1. Cold-blooded murder
2. Body found buried under the fireplace
3. A man of many disguises
4. Deeming chooses his next victim
5. Capture at Southern Cross
6. Journey back to Melbourne
7. Was Deeming Jack the Ripper?
8. Detecting the signs of insanity
9. Preparing Deeming's defence
10. Crime of the Century?

3. A man of many disguises

Remnants of burnt papers found in the fireplaces of the Windsor home led police to believe that the couple who had rented it were recent arrivals by sea. Further investigations indicated that Drewn was an alias for Albert Williams, who had arrived in Melbourne with his wife Emily on 15 December 1891. By 7 March a warrant was issued for the arrest of Albert Williams for the murder of his wife. An autopsy conducted on 4 March at the city morgue confirmed that the body was that of Emily Williams. These findings became part of the coroner's inquest into Emily's death that began on 8 March.

In an investigation impressive for both its speed and accuracy, the police discovered that the man known to them as Albert Williams also went by the name of Frederick Bailey Deeming, and were soon able to expose the many other aliases under which he operated. Reflecting some of the confusion caused by these many identities, they continued to refer to him as 'Williams alias Deeming'.

By finding out that Williams was Deeming, the police learned that he had previously lived in Australia in the 1880s with another wife, Marie, and their children Leala, Mary, Bertha and Sydney. During this period, Deeming had resided mainly in Sydney and Rockhampton. In 1887 he was convicted of larceny and declared bankrupt, so it was not surprising that he had returned to Australia using a new name in 1891.

Letter from J. H. Lundager at Mount Morgan (near Rockhampton) 31 March 1892
PROV, VPRS 937/P0 Inward Registered Correspondence, unit 511, Deeming Case
+ click to read transcript and view image

A physical description of Williams, with his big ginger moustache, proved to be the vital factor in connecting all Deeming's aliases to the one person. After linking Williams and Drewn through the evidence of baggage carriers and the owner of a laundry, police made contact with colleagues in England, who began investigations there. Further confirmation of the identities of Williams and his wife Emily came from fellow passengers on the Kaiser Wilhelm II - Max Hirschfeldt and Sydney Oakes.

Letter from Lancashire police 12 March 1892
PROV, VPRS 937/P0 Inward Registered Correspondence, unit 511, Deeming Case
+ click to read transcript and view image

Only a few days after his return to Melbourne in December 1891, Deeming under the name of Dobbins stole a number of items from jeweller Kilpatrick & Co. Mystified acquaintances later testified that Deeming alias Dobbins gave the impression of being a trustworthy and wealthy gentleman.

Following Emily's murder, Deeming brazenly assumed several new identities. Under the name of Duncan he took a room in the Cathedral Hotel. As Dobson he travelled to Sale for reasons which remain unknown. Back in Melbourne as Harry Dawson, Deeming arranged to sell his goods by auction through Beauchamp Brothers. He used yet another name, Watson, to rent an empty office at 348 Little Bourke Street where the auction was held on 7 January.

Deeming also sold his pet canary and its cage at the auction. The cage sold for £3, and the grand total from all items sold was £72.15.1. The cage was distinctively ornate, and proved very useful in confirming that Dawson was actually Williams from the Kaiser Wilhelm II, and thus Deeming.

A police report, submitted only three days after the body was found states:

Further illustrations

 

+ Click thumbnail for larger image