Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1879-12-13 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

EUGENE ARAM.  A criminal, with whose name all readers of English literature must be familiar, was closely connected with York Castle. Eugene Aram was by birth a Yorkshireman; he came of good family, which had, however, declined in prosperity, so that Aram's father was employed as gardener by Sir Edward Blackett. The young Aram exhibited early that remarkable taste for learning which subsequently gained him an honourable name, and his precocious tastes were fostered by his father's master. By sixteen Aram had already acquired much erudition, which increased from year to year, mastering not only Latin and Greek, but Hebrew also, with extraordinary speed and ease. To these, while engaged as usher or tutor in various parts of the kingdom, he added Chaldaic and Arabic, with botany, heraldry, and many of the sciences. He was living, married, at Knaresborough, in Yorkshire, from 1743, where a Mr William Norton was his patron, and afforded him the assistance necessary for the pursuit of his studies. But while thus engaged, Aram appears to have fallen in with evil associates. He became especially intimate with one Houseman, a 'flax-dresser, and the 'two entered into a confederacy with another man named Clarke, who was to borrow plate and other valuables from his friends, and defraud them of them. Clarke was enabled to do this on the credit of a reputed fortune, which was to come to him with his wife; but he bought also, and pretended in this respect to act as agent for a London merchant, who wished to sand the goods abroad,  Suddenly Clarke disappeared ,and was heard of no more. Aram and Houseman, who had been his associates, were suspected of complicity in the fraud, but although the houses of both were searched, little was found to incriminate them. A little later Aram also left Knaresborough, and nothing more was heard of him till he was found 13 years afterwards an usher in a school at Lynn. Nothing more would have been heard of Clarke had not a labourer discovered, when digging at a place called Thistle Hill, near Knaresborough, the. skeleton of a body, which had evidently been buried double, and which pointed clearly to some foul play. Suspicion arose that this skeleton was that of Daniel Clarke, and it was now remembered that Aram's wife—whom he had deserted —had hinted years before that her husband and Houseman had made away with Clarke. Search was made for Houseman. He was found, turned King's evidence, and directly accused Aram of the murder. His story went that he and Aram left the house of the latter in company with Clarke, and that on reaching a place called St. Robert's cave Houseman saw Aram strike Clarke "several times over the breast and head, and saw him fall as if he were dead, upon which he came away and left them." He addeil•later that Clarke's body was buried in the cave, where, in effect, it was subsequently found. An enquiry was now set on foot for Aram, who was eventually found at Lynn. He was questioned, but denied that he had ever been at Knaresborough, or that he had ever known a man named Daniel Clarke. John Barker, a constable of Knaresborough, identified him, and he was apprehended and conveyed to York Castle, where he was tried in August, 1759. In his defence he argued so ably, and with so much specious cleverness, that the judge characterised his speech as one of the most ingenious pieces of reasoning which had ever fallen under his notice. He pleaded first his known studious habits, and his hitherto unblemished life. " My days," he said, "were honestly laborious; my nights intensely studious." He urged that Clarke's disappearing was no proof that he was dead, and he quoted the ease of the prisoner Thompson, who had escaped two years previously from York Castle, and of whom nothing more had been heard. He pointed out that human bones were so constantly discovered that there could be nothing extraordinary in the appearance of those in St. Robert's Cave. Lastly, he deprecated the acceptance of circumstantial evidence and King's evidence, quoting many instances where both had been subsequently proved utterly false. Nevertheless he was found guilty, and was sentenced to death. After hi conviction he acknowledged the justice of his sentence, and confessed to the clergyman who administered to him that he had actually murdered Clarke. His excuse was that he suspected Clarke of having intrigued with Mrs Aram. Balwer, in his novel "Eugene Aram" which though one of his masterpieces, gives a fictitious interest to Aram's character by investing it with many fine traits, makes his hero declare that he was led to murder Clarke in the hope of obtaining money to carry out some great scientific discovery. The novelist aeals as he pleases with his story; but the facts clearly show that Aram was solely influenced by greed. Aram was executed at the Tyburn, York, but he nearly cheated the gallows. The morning of the execution, when roused to have his irons remove 3, he was found too weak to rise. On examination it was discovered that he had opened a vein in his arm with a razor which he had concealed in his cell. He was, however, promptly tended, and so far restored that he stood the journey to Knavesmire, and there met his end. After execution his body was hung in chains in Knaresborough Forest. A paper was found in his cell, written, as it was supposed, just before he cut his arm with the razor. It was a rhapsodical excuse for his attempted suicide, and ended as follows:  " I slept soundly till three o'clock, awaked, and then wrote these lines :  " Come pleasing rest, eternal slumber fall, Seal mine that once must seal the eyes of all; Calm and composed my soul her journey takes, No guilt that trouble.., and no heart that aches. Adieu thou sun, all bright like her arise: Adieu! fair friend, and all that's good and wine. —From the" Records of York Castle:.