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THE THIRD DAY OF THE INQUEST.
Though the third and, no djubt, the concluding
day of the inquest(says the Melbourne
Evening Standard of Thursday) has been
reached, the interest taken by the public in the
proceedings and the excitement exhibited by
them have in no way abated, but, if anything,
have increased. A dense mass of people again
gathered in front of the City Court this morning,
the spectators presenting the appearance
of a great open-air demonstration, only that
nobody went on the stump. Eash individual
had his own remarks to make, if he could
obtain an audience; but very frequently a
shout went up for which no reason could be
assigned. Perhaps that was the only way
the_ crowd could relieve themselves of
their pent-up feelings. As the hour for holding
the enquiry approached the police could
see that they would have to deal with the
greatest multitude that has yet packed itself
in that locality. Every moment saw additions
to the number; this tide of humanity continually
flowed in, wave upon wave, till enormously
swollen, and it could find no further
room but to spread and tail off in the far distance.
The tram track in Kussell-street was,
however, kept clear, and besides the large body
of police to maintain order in the highways,
a special squad was held in reserve
at the barracks to deal with any emergencies
that might arise. It would be useless to
attempt a calculation of the crowd, when the
numbers were continually varying; but to
their credit, be it said, that they were in no
sense unmanageable. Their one object was to
get a glimpse of the prisoner Williams, and
although they must have known that this
desire was not likriv to cmtifiod
desire was not likely to be gratified, they
still held together tenaciously, hoping
against hope. Idle rumours, which
were freely circulated, were readily
credited by them. For instance, at one time
of the morning some fellow, having more mischief
in him than veracity, spread a statement
to the effect that Williams was to be brought
from the gaol in a cab, and would pass down
Latrobe-street. This was considered good
news, too good for the hopeful to question its
accuracy ; and for a time a babel of tongues
reverberated in the air, full of expressions of
satisfaction and pleasure that at last the
populace should get a peep at the
prisoner. Great preparations were then
made to receive him, and he would,
no doubt, have had an uncomfortable time of
it amongst them, particularly with some dissipated-looking
old women, who had empty beer
bottles under their shawls—had the authorities
only been stupid enough to adopt any other
course than the one hitherto followed, of using
the private door leading to the City Court
when removing the prisoner from the gaol.
When at last it dawned on the crowd that they
had only been hoaxed their disappointment was
expressed in terms neither polite nor agreeable.
Notwithstanding the assumption and a jaunty
air of indifference, Williams did not look
happy. Any person of intelligence could see
through the disguise and notice the imprint of
care and anxiety on his face. He was shifty
in his seat, he returned the gaze of his onlookers
less defiantly, and very often kept
his eyes fixed to the floor for some time.
The change that had come over him
was remarkable, and it was hinted that
the overwhelming evidence of yesterday had
had a considerable effect on him. Lines that
had not been on his face before were now observable,
and his forehead was furrowed. Impertinent
and insulting remarks wore frequently
muttered by him during the proceedings;
but that was only the bravado, the
pusillanimous "show-fight" of an animal at
bay.
Before the conclusion of the evidence the
prisoner had fallen asleep and had to be
soundly shaken when the Coroner called upon
him to "Stand up and tell us your name."
He whispered to Mr. Lyle, his solicitor, and
the latter replied, *' He says he is not going to
answer any questions." The Crown Prosecutor
then made a powerful speech, vividly
portraying the crimes of the prisoner,
and the trickery resorted to by
him m effecting his purposes. Wilbams
when arrested at Southern Cross
remarked to the constable that no one had
seen the murder, so that he should be given
the benefit of the doubt. "It would be a sad
thing for humanity," exclaimed Mr. Walsh
bringing his fist down on the table, " if it was
always necessary to have eye-witnesses in
cases of murder. There can be no doubt of
the prisoner's guilt, the evidence is overwhelming
that he had savagely murdered his
wife, and then buried her under the hearth-
6t0De
the
» "U. cottage in Andrewsstreet.
The learned counsel's address to
the Jury was listened to with the profoundest
interest by the large assemblage in Court.
Scarcely a sound was heard anywhere, and the
gentleman's voice rang out in the building like
a clarion. His references to the tragic fate of
Emily Mather caused many moist eyes, and
one of the ladies fainted in Court, and had to
be carried out.
In thecourseofhis address Mr. Walsh said:
We are now drawing to the conclusion of this
exceedingly painful enquiry. It has been a
very exhaustive and complete one, and a great
mass of evidence has been brought forward to
throw light upon this fearful tragedy. Such
an amount of evidence has been laid before you
—all pointing to the guilt of the prisoner—
that I am Bure you oeLn cine to one
conclusion only, and that is, that
Jimiiy Williams was brutallv murdered
m the house, 57, Andrews-street, Windsor,
that you have heard so much about. As to
her murderer, I am confident vou must decide
that the person who killed her was the man
who is now in custody. He murdered her
brutally. The prisoner is the man who came
out on board ship as her husband. All the evidence
points to this conclusion, and there is no
escape from it. I will shortly go over the
l>oints that I consider bear directly in
the direction I have mentioned. This
man Williams married his wife, who has been
so foully murdered, in September last at Rainhill,
England. Together with the unfortunate
woman, he went on board the Kaiser Wilhelm
at Southampton about November J, arriving
m Hobson s Eay on December 15. It has been
proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the
person who came out on board the vessel went
to live at Prabran, and that the woman who
accompanied him was the same woman who
wasBmurdered at Andrews-street." Arriving
in ^Melbourne Williams and his wife went
to the Federal Coffee Palace and took a
room for the night of December 15. They stayed
there on the 16th and 17th, and (looking "imdressively
at the Jury) within twenty-four
hours of his arrival in the colony Williams
rented the cottage where the horrible deed was
committed, and, although only twenty-four
hours, visited the shop of Mr. Woods, iron-
monger.
High-street, St. Kilda, and
purchased
some things, amongst
which
was
half
a cask
of
cement.
When
it
was
not delivered in accordance
with promise
Williams
was
evidently
much
enraged.
Mr. Walsh then detailed the conversations
with the prisoner which Mr. Woods had, referring
to bis miserable subterfuge to deceive
the ironmonger as to the ri al object of the
purchase of the cemt-nt.
\\ hat did he want
the cement for?
Had not his scheme of
murder
beeu most carefully thought out ?
From the first was not the cement to seal
down
the
body of
the
woman
whuui
Williams
diabolically
contemplated
murdering
?
Continuing
his frigtitfu
scheming,
after
having
murdered
his
wife
on or about December 21, Williams paid the
agents of the house a month's rent.
What was
that " for"; Why would a man pay a month's
rent after he had commenced by paying a
week's?
Was it not that after the week's
tenancy he found the house favourable to bis
diabolical work, and had paid a month's rent
so that his ioul deed might not be immediately
discovered?
Tile evidmw was most damning
against the prisoner.
Everything was done to
conceal the cruel crime.
The body was well
cemented, well
sealed
down,
but
fortunately
the murdered woman was discovered,
and the murder was out. Mr. Walsh then
glanced hurriedly at Williams s movements.
Under every alias he told remarkable stories,
which made him out tc be a most remarkable
man. To the friends into whose confidence he
succeeded in working his way ho told of his
immense resources in England and his unlimited
wealth. By these lying romances lie
got on the right side of Mr. Vivian, who
suffered by his < ompanionship to a very great
extent. Mr. Walsh then traced minutely the
cheques be professed to have paid as
Customs duties, hotel rent, and purchases in
Melbourne at times when it had been proved,
without a doubt, he must have been in Lyndon.
Under the name of liaron Swanston" his
behaviour was all the more remarkable. He
leferred then to Miss Rounsefell's evidence,
which had been given with freedom ani frankness,
and without contradiction, in Sydney
l.e met Captain Firth, whom he told with
IT.:an audacity that Mrs. Williams was "up
in Sydney," when really she must have been
well cemented "neath the hearthstone. Skipping
lightly over his conversation with Mr.
Smith, the accountant to whom he told many
fairy tales of wealth, he proposed and was
accepted by Miss Rounsefell, and left then for
Western - Australia. The removal of
his moustache so surreptitiously at
Albany was another effort to baulk
his identification. All the evidence proves
conclusively that Emily Williams was
cruelly, basely, and barbarously murdered by
the man present in Court. His aliases were so
numerous that it was hard to say what his
name was. The evidence seemed to indicate
that he was "Frederick Bayley Deeming."
Mr. Lyle then addressed the Court:—All I
with to say now is that this abnormal offspring
of a mother has a defence which I will conduct
to the best of my ability if I am allowed to do
so. My duty will be to obtain for this creature
(pointing to the prisoner, who smiled at hiin) a
fair trial. Up to the present these proceedings
have been conducted m a fair and honourable i
manner, and, as counsel for the defence, I have
to thank the Coroner. As to the defence
which will be brought forward, I cannot say
anything just now; and, indeed, if I did, tbe
Coroner would tell me it was not the
proper place to do so. I will merely
say that the defence of this creature
will bring forward a question which this community
will have to face sooner or later. Some
l£jiElieh-speakiii|T countries have already dealt
with the matter, and these colonies will have
to do the same. In conducting the defence I
hope that I will be treated in the manner I
have been treated by this honourable Court."
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