Melbourne, March 26.
Considerable excitement was caused here today by a statement published by the Argus which declared that Deeming, the murderer, had made a confession. There has been a strong suspicion entertained here and in England that Deeming is none other than the notorious Jack the Ripper, the slayer of the Whitechapel, London, outcasts, and this suspicion is borne out in a measure, not only by Deeming's appearance which closely tallies with the description given of the Whitechapel fiend, but be his alleged confession. The Argus is a reliable newspaper and there is no reason to doubt the truthfulness of the statements it makes today that Deeming has acknowledged that he killed his wife and four children at Dinham Villa, at Rainhill, near Liverpool, and that he murdered and mutilated the last two women whose bodies were found in the Whitechapel district. Although he has confessed that these two women fell victims to his mania for murder, he, while not denying, does not admit that he killed the other Whitechapel women whose murder at the time attracted the attention of the whole world. It is believed, however, that when he finds all hope of escape from the clutches of the law cut off he will confess
but others of which the police know nothing. In his confession, the Argus says, Deeming makes no mention of his object in mutilating the bodies of his Whitechapel victims and removing certain of the organs, but it adds that there is scarcely a doubt that the man is afflicted with a disease similar in some respects to nymphomania. The case is a most peculiar one in all its aspects and public curiosity is greatly excited to learn all the details of Deeming's many crimes. It is said Deeming made his confession to an official at Perth, West Australia, where he was arrested on a charge of murdering his wife at Windsor, a suburb of Melbourne. Deeming secured counsel and made a strong fight not to be sent back to Melbourne but the court ordered his surrender to the authorities of this city, and yesterday he started in custody of officers on his return.
He told the Perth officers to whom he made his confession, that he was not guilty of the Windsor murder. His wife, he claimed, eloped with another man. It has transpired that the unfortunate woman whose body was found together with those of her four children under the floor of the Rainhill residence was not Deeming's first wife. Some years ago a sensation was created in Australia by the mysterious disappearance of a man who then went by the name of Williams, but who turns out to be Deeming. The family then resided in Sydney. There was grave suspicion of foul play at the time, but the bodies were not found and this essential proof of murder being lacking, the matter was allowed to drop. Deeming subsequently went to England and there it was that he married the woman whose murder he now confesses.
