Frederick Bailey Deeming - Windsor Murder

Windsor Murder

In November 1891, Deeming (still using the name Williams) took Emily to Australia in the German steamship "Kaiser Wilhelm II." They arrived in Melbourne on 15 December 1891. Deeming rented a house in Andrew Street Windsor, a suburb of Melbourne. On 24 December or early on 25 December 1891, he murdered Emily and buried her under the hearthstone of one of the bedrooms, covering the body with cement. He had paid a month's rent in advance, giving the name Mr. Drewn, but almost immediately left the property. The owner, nearby butcher John Stamford, had been happy to rent to the man, because of his air of respectability, and at first had not even known the man’s name.

On 3 March 1892 a prospective tenant of the Windsor house complained of "a disagreeable smell" in the second bedroom. The owner and estate agent later raised the hearthstone to investigate whereupon the smell became so overpowering "they found themselves barely able to breathe". The police were called and the body of Emily Mather found. A postmortem conducted on 4 March found that although her skull had been fractured by several blows, the most likely cause of death was that her throat had been cut.

Publicity surrounding the gruesome finding of Emily Mather’s body was considerable. Within a few days, The Age newspaper had connected the murder to the Whitechapel murders of London;

Through clues found at the vacant Andrew Street house and from information provided by local tradespeople, investigating Victoria Police sergeants William Considine and Henry Cawsey were able to trace the recently arrived Mr. Williams to the "Kaiser Wilhelm II." They were then able to interview other passengers, who gave corroborating descriptions of Mr. Williams and his wife Emily. In the weeks at sea, Emily had talked to other passengers of her family at Rainhill, and the connection was now made. Deeming’s behaviour as Mr. Williams had also attracted considerable attention during the voyage. Many passengers stated they “detested Williams, all agreed he had treated his wife in a loving and considerate manner”. Police now also had a very good description of Mr. Williams, which they circulated to other Australian colonies, but at this stage his real identity was still unknown.

At an inquest held on 8 March, it was discovered that a man answering Mr Williams’s description had auctioned a variety of household goods, possibly wedding presents, in the city in early January 1892. At this time he was staying at the Cathedral Hotel in Swanston Street, Melbourne, registered as Mr. Duncan. It later transpired that Deeming had also written an affectionate letter (as Albert Williams) to Emily Mather’s mother several days after Emily’s murder. Deeming had found time to approach Holt’s Matrimonial Agency (as Duncan), wishing to meet a young lady with matrimonial intentions. He had also found time to swindle a local Melbourne jeweller.