THE CONDEMNED MURDERER.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4110, 11 May 1892, Page 2

THE CONDEMNED MURDERER.

The Law to tab its Course.

The Date for the Execution. A Strange Confession,

Melbourne, May 9. The Executive Council to-day had the case of Williams (Deeming) under consideration, when it was decided not to interfere with the sentence of death passed upon him,

The execution haa been fixed for 10 o'clock on the morning of Monday, the'23rd inst.

May 10. Tn the course of frequent conver-1 aationa with the gaol chaplain Deeming has for thoflrat time deliberately confessed to the murder of his last wife (Emily Mather). His account, though mixed up with statements that are evidently falsehood and pure invention, is in the mam a credible Btory.

He says he made four attempts. The first took place in London shortly after his matriage. He was awakened nightly by n visitation from his mother's spirit, commanding him to Ml hia wife., For eome time he resisted these promptings, but the impulsa'at length became so strong that he crept quietly' out of bed and seized a chair with the intention of dashing out bis wife's brains, Bbe woke, however, at tbecritical moment, and, seeing his intention, jumped to the other Bide of the' bed in time to escape the attaok, He managed by some means to explain away his con* duct, arid the couple lived happily together uiitil their arrival at Me)-, bourne, • , ■■- .

Then,' While staying at the Federal Coffee Palace, he was moved once more by the same impulso, It became so strong that be awoke bis wiie one night, and implored her to leave him and go' away, or else be wou'd murder her, She threw he arms around his neck and told him she would, rather die than leave him. The murde-ous fit on this occasion lasted only HDout ha'f an hour. On 18th December he took the house id Andrew-sheet, Windsor, and stopped there three nights—the 18th, 19tb, and 20th. On the night of the 19th, yielding to the same murderous impulse, he attempted to-cut her throat, and she was only saved by awaking suddenly.

. On the following night he awoke at 2a,m„ahd found hie wife silting up in bed peeling an apple with a huge clasp knife. He wrenched the, knife from lierand cut her throat.

When the murder was done he was seized with an uncontrollable fear of the dead body, and rushed out of the house,

Deeming alleges that he paid a man £lO to bury the body. He could not account for having purchased the cement and tools beforehand.

A knife answering the description of that said to be used was found among the murderer's rffects.

■ Deeming repeats' the story of the Raiuhill murders as given at the i • quest by his first wife's sister. Miss llounseWl has visited him privately, and Deeming gave her sketches of two tombstones in a South African cemetery, between which, he said, £II,OOO in gold wbb buried. He received the decision of the Executive fixing the date of his exeoution as the bost news they could bring him,

Address-to the Jury,

AnExtraordinary 'Speech.

[ Melboubne, May 8. , Deoming, in tho oourse of his reI tnarkable speech to the jury, Baidi—- , No matter which way it is looked at i I have been most unjustly dealt with. I ask the jury if they could pick on a person out of any 200 in Melbourne, ; who would not execute me without a trial, as if I am the guilty man and committed'this crime, If I could make myself believe that I had done this I would gladly have given a full statement of it rather than submit myself in this Court for four days to the gaze of the most hungriest race of people I have ever seen in my lire. I do not think there is one person in this Court but who would take me this moment and execute me. If this is not prejudicing! do not know what ia. Ido not think any more of my We than of this bit of paper, and it I could believe that girl is dead, no one would give up life more willingly than I. It is not my life I ask you to consider. My life is ruined. Even if I were to leave this Court to morrow morning, 1 should soon be at the bed of the Yarra. The evidence no doubt looks strong against me, but if you knew what weight to attach to the evidence lam sure you would study tho case from my view, -. Life is not worth living now, and Ido not fear death. Ihave been on the Zambesi amongst the blackfel'.ows j in lion's cayes and brought the lions out. These are facts, They are no more to me than having my meals. If yon decide against me, it will be to me a pleasure to give up what the public of Melbournehas entirely ruined, Theonly comfort I have now is the knowledge that I did not commit the murder and that the woman is not dead. It does not trouble me much wbatit is. As I told you, if you bring in a verdict of guilty against me it will be the greatest re'ief that you can give me, It will finish up what has been two months' torture to me. Death is nothing to it. Death is no'.bing to my feelings—to whatl have Buffered pud gone through simply from the slurs ol the public, you cannot relieve me wore than by npttipg an pnd tp menot in a week hence, not in a month hence, but at once. Jt would be the greatest relief, I would look upon it as a favour. Ido not fear it, My comfort is, and to the end will be, the knowledge, that I am not gniltv of putting one away who tas been dwr to me—dearer to me than all the rest of my life, I never knew greater happinecs than when I was with her, No happier, man ever left the shores of ' England than I was when I left the-e with that woman, 1, could ■ give you proof that she is not dead, but if I : flid that : I would endanger her, Is it not 1 better for me to suffer than for her to 1 suffer? I fee! it to be so. If I went I out of'thjs Court a frefl- man where is < ray happifieasj yVpjafc woji'ld* the I publio do? What would they think I of inff? Whert'cwjd 'I go ?'Nowhere 1 withon't the slnf being past upon me 1 of this trial, My photograph has ' gone a]! over the world. What is 1 future life to me 1 It is better to end .< up at better, In doing I so I shall only feol pleasure, 1

After the verdict of Guilty was brought in, the prisoner asked Hie Honor to beas short as possible in passing sentence, and after the deafh sentence had been pronounced he left the Court unmoved,