The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1892-04-07
A Murderer's Science.

LIVERPOOL, March Goth, 1S92.-Dr.
Hutchinson, one of the medical men who
conducted the post-mortem eXamina-
ton of the bodies Of Mrs. Deeming and
her four children, which were found
buried under the floor at Dinham Villa.
Rainhill, has told to representative Of
the Associated Press the method follow
ed by the murderer. He said that the
crime discloses a calculating wickedness
and cool, heartless savagery that is al
most beyond belief The work of mur>
der was that of an expert. Only in one
case was the stroke that caused death
more than sufficient for that purpose.
Each stroke severed a vital organ and
no more might have been accomplished
by surgeon or butcher who knew his
business well.
The children, whose well nourished
condition and well-ordered clothing
showed the good and aleful treatment
oftheir mother, had partaken of their
evening meal The mother, too, had
eaten her supper. The mother was first
called from the room in which she was
with the children in the room where the
murderer awaited her. This is shown
from the position of the wound that
killed her and the fact that one of her
shoes Was off and the other partly un~
laced. 1t further appears that as she
stopped to unite her shoes she was at
tackled from behind, and died almost
without struggle.
HOW THE CHILDREN WE'RE KILLED.
Then the children were called one by
one to meet their death, Bertha, the
eldest, had her thumbs tied behind her
back with a linen bandage two inches
wide A similar bandage was wound
twice around her head, so as to cover
her mouth and keep her from crying
A pillow case was then placed over her
head and the murderer strangled her.
The hands of the second girl were also
tied behind her back, but in the case of
the other children this precaution was
not thought necessary.
One other significant and sinister fact
IL UIldU, although tue lIlTOiits vi lour out
of the five victims were cut, on none of
the bodies or clothing was there trace
of blood, which leaves dreadful infer
ence regarding the deliberate and calm
carefulness with which the slaughter
was committed. The names and ages of
the children were Bertha, 8 years
Marie, Z years Lila 5 years, and sgd
ney, 19 months.
Thevery terms of the lease upon which
Deeming hired Dinham Villa give proof
of the hideous cold blooded premedita-
ton of the butchery. Read in the light
of later revelations the document, which
was drawn up and written by Deeming
himself. shows that when he took the
house the atrocities had already been
planned and that he became the tenant
of the villa for the purpose of carrying
them into effect and Kidding himself of
the wife and children who stood in the
way of his marriage to Miss Mather,
whose unfortunate attachment for this
accomplished murderer, thief and forger
resulted in her murder near Melbourne
PLASTFRER YOUNG'S TESTIMONY.
Ben jamin Young, who was engaged by
Deeming to level the cement in the
kitchen floor covering the five bodies,
says: "Deeming engaged me to do
some work for him on August list. | am
a plasterer's laborer. | mixed the ce-
ment for him and he laid it. He said it
was exercise for him and he wanted a bit
of work. He was doing it, he told me,
for an old gentleman who had taken
the place, and he was commissioned to
put the floors and everything in order
because the old gentleman had some
valuable carpets and the cracks between
the flags would cut them. When | went
into the house the passage and kitchen
were tagged over When he engaged
me he asked: Do you understand mix
ing cement?' | said: Yes He said :
will pay you we'll
by his direction. l mixed it very
good, but when he had laid over about
half the kitchen floor he told me | must
use more sand, AS we were getting
through too much cement, and the old
gentleman might grumble at the cost.
I used more sand aud mixed the cement
poorer We finished both floors and
then he asked me to skim and level it
for him nicely"
Taken altogether, it is believed that
no country has ever produced such a
cOnsummate, utterly unprincipled and
wholly constituencies villain us this fiend
in human form, who has killed women
and children with rs little compunction
as an ordinary man would kill snake