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?

10. Crime of the Century?

Deeming wrote an autobiography in prison while awaiting execution. He had declared to those around him as he was being shipped aboard the Ballaarat to face trial in Melbourne 'I will write the history of my life and it will startle the world'. In his will, he left the manuscript to his solicitor, Marshall Lyle, but the government put an end to Deeming's story by ordering the destruction of this manuscript. In addition, requests from the Victorian Branch of the British Medical Association that an examination of Deeming's brain take place, to see what story it could tell about his criminal personality, were denied. With these two decisions the government ensured there would be no ongoing controversy about Deeming, nor about the nature of his crimes, and the question of his sanity would not be raised again.¹

In the popular imagination, however, Deeming's myth already loomed large. Within two weeks of his arrest in Western Australia, a depiction of his English crime appeared in the Chamber of Horrors at Kreitmayer's Waxworks Exhibition at 71 Bourke Street in Melbourne. It bore the caption 'Mrs Frederick Bailey Deeming: Slaughter with Four Children at Rainhill ... A Most Arch deed of pitiless massacre'.² A month later the waxworks had added the scene of the Windsor murder. Waxworks were a popular form of entertainment in Melbourne until they were displaced by motion pictures in the 1910s.

Wilful Murder, a play staged in Melbourne's Alexandra Theatre (located at the corner of Bourke and Exhibition Streets) opened on 19 March 1892. Hastily put together from the unfolding story of the murder of Emily Mather, the play continued to evolve over its six-week run on the stage, incorporating new evidence and details as they came to light. Once Deeming was brought back to Melbourne, the lead actor attended the inquest to observe the real murderer's mannerisms and incorporate them into his performance.

Numerous accounts of Deeming's crimes were published in 1892. These were cheaply and hastily produced crime books known collectively as 'penny dreadfuls' or 'shilling shockers'. These books shamelessly rehashed every half-truth and sordid detail the daily newpapers churned out during the investigation and trial. Unlike the relatively sober tone of the official record, books like The Life of Deeming: The Murderer of Women and Children provide a glimpse into the feverish fascination that for a brief spell in Australia's history turned Deeming into the 'criminal of the century'.³

Letter from Signor D'atorz, 10 March 1892
PROV, VPRS 937/P0 Inward Registered Correspondence, unit 511, Deeming Case
+ click to read transcript and view image

Ultimately the excitement settled down and those involved resumed their normal lives. Deeming's name, however, continued to live in popular memory, and the myth became embellished with crimes and atrocities which were unrelated to the crimes he is known to have committed. Even though the Windsor and Rainhill murders alone were enough to warrant the infamy surrounding his name, tales of his activities in various countries circulated from the time of the investigation into the Windsor murder and continued to multiply even after his execution. Some crimes popularly attributed to him were:

• the 'Jack the Ripper Murders' (also known as the Whitechapel Murders) in London, 1888
• three murders in South Africa in 1882
• various forgeries and scams in England, South Africa and Australia during the 1880s
• the fire at the Garden Palace building, Sydney, in September 1882
• the murder of three women and two men in South America (date unknown)
• unverified crimes of theft and fraud in Australia in the 1880s

Postscript

It took several months to clear up the tangle of disputes left after the trial, with witnesses and police each arguing for their share of the £100 reward. There was also debate about the ownership of property found in Deeming's possession upon his arrest in Western Australia. Much of it was Emily's, and her family requested the return of anything positively identified as hers.

List of property found in Deeming's possession when arrested
PROV, VPRS 937/P0 Inward Registered Correspondence, unit 511, Deeming Case
+ click to read transcript and view image

Mr Thunderbolt acted on behalf of Emily's mother, Mrs Dove Mather, to assist with the return of her daughter's belongings. He passed on to police a list made by Mrs Mather of items known to have been taken to Australia by Emily. A meeting was then organised with a police representative, Mr Thunderbolt and Marshall Lyle's associate to determine which items would be returned. Deeming had left most of his possessions to his solicitor, Marshall Lyle. The police noted, however, that Mr Thunderbolt had no legal right to collect the items, so arrangements were made for a parcel to be sent directly to Mrs Mather.

Further illustrations

  

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