Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-06-13
HOW DID EUGENE
ARAM CONCEAL
HIS CRIME?

! ARAM CONCEAL :
: HIS CRIME? :
The murder committed by Eugene
Aram is one of the most remarkable
In the criminal annals of England. 1t
was remarkable, first in the unusual
attachments of the murderer, who was
one OF the most skilled linguists of his
time, and even more so in the fact that
no evidence of a crime having been
committed was forthcoming for "A
years after 1T occurred. While a con
siderable amount of literature been
produced regarding Aram, his unusual
personality and the crime he commit
TED. his name has continued prominent
~ before the public through Hoods
ballad The Dream of Eugene Aram''
and Bulwer I4ytton's romance of ''Eu-
gene Aram."
Eugene Aram was a self-taught gen
Jus. He received from his parents a
very scant education, but by the most
persevering energy he obtained a good
knowledge of mathematics. and an ex-
tenstve acquaintance with the Latin
and Greek languages. together with the
Hebrew and Chaldee. HI taught Latin
and writing at a school in London. and
afterward was employed al usher. an
assistant to Rev. Anthony Hinton. at
his boarding school at Hayes, in Mid
dlesex.
In 1744 he murdered Daniel Clarke,
which crime was concealed for IA years
and then discovered by the accidental
,nnding OF q skeleton supposed to b.
That OF Clarke. his was a mistake. but
1t lead to a discovery of the murder.
Aram was ~apprehended on suspicion,
tried at York in 1859, and found guilty
on sufficient evidence, corroborated by
the testimony of his own wife. After
conviction he confessed the justice of
MS sentence, and endeavored to destroy
hlmSeif by opening an artery in his
arm with a razor. In that condition.
however. he was taken to the gallows
IN York and there hanged, after Which
his body was hung in chains in Knares-
borough forest.
Part of the1 IA years between the per-
petratfon of the murder and the dis
covery Aram was assistant to Mr.. Hin
ton. as a strange kind Of singularity,
that whenever Aram saw a worm, or
any other insect on the gravel ak of
the garden, he carefully removed it TO
a secure location.
When the murder of Daniel Clarke
was discovered and Aram convicted it
occurred to Mr.. Hinton. that this muir
derer vainiy supposed he should atone
Tor his awful crime by preserving the
lives of animals; and that by frequent
~ showing mercy and tenderness to
brutes. he murder Of one man would
be Obliterated, OF the crime very much
~eXtenuated.
That Aram was a notorious thief Mr..
Hinton at length discovered; for hear
ing some persons in his garden very
early one morning. he was determined
to be satisfied of their proposed errand.
and repairing to the place from whence
ne the sound proceeded, the
pilferer had fd from the premises, but
had left behind him almost a sack full
Of potatoes which he had dug up. Mr..
Hinton, thinking he had a sufficient
cleW to detect the thief, caused the sack
and Its contents to be exhibited To the
neighbors, one Of whom claimed the
sack az his own and declared that Mr..
Aram.. who lodged with him. had Dor
rowed it. On this information, Mr..
Hinton discharged Aram. but previous
~ insisted on examining his box, the
contents of which bore ample testimony
OF many petty thefts, which he had
been daily in the habit Of committing.
In the conducting of his own defense
fallability of circumstantial evidence,
and particularly of evidence drawn
from the discovery Of bones. He
brought forth several instances where
bones had been found in caves. and
tried to show that The bones eound in
81. HoDerts cave were probably those
of some hermit who had taken up his
abode there.
There seems to be little doubt but
that Aram murdered Clarke, for he
practically admitted 1t, and yet Bulwer
Lytton takes the view that he was
merely guilty of robbery. Aram was
convicted mostly on the evidence of his
wife. who must have been a most Pc
cultar person, for 1t is said that she
continued to live at KnaresborouRh.
and picked up the bones as thew
dropped from her husbands body, and
the children would take strangers to
view their fathers gibbet. The last
descendants OF Aram emigrated to
America.