Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1908-07-01
EUGENE ARAM'S LIFE.
The Remarkable Career of This
Famous Murderer.
A SCHOLAR AND A ScoUNDREL
The Hero of Bulwer's Novel and
Hoed's roem Was Really q Vile
Criminal Who Abandoned Wife and
Children and Knew No Remorse.


Hoed's Poem Was Really 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 novcl-was hanged
on Aug. @. 1876.
Aram was born In 1TO4 i'm YORK.
shire. BY the time he was fourteen
years old he was regarded i'm the neigh
borhood as n prodigy OF learning. His
tame for piety and gentleness as a
scholar spread. and as result he was
invited to Knaresborough to open n
school in 1884 There a strange de-
velopment took place in Aram's char
acter- He formed an association with
a drinking. turbulent crowd of men.
the opposite OF himself. among them
Daniel Clark, who kept n little cob
hiers shop. and Richard Houseman. n
FAX dresser.
In lt4o Clark married woman with
n small fortune OF $1,000. Immediately
he and his companions devised
scheme 10 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 de-
post them in 4 safe place. Then after
securing the plumber 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. sSlvers. spoons. etc. from
whoever would lend them As fast
as the different articles were obtained
Clark. accompanied 10y Aram and
Houseman. carried them to n place
called st. Roberts cave
When Clark had borrowed" about
everything valuable his acquaintance
had TO lend. the plotters decided it was
time for him TO disappear So in the
early morning OF Feb. &. f745. he.
Aram and Houseman went to the cave
TO divide the spOils before Clark left.
ArOm and Clark had quarrelcd n good
deal during the progress of predatory
operations. At the entrance TO the
cave the quarrel was renewed. and
Aram pushed Clark away and rained
down tremendous blows on his head
and chest Clark fell dead.
Houseman. terrified at the sight and.
rs he said. afraid OF meeting the same
fate. turned and ran away. Arsm did
not show particle OF rcmorSe or fear.
He gathered up the booty and carried
II 20 his house. where he buried part OF
IL IN the garden. He buried Clark's
body and heaped stones over the grave.
In the afternoon he went for House
man and threatened him il he disclosed
the murder and made him believe he
was equally guilty in law
C.ark's disappearance was not no
uced for day or two. Then the peo-
pie from whom he had borrowed"
jewelry and plate began to make in
-quiries. Suspicion was directed to
Aram I'm some way. The village au-
thoriues searched his house and found
n bundle containing battered plate and
clothing stained with blood. Notwith-
standing this. no action seems to have
been taken by the authorities. nor was
1t suspected that Clark had been muir
dered. The neighbors began to jeer at
the learned schoolmaster. however. and
Aram suddenly left his wife and chill
drcn and walked 20 London.
For fourteen years his family heard
nothing Of him. lie spent the greater
part OF the time wandering about from
place To place. ut last finding Il situa-
uon MS usher in school at Lynn. In
June. lbs. 4 horse dealer who had
known him in Knaresborough met him
in the Lynn market. Aram denied his
identity. BY n singular coincidence.
almost the day the horse dealer accost-
ed the now gray haired schoolteacher.
q skeleton was found by some work
men digging pit in Thistle hill. in
Knareslc-orc
\ country town has Il keen recollec-
ton Of everything that has occurred
to disturb il, and Immediately the dis.
appearance OF Clark fourteen years
before was remembered. Houseman
still alive. got drunk first and then
Joined ihe crowd OF villagers looking
at the cyhG.ncd skeleton. CLARK" he
said with drunken gravity. was never
buried here"
'"~NN-s sum NOO Q4Qlk 10 lc1llER
the gravity Of his position. muttered
that Clark's body would be found In ST
Roberts cave The crowd made a
rush for that place. and soon a skele-
ton was exhumed
Il did not kill him. gasped House
man. now thoroughly sober and terri
fed. at was Aram. had no part"
Houseman was taken to the village
jail, and warrant was sworn out for |
Aram. When the officers took him |
away from the school the pupils cried. |
The government used Houseman as n |
witness to convict Aram. The latter's |
speech in his own defense has come |
down cOmplete-a mastery attack on |
circumstantial evidence, showing the |
intellectual power of the man. Aram |
made half confession the night be- |
fore bis execution, followed by an at. |
tempt at suicide. According to the |
custom of the time, his body was |
hanged in chains, and it swung in |
Knaresborough forest until ITS. Years |
later, when the details of his crime |
were dim, his remarkable career at
tracted Hood and Bulwer, and thus the |
obscure talented, perverted man be- |
came part Of English literature
Exchange.