Letter from Kate Jensen, 4 May 1892

"Stalzenfels"
River Terrace
Kangaroo Point
Brisbane
May 4th 192

The Crown Solicitor
Melbourne

Sir
In todays local
paper I see it stated
that on Monday next
the Executive will consider
Deemings case & I have
therefore unsolicited written

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Mr Marshall Lyle the
letter a copy of which
I enclose.

Expecting that
the jury would decide
that Deeming was
insane I did not communicate
with Mr M. Lyle or
anybody else.

I have the honor
to ask you to be good
enough to bring this
letter before the Executive

in the hope that they
will think it worthy
of their consideration.

Possibly my letter
to Mr M. Lyle may
not reach him in time
& I have therefore
taken the liberty of
writing to you

Yours obediently
Kate M. Jensen.

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3066

[Page 4]

Referred to the Secretary to the
Law Department
E. J. D. Guinness
9.5.92

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92/394

(Copy)

Marshall Lyle Esq.
Solicitor
Melbourne

Sir
I was a passenger on
board the "Kaiser Wilhelm"
with Williams or Deeming,
& my cabin being opposite
his during the first
three weeks of the voyage,
I had many opportunities
of observing him.

Often as I lay in my
berth I heard him carrying
on extraordinary conversations
with his canary as if

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it were a human being.
In the presence of his
wife I saw him brandish
a knife exclaiming "I
have killed many Zulus
with this".

At Suez on his return
to the vessel from the
shore he held up a
small saw in the presence
of myself & several other
passengers & said "This
is a very useful instrument
I have just half sawn
a man's hand off.

Although posing as a
very religious man he
openly boasted of stealing
pearls from a blackfellow.
After leaving Adelaide
he indirectly accused
me of stealing a very
valuable necklace from
his wife. When leaving
the vessel at Melbourne
his countenance was
unusually pale & haggard.
This, I then attributed
to vexation on his
part at being shunned

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by the other passengers
on account of the
accusations he had made
against them, but I
now think a fit of
madness was coming on
him & that he was
trying to control it.

I believe all the passengers
will agree with me that
during the voyage he
treated his wife with
the greatest kindness &
consideration. They seemed
much attached to each other
& she spoke to me of

him in the most affectionate
terms. At the same time
she referred to his excitable
& restless nature & told
me he was most anxious
to reach Melbourne.

His conduct on board the
vessel then convinced me
that he was a madman,
& before the murder was
known I described him as
such.

My object in writing
this letter is to prevent
if possible the execution
of a madman - a dangerous
madman who should be
securely confined for the

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rest of his life, instead
of hanged for a murder
committed while insane.

Yours truly
Kate M. Jensen

May 4th 192