In February 1758 a skeleton was dug up at St Robert's Cave in Knaresborough, and some suspicion arose that it might be Clark's.
Aram conducted his own defence, and did not attempt to overthrow Houseman's evidence, though there were some discrepancies in that; but made a skilful attack on the fallibility of circumstantial evidence in general, and particularly of evidence drawn from the discovery of unidentifiable bones.