Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1908-06-27
EUGENE ARAM'S LIFE,
The Remarkable Career OF This
Famous Murderer.
A SCHOLAR ANDA SC0UNDREl
The Hero Of BuIwer's Novel and
Hoods Poem Was Really a Vile
Criminal 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 literature - Hoods
poem and Bulwer's novel-was hanged
on Aug. 6, 1855.
Aram was born In 1904 in York
shire. By the time he was fourteen
years old he was regarded in the neigh
borhood as prodigy of learning. His
fame for piety and gentleness as
scholar spread, and as a result he was
invited to Knaresborough to open
school in 1874. There a strange de-
velopment took place in Aram's char
acter. He formed an association with
drinking, turbulent crowd OF men,
the opposite Of himself, among them
Daniel Clark, who kept a little COB
blers shop, and Richard Houseman,
fax dresser.
In 1745 Clark married woman with
q small fortune Of $1,000. Immediately
he and his companions devised a
scheme to rob her and her friends.
Clark was to obtain all the goods he
could on credit and hand them over 10
Aram and Houseman, who were to de-
posit them in a safe place. Then after
recurring the plunder Clark was to de-
camp, leaving his wife to Shift for her-
self, and the property was to be sold
and divided among the three men.
Clark went about procuring a wide
variety Of articles on credit He pre-
tended he was about to give a great
wedding feast and borrowed silver
tankards, salvers, spoons, etc, from
whoever would lend them. AS fast
as the different articles were obtained
Clark, accompanied by Aram and
Houseman, carried them to a place
called st. Roberts cave.
When Clark had "borrowed' about
everything valuable his acquaintance
had to lend, the plotters decided 1t 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
operations. At the entrance to the
cave the quarrel was renewed, ano
Aram pushed Clark away and raineo
down tremendous blows on his head
and chest. Clark fell dead.
Houseman, terrified at the sight and
as he said, afraid Of meeting the same
fate. turned and ran away. Aram dlC
not show a particle of remorse or rear
He gathered up the booty and carried
II TO his house, where he buried part o.
It In the garden. He buried Clark !
body and heaped stones over the grave
In the afternoon he went for House
man and threatened him If he disclosed
the murder and made him believe III
was equally guilty in law.
Clarks disappearance was not no
ticed for a day or two. Then the peo
pie from whom he had borrowed
iewelry and plate began to make IN
ouiries. Suspicion was directed u
Aram in some way. The village au
thorities searched his house and toun'
bundle containing battered plate ant
clothing stained with blood. Notwith
standing this, no action seems to hav
been taken by the authorities, nor wa
It suspected that Clark had been muI
dered. The neighbors began to 1eer a
the learned schoolmaster, however, ant
Aram suddenly left his wife and chi
dren and walked to London.
For fourteen years his family hear
nothing of him. He spent the create
part of the time wandering about fror
place to place, at last finding situa
tion as usher in a school at Lynn. l
June. 1853. a horse dealer who Ia
; known him in Knaresborough met MI
j in the Lynn market Aram denied III
identity. By a singular coincidence
almost the day the horse dealer accos
ed the now gray haired schoolteache
I a skeleton was found by some wori
men digging a pit in Thistle bill,
KnaresbOrough.
y A country town has keen recolle
ton Of everything that has occurre
3 TO disturb it, and Immediately the oil
appearance Of Clark fourteen veal
before was remembered. Housema
still alive, got drunk first and the
ioined the crowd Of villagers looklr
1- at the exhumed skeleton. "Clark,"
)r said with drunken gravity, "was new
y buried here"
a. The latter, still too drunk to realii
t. the gravity of his position, muttert
% that Clark's body would be found In
." Roberts cave. The crowd made
I'd rush for that place, and soon skel
T. ton was exhumed.
le 81 did not kill himp' gasped Hous
or man. now thoroughly sober and ter
OF fed "It was Aram. had no part"
Houseman was taken to the villa
to iail. and a warrant was sworn out
|" Aram. When the officers took ri
away from the school the pupils erie
;" The government used Houseman as
1e witness to convict Aram. The lattel
th speech In his own defense has col
"a down complete-a mastery attack
circumstantial evidence, showing I
. intellectual power Of the man. Ara
made q half confession the night
fore his execution, followed by an
VI VI tempt at suicide. According to I
eh custom Of the time, his body W
ne hanged in chains, and it swung
Knaresborough forest until 177S. YET
ei a later, when the details of his cril
- were dim, his remarkable career
nc w tracted Hood and Bulwer, and thus
~, 70 obscure, talented, perverted man
~ ~ came a part Of English literature
H. Exchange.