Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-05-03
The Noted Australian Murderer Hears
the Death Sentence.
HE MADE A LONG SPEECH IN NCOURT
But the Jury Was Against Him and Could Not be
Made to Believe He Was Insane-Hs Says He
is Anxious Now to Die and That His
History Will be Published.

Central Criminal Court this morning.
The first witness called was DR..
Springthorpe, who related Deeming's
explanation of how his wives had dis
appeared. Deeming said that while he
and his first wife were living at Rain
Hill, near Liverpool, man
named Ben Young had told
him that his (Deeming's) wife would
leave him for fifty pounds. He paid the
money and his wife left'him. He sup
posed that Young had killed her while
he (Deeming) was coming TO Melbourne
with his second wife miss Mather), for
whose murder he is now on trial. HIS
second wife, Deeming said, confessed
that she was already married and she
left him in Melboure because she was
afraid of being implicated In the murder
of his first wife.
Deeming is noted for being notorious
liar, and the above is fair specimen OF
his ability in that line.
The fact is that the Rain Hill murder
was known to no one, save Deeming,
until after it was known that he had
killed his wife here. 1t was the dis
covery OF the latter crime that led the
police here to notify the Liverpool
police OF their suspicion that Deem
ing had murdered his wife and
children at Rain Hill. 1t will,
therefore be seen that his statement
relative to his second wife leaving him
for fear of being implicated in the Rain
Hill murders is without single grain
of truth.
After some further testimony by DR..
Springthrope, that did not in any way
tend to clear the color Of the crime
charged against him, the defense an
nounced that the case was closed.
The crown counsel contended that
there was not a particle OF evidence OF
the insanity of the prisoner, and he
said that the jury ought to dismiss all
such nonsense from their minds. AT
this point Deeming interrupted the
crown counsel.
1t was not the law he said, but the
press that was trying him. II he could
bring himself to believe that he COM
mitted murder he would plead guilty
rather than submit to the gaze OF the
people in the Court-the agliest race he
had ever seen. Some OF the witnesses
against him had deliberately lied.
Whatever he could say would be disbe-
lieved. His witnesses had been kept
out OF the way. People had sworn
to seeing him whom ne had never
seen in his life. No time had
been allowed him to communicate with
his witnesses in Eng gland and India. 1t
was not pleasant to confess to disease,
mental or otherwise, but he had deter
mined to do so in justice 50 himself and
the community. For weeks together
he had suffered lapses of memory. In
his own mind he kneF he was not
guilty. As long as Emily Mathers had
been his wife he dealt with her as gent
ly and as affectionately SIS it was posi-
BILE for any man to deal sgith woman.
The prisoner continuing his remarks
said: II remember no Incident which
will lead to this awful Arime which |
am charged. l know thtt the people of
Melbourne are so nfuriated against me
that they would lynch mt if they had
chance. That, howevfr, would not
settle the question Of nv guilt or inno-
cence. The statementtha the body found
in this city was that OF Emily Mathers
is a lie My one comfor: Is the knowl-
edge that Emily Mather' is alive. The
newspapers have ruined my life for
evermore. If / were freed tonight
would drown myself. l have fought
the blacks on the Seambisi and
have encountered lions single-handed.
do not fear death. do
not expect justice from either
the Judge, the jury or the public. In
stead of the trial being postponed so as
to enable my counsel TO collect evidence
showing my innocenc,4Of the horrible
crime for which auf being tried for
my life, it was fixed tcS5ccur when the
public was enraged ag;. nst me-"
Deeming minutely c.isicsed the evil
dence and declared tE2t verdict OF
guilty would be the sEe@test relief to
him. He said that thtuse OF assumed
names was fad with khfl. After the
verdict was announcedl teeming asked
the Judge to refrain frbns the usual ex-
hortation.
The Judge complied With the pris-
oner's wish and simply announced the
sentence Of death.
Deeming composed responded,
Thank you"
When the sentence OF ieath had been
pronounced Deeming siid that after his
death the public would soon know his
real history. 1t is be n that the law
shall destroy him han that he
should destroy imself. He
would only like know that
Miss Rounseville believ% him innocent.
In strong voice he coginued to ram
BILE in a similar strain II long time.
Reaching the rails for lpport, he con-
cluded by swearing thaX he was inno-
cent. He spoke altogether an hour,
giving no sign OF hesitaEon or nervous
ness. The Judges suf'ming up was
strongly against the pritjner.
While Deeming was:s speaking the
scene was weird one. q Owing 10 the
failing OF daylight, gss and candles
had TO be lighted. The verdict was
given at o'clock.
Outside of the court house a large
crowd assembled and they were clam
orously impatient for the verdict.
They finally becatne so de-
monstrative and noisy that the
police were forced to clear the street.
The announcement Of the verdict was
greeted with expressions OF general
satisfaction, for no one believes that
there is a particle OF doubt as to Deem
ipc's guilt, not only OF the murder here
but of those committed at Rain Hill
near Liverpool.