The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-23

imprisonment Tor theft in lsS5; abscontei from
sFdney on charge OF fraudulent In
solvcncy in 1886, returned TO England in
August and went 20 Birkeahead leaving that
pace ana his wife after tue birth of his fourth
child about four months afterwards, 1889:
under the name Of lawson no arrived
at Hull and obtained jewelry on false
pretences, March Il, 1890; married Miss Mathe-
son at Beverly, Yorkshire, and deserted her a
fortnight afterwards, 1Seo. arrested at Monte
vifeo, 1890: tried st Hull assizes for a theft
OF JcwelGy and sentenced to nine months i'm
prisonment October, 1890. Under the name Of
Williams he arrived a: Rain Hill in July,
1891, visited Birkenhead, taking Mrs. D.cmiug
ana three children with him 10 Rain Hill; July
1I' 1871, he probably committed the murder OF
MS wife and four ch!ldren Mt Rain liill; mar
REC Miss Aather az Rain Hill September, 1891;
arrived with bis wife in Australia 1891; inur
dered Mrs. Williams December -, le9l; under
the name OF SwaastOu he WAS arrested when on
the eve OF a fourth marriage 10 Mrs. Eounse-
veil. who accidentally discovered that he had
been arrested Tor murder. she was then
on her WY to join him at Southern
Cross. 30 miles from Perth, West Australia.
The murder OF the family Al Rainh,li on July
81, 1871, IS thus deserted: On that Friday light,
when Ill the Deemngs were willing to go to
bed early, a. they were tired with their journey,
the arrangement of the family was
probably like this: In the room back OF the
sitting room, upon beds Iandc on the
floor. slep: tho oldest child. 4 girl. and the
boy and girl next to her in age II the sitting
room, upon The gutta percha mattress. Deem
Ing, his wife, aud the baby girl were to sleep.
NO doubt the three children went into the
back room, and were put to bed by their
mother first. She had partly uudreseed before
doing this, rs the night was hct Wien she
came back into the front room sne found her
husband already undrcsseG and sitting n his
nightgown, with the sleeves carefully rolled
above his elbows She put the baby to sleep
and laid 1t upon the bed. Then she proceeded
to undress herself. She had got OIL all her
clothing but her silk uudervest and her silk
stoc kings, and had taken of her right shoe.
Deeming came over to her and, concesliug a
rope with a moose in it which he had made
ready before, stood behind her. He may have
leaned over her, as she thought 20 give her
circss, when she felt in flash rope thrown
over her head. The moose settled about her
neck, and before She had timo to moro than
clutch at 1T the moose was drawn so tightly that
the flesh almost hid it from view. When she
ceased to struggle he lifted her body and put it
upon the bed taking good care that the head
should rest near the center OF the bed. Then
he got the beautifully wrought knile with its
seven inches OF razor-iike steel and drew it
across her throat There had been no noise,
and now the blood stregmed out and soaked
into the covers aud through TO the gutta pa-cha
mattress, where it spread out in q dark stain.
But not drop oil blood soaked through to the
carpet. Then he cut the babys throat. Having
done this he dug the trench under the fireplace.
Some time that afternoon, or more probably
early that night, Deemiug killed these two and
their older sister. He killed her first calling
her away from the two younger children and
taking her by the throat. He pressed his big
fingers together until her winGpipe was closed
Then he held her struggling body with his other
in night gown.
When he had disposed OF her he Led the little
boy and girl, who were about and years old,
into the front room and locked the door. Then
he strangled one into uuconsciousness while the
other stood by crying When he had seized and
stranglcd the other he again took his knife and
cut both their throats. He had laid their bodies
upon the bed 50 that the blood was not spllcds
but went into the already soaked bed clothing.
The five corpses were now ready for burial.
He decided to bury the mother aud the baby
6rst. He put the baby against her breast, aud,
spreading an elder down quilt upon the floor,
carefully put the two bodies upon it. He
wrapped the quilt about both bodies and
wound aroEnd- the- bundle a stout cord. He
wrapped it several times at the neck and at the
feet and knotted it. Then he lifted this
bundle and carried il into the kitchen and
put il in the hole at the end furthest from the
fireplace
When this bundle had been arranged he
put into the hole the body of his oldest
child. the girl, and top OF 1t the bodies of the
little boy and younger girl He did not wrap
them up, but simply stretched them out in
their night gowns stained with blood. Then
he set to work to do sections duty. He at
tackled the pile of loose dirt, which had been
piled up by the labors OF the night before, and
filled in the spaces between the bodies with
GREAT care, and sprinkled u layer OF dirt over
them. All this quickly doue. He put
part OF the cemen. in the small zine bath tub
and poured water upon it, and soon had it
ready for use. In his varied career he had
learned many kinds of labor, and within few
hours, by vigorous use OF the trowel, he had a
floor of cement extending smoothly from the
wall which formed the back of the fireplace out
over the grave and covering the undlsturbed
surface OF the earth floor of the kitchen for
eTal feet ali around tho grave.
He had the bloody bcdcothes to dispose of
next On Sunday morning, August ., he built
great fire in the front room and another in the
kitchen SO that the ashes from il dropped upon
the cement over the bodies OF his wife and
children. In these fires he burned the blood
stained bed dclothing, piece by piece, aud also
one or two garment which were upon the bed
when he numbering them. After this
horrible deed he courtci and married Miss
Mather.
The picture OF Deemirg above was taken
about April /. and, with the aid OF written
description. will give an excellent idea of
the man. He then about 45 years
old, five feet six inches in height,
OF tremendous breadth OF shoulders, slightly
stooped from digging in trenches as a miner
and a soldier in South Africa. His head was
narrow in the front and buging behind the
ears and il the back. He had blue eyes, rest
less and cold, and OF the shade known
washed-out. These eyes were sunk
deeply between the over hanging bones
OF his forehead and the projecting ckeek bones
His nose was long and bent to SIDE from
some encounter years ago. HIS mouth, which
a gingeT-colored mustache hall concealed, was
straight ana thin-lipped and cruel. His chin
was heavy, giving him savage express
sion wnen he was not smiling. The physicians
who examined his head Fey that 1t is the head
OF criminal, low, cunning, sensual. on ;nls
body we're many marks ana scars, which in
oieste the turbulent lie he has led. On
one side OF his head near the temple was a
scar where bullet pioughed the scalp. in his
sword thrust. The CAT OF one OF his legs had
been shot away entirely. There were on his
arms, his breast, and mis- hack many smaller
scars that look like those o! kaiie thrcsts
He was fond OF dressing this scared body in
the gaudiest clothing and decking it out with
clusters of Jewels, ruoles, sapphires and dis-
monds. lie comes Of an obscure and unedu-
Gated family. bat he has acquired n vast
knowledge OF places and men in his travels
ami he has picked up certain tendency to
correct speech. which, however, IS seriously
marred By strong and vi gar Lancashire ac-
cent and by occasional iapses of grammar.
Added 10 this loud and easily remembered
personal appearance was a fondness Tor boast
! Ill = or-h l.,