The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-11-06
A FAMOUS MURDERER,
THE TRuyH ABOUT EUGENE ARAM
AND HIS CRIME.
The Hero of Dulwer's Novel snd
Hoods E'Oem Was a Liar and .
Thief Who Abandoned Wife and
Children and Knew No RemOrse.

| Children and Knew No RemOrse,
Eugene Aram, the scholar and muir.
derer, who inspired two Of the master.
pieces of English literature-HOod's
poem and Bulwer's novel-was hanged
on Aug. 8, 1855.
The real Eugene Aram was liar and
thief. who, despite his learning, sur
rounded himself with low companions
and who was the author Of plot to kill
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.
rumstantial evidence.
Aram was born in l7O4 in Yorkshire.
By the time he was IA years old he was
regarded in the neighborhood as a prod
ICY Of learning. His fame for piety
and gcntlcness as a scholar spread, and
as result he was invited to Knares-
borough to open a school in 1874. There
n strange development took place in
Arams character. He formed an asso.
citation with drinking, turbulent crowd
Of men, the opposite Of himself. Among
them Daniel Clark, who kept little
cobbler's shop; Richard Houseman, .
fax dresser; Terry, an alehouse keeper.
and lies, pawnbroker, were prominent.
In 17i5 Clark married woman with q
small fortune of 200. 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 in
n safe place. Then after securing the
plunder 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 a wide va
riety Of articles on credit. He pretended
he was about to give a 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 a field adjoining the Md,
river near Knaresborough. All the
plate was hammered down fiat and the
smaller articles got in shape difficult of
identification under the supervision of
Aram. When Clark had "borrowed" B
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. 8, 1745, he,
Aram and Houseman went to the cave
to divide the spoils before Clark left
Aram and Clark had quarreled good
deal during the progress of predatory, op-
erations. AT the entrance to the cave
the quarrel was renewed, and Aram,
who was a man evidently of great
strength, pushed Clark away and rained
down tremendous blows on his head and
chest. Clark fell and died in moment.
Houseinan, terrified at the sight and,
as he said, afraid Of meeting the same
fate, turned and ran away. Aram did
not show 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 Clark's
body and heaped stones over the grave.
In the afternoon he went for Houseman
and threatened him il he disclosed tho
murder and made him believe he was
equally guilty in law. Aram's wifs
heard the two men whispering over tho
Iced. 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 woA
nan into the room and shoot her. Mrs. \
Aram, greatly terrified, asked no more
questions.
Clark's disappearance was not noticed
or day or two. Then the people from
whom he had borrowed" jewelry and
,late began to make inquiries. Suspi.
ion was directed at Aram in some way.
The village authorities searched his
louse and found bundle containing
,late and clothing stained with blood.
this evidence of Aram's
in an intended robbery, no ac-
ion seems to have been taken by the au-
horities, nor was it suspected that Clark
lad been murdered. The neighbors bc.
AN to jeer at the learned schoolmaster
'owever, and Aram suddenly left his
wife and children and walked TO London.
For IA years his family heard nothing
f him. lie spent the greater part OF
he time wandering about from place to
lacc, at last finding situation as usher
n school at Lynn. In June. 175S,
orse dealer who had known him in
met him in the Lynn
market Aram denied his identity. BY
singular coincidence, almost the day
he horse dealer accostcd the now gray
aired schoolteacher, skeleton was
ound by some workmen digging a pit
] Thistle hill, in Knaresborough.
A country town has Il keen recol!ec-
on Of everything that has occurred to
isturb it, and Immediately the dsap.
carance Of Clark IA years before was
Houseman, still alive, got
runk first and then joined the crowd
villagers looking at the exhumed skcl-
ton. CLARK" he said. with drunken
ravity. was never buried here"
The latter, still too drunk to realize
10 gravity Of his position, muttcred TINT
larks body would be found in St. Rob-
rt's cave. The crowd made a rush for
lat place, and soon skeleton was ex.
umed.
II did not kill him. gaspcd House.
an, now thoroughly sober and terrified.
1t was Aram. | had no part"
loUscmaR was taken to the village Jail
nd warrant was sworn out for Aram.
'hen the officers took him away from
'e school the pupils cried. The goyern-
ent nsed Houseman us a witness to =
,nvict Aram. The lattcrs speech in his
vn defense has come down complete
mastery attack on circumstantial ev. 5
'nce, showing the intellectual power Of =
'e man. Arnm made half confession =
le night before his execution, followed
' an attempt at suicide. According to
le custom OF the time his body was
isscd IL chains. and it swung In
raresboroush forest until ITS Years
ter. when the details Of his crime were
M, his remarkable career attracted
God and Bnlwer, and thus the obscure,
!.ntc1, perverted man became a part
English lteraturc.-Ch chicago Tribune.