in an intended robbery, no ac-
ton gems to have been tsken BY the au-
thorities. nor was 1t suspected that Clark
had been murdered. The neighborE be-
gan to jeer at the learned schoollnaSter.
however, and Aranl suddenly left his
wife and children and walked to London.
For II years his family heard nothing
the time wandering about from place to
place, at last finding n situation as usher
in u school at Lynn. In June, 1853, 4
horse dealer who had known him in
KnaresbOrouCh met him in the Lynn
market Aram denied his identity. BY
a singular coincidence, almost the day
the horse dealer accosted the now gray
haired schoolteGcher, skeleton was
found by some workmen digging n pit
in Thistle hill, in k2aresborough.
A country town has n Keen rccollec-
ton Of everything that has occurred to
disturb it, and Immediately the disap-
pearance Of Clark II years before was
remembered. Houscman, still alive, got
drunk first and then joined the crowd
Of villagers looking at the cxhumed skei-
eton. CLARK" he said. with drunken
gravity. was never buried here"
The latter, still too drunk to realize
the gravity of his position. muttcreG that
Clark's body would lie found i'll st. Rob
ert's cave. The crowd made rush for
that place, and soon a skeleton was ex-
humed.
II did mt kill him." gaspcd House
man, now thoroughly sober and terrified.
at was Aram. had no part"
Houseman was taken to the village Jail
When the officers took him away from
the school the pupils cried. The govern
ment used Houavinan rs witness to
convict Aram. The Iattcr's speech in his
own defense has come down complete
q mastery attack on circumstantial evil
lence, showing the intellectual power of
the man. Aranl made half confession
the night before his execution. followed
by an attempt at suicide. According to
the custom Of the time his body was
hanged in chains. and it swung in
Knarcsborongh forest until ITS. Years
later, when the details of his crime were
dim, his remarkable career attracted
Hood and Bulwer. and thus the obscure,
talented. perverted man became a part
of English observation-disclosures Tribune.
some should always breathe through
the nose when asleep" says n physician.
II you awake and find your mouth open,
get up ana shut II.