THE RAINHILL AND WINDSOR MURDERS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2340, 7 April 1892, Page 4

THE RAINHILL AND WINDSOR MURDERS.

London, April 3. A man, who knew Deeming when he was a boy, and who was a friend of his, states that his mother was a very religious woman. After her death Deemings father treated him with great cruelty, and eventually drove the lad to sea, where he was known as " Mad Fred." April 4. The police do not believe Deeming was at Johannesburg at the time of the other murders. Melbourne, April 5. The inquest on the body of Mrs Williams was resumed to-day. Thirty-one witnesses were examined, principally for the purpose of identifying the deceased. The person who sold Deeming the cement identified him. Mr Max Hirschfelt, a fellow-passenger by the Kaiser Willhelm, who went with the detectives to identify Williams, deposed that the prisoner had said that if convicted of the Windsor murder he would write such a story of his life as would astonish the world. During the hearing of the evidence a large number of ladies were present in court. There is so much interest excited in England over the case that fully a column of the proceedings of the inquest has been daily cabled to the papers there. Melbourne, March 20.

With regard to the movements of the Windsor murder prisoner in Western Australia, the special reporter of the Argus telegraphs : —The extradition of Swanston was successfully completed on Friday morning. The mail train was timed to leave the Central station at one o'clock, but in order to avoid the crowd the prisoner was driven to Guildford station, some miles outside Perth, Before his departure in the morning the prisoner made another of his ingenious attempts to render his identification difficult, by requesting a barber to shave off his moustache. This, of course, was disallowed. Most of the sightseers took tickets to Guildford, so that little was gained by the police manoeuvres. Swanston appeared smoking a cigar, and wearing the same cynical smile which has distinguished his public appearance since he was arrested. For a few moments before the carriage started he leaned back easily ag-ainst the seat, quietly puffing his cigar and watching with an apparently amused interest the crowds who peered in through the windows. It was noticeable that he took great precaution to hide his handcuffs, and he took the first opportunity of hinting that they should be taken off. Not long afterwards he complained of a headache. Mr Hirschfeldt offered him a bottle of smelling salts, which Swanston ungraciotisly refused. " Its no use," he said pettishly "the pains are in the back of my head. The Kaffirs smashed my brain, and I- have not been right since." The railway journey was in every respect remarkable. At every country station the platform was crowded with men, women, and children, who struggled to get a view of the prisoner, and assailed him with loud cries of " Murderer," "Jack the Ripper," and so on. At first the prisoner met these attacks with unmoved composure, but their constant repetition told on his nerves. At the station before York he called out nervously, | " Stand in front of me ! Don't let them see me ! " And afterwards he said, " That is Western Australia all over; they might i wait till a man's proved guilty." i So far the crowd had been sarcastic rather than violent. It was not until York was reached that their attitude changed. The whole of the population for miles around seemed to have gathered on the platform, ' and long before the train drew up to the platform yells and execrations could be heard The blinds of the carriages were drawn, but were of the flimsiest construction, and the police officers tried to conceal the prisoner by standing up around him. Before the train stopped the footboards of the carriage on both sides were stormed and dozens of hands were busy at every window trying to pull down the blinds while those inside tried f,o resist the pressure. Every moment one of the blinds would go down with a crash, and there would be a momentary free fight before it could be closed again. All the time the people were yelling out, " Lynch him ! " " Murderer ! " " Coward! " " You can only kill women." A respectable-looking woman on the platform shrieked through the window, " Drag him out; put him on a pole ; there's only a few of us here, but we can find a bullock team to tear him to pieces." This scene completely tinner ved Swanston, who lay back pale and biting his moustache, trying his utmost to hide his face. The violence of the crowd was constantly increasing, and presently one of the blinds was smashed to pieces, giving the excited crowd a full view of the prisoner. Only the energetic action of Inspector Waldock saved the carriage from being rushed, and a flank charge of the police dis-: persed the crowd on that side. Leaning out of the window Waldock pointed out the man who had broken the window. A local sergeant disappeared i among the ciiowd, and presently returned j very crestfallen. " It's no use," he explained, "everyone of the people will swear black and blue that you broke the window yourself." The yells and hootings increased as the train left the station, and , a lusty fellow hung to the footboard for some distance yelling out " Good-bye, old man, you're going to get your neck stretched."

You have already heard that Swanstou. on the journey by steamer from Sydney to Western Australia, showed great attention to the niece of a fellow passenger, a Mr Wakely ; and this, too, though, he had just ! conclu led an. ardent courtship, resulting in ! an engagement with Miss Bounsvelle, of Bathurst, who was to follow him to tho distant colony to get married. Mr Wakely was travelling with his wife and neice (the Litter's name being Miss Branch), and Swan - ston, was uniformly courteous and attentive to the Wakelys, and particularly so to Miss Branch —sq much so, indeed, that Mrs Wakely warned her husband on the subject. " Take my word," she said, " that Swajiston is either a married man now or has been married, and he is not what he represents himself to be." The consequence was that the Wukel ■ i, though polity, were somewhat •■'listaut, and Swanstoii, evidently with the object of breaking down this very apparent reserve, took every opportunity of thrusting his acquaintance on Mr Wakely. and of pos-

ing- as a man of position and wealth. Among other statements he mentioned that he had just concluded a large contract for sin English engineering firm, that the contract price was 2£ millions, and that he had been able to clear half-a-million of profit for his employers. The firm, he said, had offered hira the highest position, but unfortunately business affairs in Western Australia had compelled him to close his connectson with them. Mr Wakely replied that if this statement were true the firm would certainly not have allowed themselves to lose Swanston's services, but would have given him two years leave of absence and the position of travelling representative in the colonies. This sort of thing was coutinued throughout the voyage, Swanston continually boasting of his wealth and position, and Mr Wakely treating him with scarcely concealed sarcasm. Finally just before the vessel reached Albany, Swan.-.iDnapproached Mr Wakely with a definite proposal for Miss Branch's hand. He was he said a single man, with plenty of money and anxious to settle down. Hitherto he had been strange and reserved with the opposite sex, but he had come to the conclusion that Miss Branch was a girl who would make him thoroughly happy. On this Mr Wakely spoke out, declaring at once that the proposal was impossible. "Mr Swanston," he said, " I may tell you plainly that I don't believe your stories, and I am not in the habit of allowing men of your class to enter my family circle. If my wife or niece see you on shore they will bow to you but tbat is as far as they will go." Swanston then asked permission to take Miss Branch ashore at Albany and this was refused. At Fremantle the travellers separated, and the last circumstance of Swanston's connection with the Wakelys was a letter addressed from Southern Cross to Miss Branch, in which he merely inquired after her health and expressed a hope of seeing her again. During the voyage, also, while he pursued Miss Branch he was constant in his attentions to two other lady passengers, one of them a young married woman going- to rejoin her husband. This lady is stated to have stayed in the same hotel with him at Perth, and it is added he treated her with " respectful reserve."