Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 18th century
Whilst at Lynn, he was recognised in June, 1758, by a horse-dealer,
and this recognition eventually led to his apprehension; for, during
that summer, a labourer, digging for stone or gravel at a place
called Thistle Hill, near Knaresborough, found, at the depth of two
feet, a skeleton, which appeared to have been buried doubled up. The
remembrance of Clark’s disappearance was at once awakened, and the body
was set down as being his.
A country town has a keen recollection of anything which has occurred
disturbing its equal pace, and the connection of Aram and Houseman
with Clark was duly remembered. Aram was away, but Houseman still
lived among them, and he was ordered by the coroner to attend the
inquest. The principal witness was Anna Aram, Eugene’s wife, and she
had frequently, since her husband’s departure, dropped hints of her
suspicion that Clark had been murdered. Her evidence is clear. She
said that Daniel Clark was an intimate acquaintance of her husband’s,
and that they had frequent transactions together before the 8th of
February, 1744-5, and that Richard Houseman was often with them;
particularly that, on the 7th of February, 1744-5, about six o’clock
in the evening, Aram came home when she was washing in the kitchen,
upon which he directed her to put out the fire, and make one above
stairs; she accordingly did so. About two o’clock in the morning of the
8th of February, Aram, Clark, and Houseman came to Aram’s house, and
went upstairs to the room where she was. They stayed about an hour.
Her husband asked her for a handkerchief for Dickey (meaning Richard
Houseman) to tie about his head; she accordingly lent him one. Then
Clark said, ‘It will soon be morning, and we must get off.’ After which
Aram, Houseman, and Clark all went out together; that, upon Clark’s
going out, she observed him take a sack or wallet upon his back, which
he carried along with him; whither they went she could not tell. That
about five o’clock the same morning her husband and Houseman returned,
but Clark did not come with them. Her husband came upstairs, and
desired to have a candle that he might make a fire below. To which she
objected, and said, ‘There was no occasion for two fires, as there was
a good one in the room above, where she then was.’ To which Aram, her
husband, answered, ‘Dickey’ (meaning Richard Houseman) ‘was below,
and did not choose to come upstairs.’ Upon which she asked (Clark not
returning with them), ‘What had they done with Daniel?’ To this her
husband gave her no answer, but desired her to go to bed, which she
refused to do, and told him, ‘They had been doing something bad.’ Then
Aram went down with the candle.
She, being desirous to know what her husband and Houseman were doing,
and being about to go downstairs, she heard Houseman say to Aram,
‘She is coming.’
Her husband replied, ‘We’ll not let her.’
Houseman then said, ‘If she does, she’ll tell.’
‘What can she tell?’ replied Aram. ‘Poor simple thing! she knows
nothing.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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