The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1930-12-26
.HISTORY'S
MYST ERIES
The Crime of Eugene Aram

Inc Nflme OF Eugene Af4m
THE murder committed by Eugene
1 Aram-and perpetuated In Hoods
ballad, ''The Dream of Eugene Aram"
and Bulwer Lytton's romance, Eugene
Aram"-was remarkable not only on
account Of the unusual attachments Of
the criminal who was one of the lead.
Ing linguists Of his time, but also be-
cause of the fact that no evidence of
the murder was adduced for fourteen
years after the crime was committed.
Eugene Aram was Self-taught
genius. He had received only q
scanty education from his parents but,
by dint OF the most persevering en-
ergy. he secured an excellent knowl-
edge of mathematics and an extensive
acquaintance with Latin and Greek, a.
well as with the Hebrew and Chaldean
languages. He taught Latin and writ
Ing at school In London and was
afterwards employed as usher and as
sistant to Rev. Anthony Hinton at his
boarding school In Middlesex.
In 1744 Aram murdered Daniel
Clarke and then successfully con-
cealed all traces Of his crime until
the accidental discovery Of skeleton
fourteen years later led to the con-
clusion that a murder had been COM
mited, in spite of the fact that 1t was
later found that the skeleton was
not that Of Clarke. Aram was
apprehended on suspicion, tried at
York in 1859, and found guilty on EVIL
dence supported by the testimony OF
his own wife. Although his counsel
fought the case through on every con-
ceivable ground, after conviction,
Aram admitted the justice of his sen.
tence and endeavored to commit sui
eide by opening an artery in his arm
with razor. But, despite his weak
ened condition, he was taken to the
gallows In York where he was hanged,
his body being later hung in chains In
the forest Of Knaresborough.
During portion of the fourteen
years between the murder and its dis
covery Aram was employed as assist
ant to Mr.. Hinton, who frequently OBJ
served that whenever Aram saw a
worm or any other insect in the gravel
walks of the garden, he carefully re-
moved 1t to secure position where
1t could not possibly be stepped upon.
! When the murder of Clarke was 6is-
| covered and Aram convicted, 1t oc-
| Cured to Mrs. Hinton that the MUIR
derer had evidently supposed that he
could atone for his crime by preserv-
ing the lives Of animals and that, by
frequently showing mercy and tender
ness to the lower forms Of life, the
killing Of a man would either be OBJ.
| liberated or his guilt considerably less.
| ened.
At length Mr.. Hinton discovered
that his assistant was thief for,
hearing some persons in the garden
early one morning, the head master
Immediately investigated, but found
| only a sack full Of potatoes which had
been abandoned upon his approach.
Thinking that he had sufficient clew
to detect the thief, Mr.. Hinton caused
the sack and its contents to be ex-
hibited in the neighborhood, and one
| Of the villagers claimed the sack as
his own, stating that he had loaned
it to Aram, who boarded at his house.
On this information Aram was dis
missed, particularly as an examina.
| tion of his locker at the school dis
i closed evidence Of many petty thefts
which had been going on over long
period of time.
In conducting his own defense dur.
ing his trial for murder, Aram made
skillful attack on the fallability OF
circumstantial evidence In general and
the conclusions to be drawn from the
| discovery of human bones In partic.
ular, quoting several instances where
bones had been found In caves and
attempting to prove that the skeleton
in ST. Roberts cave was probably that
of some hermit who had taken up his
abode there.
There appears to be little doubt that
Aram murdered Clarke, for he practi.
caly admitted it, yet no less an au'
thority than BuIwer Lytton was Of the
opinion that he was guilty only Of rob.
berry. Aram was convicted principally
on the evidence of his wife, who ap.
pears to have been most peculiar
person, for, after the execution Of her
husband, she not only continued tc
live at Knaresborough but visited the
forest every day and picked up the
bones as they dropped, one by one
from her husbands body, while the
children assisted In her support by
| taking strangers to view the tree
where their fathers remains had been
| hung.