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Emily Mather - the White Hat guideThere are nearly a million people buried in Melbourne General Cemetery, so not many people are likely to stumble across the monument to Emily Mather. Fewer still are likely to know the full remarkable story behind the monument. When estate agents investigated a strong smell coming from a house in Windsor (an inner suburb of Melbourne) they traced it to the hearthstone in the fireplace. Removing the hearthstone they discovered the body of Emily Mather. A search immediately began for the former occupant of the house. He was one Fredrick Deeming (although he had also used the assumed names of Albert Williams and Druin). It was therefore no surprise that he had assumed yet another name, when he set sail for Fremantle. Deeming was arrested in Perth and returned to Melbourne for trial. The investigation had in the meantime taken an even more grisly turn. In investigating Deeming's previous home in England, the police had thought it might be appropriate to check under the hearthstone there. To their horror, they found the body of Deeming's previous wife and his four children. On the same day that Deeming was arrested in Perth, his new fiancé arrived in Melbourne. Learning the fate of his two previous wives, her ardour cooled a little and she gave evidence in the court case. Less than a month after his trial began, Deeming was hanged in the Old Melbourne Gaol. This, despite the best efforts of his attorney Alfred Deakin (later to become Prime Minister of Australia). Emily Mather's memorial in Melbourne Cemetery was erected by public subscription. IN
Loving memory ofEMILY LYDIA
MATHERbeloved daughter of
JOHN & DOVE MATHER
of Rainhill, England.MURDERED 24TH DEC 1891
at WINDSOR, MELBOURNE
AGED 26 YEARS.Erected by
public
subscriptionsEPITAPH"Who all her days while yet alive
To live in honour she did strive
Till he she trusted as her guide
Without cause or warning her life denied" |
At the base of the monument is the following cryptic inscription ADVICE'To those who hereafter come reflecting
Upon this text of her sad ending;
To warn her sex of their intending
For marrying in haste, is depending
On such a fate, too late for amending'by her friend
E.THUNDERBOLT |
This still leaves numbers of questions unanswered: - The newspaper report of the day states that she was buried at a different cemetery so where is she really buried?
- Who was the mysterious E. Thunderbolt?
- Many people in Melbourne felt that the notorious Jack the Ripper had come to Melbourne, because this was only several years after the Jack the Ripper murders. Could Deeming have been Jack the Ripper?
- Some publications state that Deeming admitted to being Jack the Ripper before his hanging. Is this true or an invented myth?
- Why were knitting needles a key clue that led to the tracing of Deeming?
To find the answer to these and other questions about Emily Mather, ask your guide on the White Hat Tours' Walking Tour of Melbourne Cemetery.
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TOURISM NEWS
Qantas In Flight Magazine chooses
White Hat
Cemetery Tour as its featured Australian tour for May
There are many fine historical tours
throughout Australia including cemetery tours. From these, the
prestigious Qantas In Flight Magazine has chosen the White Hat Tour
of Melbourne Cemetery as its featured Australian tour for the May
2007 edition. This tour was also featured by ABC radio on 24 May and
will feature in a documentary series on Burke and Wills to be shown
on European television in 2008. The tour has been operating for many years and has won
praise from a wide range of sources. This is not a dry and stuffy
tour but in keeping with all White Hat offerings it is Informed,
Intelligent, Independent (and occasionally) Irreverent. You can find
details of the tour at White
Hat Tour of Melbourne Cemetery and view the article at
Qantas In Flight Magazine. |
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