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Casebook: Jack the Ripper - Message Boards » Suspects » Deeming, Frederick » South Africa « Previous Next »

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Alan Hunt
Police Constable
Username: Mews

Post Number: 1
Registered: 5-2003
Posted on Tuesday, October 18, 2005 - 2:36 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

On a visit to South Africa this year i found myself in the town of Dargle, in the midland meander area of Natal, and staying at the Tanglewood Country House and art gallery, a local hostilery decorated in the Boer style as it was at the turn of the century. In reception there was a history of the hotel and area compiled by the owners, Jackie and Jurgen Schuning. Reading the history i came across a description of a mysterious stranger who rented a nearby farm and visited the hotel, then known as the Dargle Hotel, to mix with locals as well as use the bar as did everyone else. The thing about this man was that he had the habit of not paying for rounds of drinks ordered by him for everyone else which somewhat erked the propriotess mrs Fanning, but being a genial host she let it go with the aim of collecting at a later date. matters came to a head when after 3 months he invited all and sundry to a party at the farmhouse with the hotel supplying food and drink. Mrs Fanning grudgingly agreed with a promise of full payment the day after the party. A good time was had by all at the party but upon arriving the next day to collect payment, mrs Fanning discovered the stranger had dissaoeared overnight taking his belongings with him. Eventually putting it down to bad debt and bad character all was forgotten about the incident until, on a family business trip to London in 1901, mrs Fanning made a visit to Madame Toussards Waxworks, and in common with most other people went down to the Chamber of Horrors to gloat at the exhibits. What she found startled her for upon entering the chamber she came face to face with the stranger from all those years before who had done a moonlight flite from Dargle leaving as it turned out unpaid bills all over the area. But the face was not that of a visitor but of one of the exhibits! The whole connection all this was that the year in which the stranger appeared and dissapeared was 1888, the stranger was known as "Mr Demming" and the waxwork was of Frederick Deeming! th whole story was published in the journal of the new Whitechapel committee 1888 (previously cloak and dagger club)and is still available so buy one and seeTanglewood country House

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