THE WINDSOR TRAGEDY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9382, 23 March 1892, Page 2

THE WINDSOR TRAGEDY.

THE ACCUSED AT PERTH. PARTICULARS OF A SWINDLING CAREER. [By Electric Telegraph.—Copykight.] (Per Pbess Association.) Perth (W.A), March 21. (Received March 22, at 11.10 a.m.) During the voyage here Swanson, alias Williams, charged with wife murder at Windsor, Victoria, asked permission of a fellow-passenger to pay addresses to the latter's niece, but the request was refused. Detective Cawsey, of the Victorian police, accompacied by Hirschfeldt, who was a fellowpassenger with Williams in the Kaiser Wilhelm, has arrived here. A number of prisoners, including Williams, were paraded, and Hirschfeldt picked out the accused. Swanson has secured the services of a solicitor of well-known ability in criminal proceedings, and it is believed that every legal technicality will be raised -with a view of preventing the prisoner being handed over to the Victorian police. The case comes on to-day. Among Swanson's effects is a marriage, certificate in the names of Albert Williams and Emily Mather. A knife closely resembling a dissectiug knife was also found. ' Swanson eats, smokes, and sleeps well, and appears to be perfectly happy. He protests that he is not the Windsor murderer, although he believed that his wife was murdered at Windsor, and says that in 1 consequence of her conduct with another man he quarrelled with her at the Federal Coffee Palace in Melbourne, and had never seen her since. (Per Press Association.) London, March 21. (Received March 22, at 10.45 a.m.) It is believed that among Deeming's luggage discovered at' Plymouth is the clothing of another of his victims. A Hartlepool merchant, who was best man at Deeming's wedding at Beverley, declared that the latter swindled him, as well as several tradesmen in Antwerp. Deeming tried to marry a girl in Liverpool in July, and presented her with much jewellery. He regularly attended worship while in Rainhill. He desired Mrs Mather to sell her little property, with, it is believed, the object of securing Miss Mather's share at once. He stated that he was a nephew of Sir Wilfred Lawson, by whom he was educated, and that he had taken many school prizes in Australia. After his wife left the Cape Deeming and an accomplice obtained L6OO in Durban for gold commission, and next he secured the confidence of Messrs Grice and Ansell, who introduced him to a Johannesberg banker, from whom he borrowed L3OOO. In connection with the latter he gave Cape Town references, and these were answer by an accomplice. Deeming made good the bank's advance. Deeming defrauded Mr Courtney, of Capetown, out of a large quantity of jewellery, returned to England, and was shadowed by a private detective of the Transvaal, and the police at Birkenhead, Stockton-on-Tees, London, and Pembroke. Finding that he was dogged, Deeming doubled back to Australia, taking passage -by the s.s. Jumna. Another detective boarded the vessel .at Thursday Island, but Deeming managed to evade him, aud slipped away at Brisbane. He was next heard of at Port Said, and then at Birkenhead and Beverley. (Received March 22, at 7.55 p.m.) Deeming and Emily (Miss Mather) stayed at Hastings in October, where he was in the habit of flaunting a hundred guinea chronometer. Crowds of sightseers are still at Rainhill. On September 14 Deeming wrote to the father of his first wife stating that he would bring his wife to see him shortly, and urged Mr James to send him his gold watch to get it repaired. This, however, Mr James, fortunately for himself, did not do. (Received March 22, at 8.15 p.m.) Deeming left church in the middle of the service on the Sunday after he had murdered his wife and children. While posing as Lawson, an Australian millionaire, he was the guest of several merchants in West Hartlepool for some weeks. All the letters received by the Mathers from Australia were full of expressions of happiness. Blood-stained bedding and shirts have been discovered in the hotel at Rainhill, where they are supposed to have been left by the murderer. Deeming is believed to have passed under the names of Wilson, Cleves, and Webster, as well as numerous other aliases. The Mathers identify articles found in possession of Williams when arrested as answering to a description of some that their daughter's husband took away with him. (Per United Press Association.) Christchukch, March 22. The police have searched a house in St. Martin's, Opawa, occupied between three and four years ago by a cloth hawker named Williams, to see if anything could be discovered to connect with the Windsor murderer. Nothing was, however, discovered.