The Public Execution of Dedea Redanies at Maidstone Gaol 1st January 1857.
The Maidstone Journal of 3rd January 1857 records the execution of Dedea Redanies at Maidstone gaol and an outline of his crime. On 1st January 1857, Dedea Redanies was executed in the front of Maidstone gaol for the murder of Caroline and Maria Back. Dedea, was born in Servia in 1830 and having enlisted in the Kossuth Cavalry, he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Szegadin. Accepting an offer from his Austrian captors, he joined the Reuss Regiment of cavalry and fought at the conflict of Novara. He was awarded a gold medal for an act of courage, after entering the enemy camp, disguised as a dram-seller and stealing their flag. After making clear of the camp, he was fired at and escaped by throwing himself from a high embrasure into the river. Whilst stationed In Milan, he befriended a Capushin Monk and was baptised into the catholic faith, previously declaring his faith as Mahommedan. He was able to recite the Lord’s prayer and other prayers in German and was familiar with the theory of Christ as a saviour and the crucifixion.
On hearing of the formation of the British Legion, he deserted and escaped through Sardinia into Switzerland, where he enlisted and was posted to Shornecliffe. With his knowledge of both the German and Italian languages, he was appointed as an interpreter to the hospital at Dover Castle. It was here that he met the Back family. According to his statement, he met Caroline and Maria Back, on the way home from the theatre, and Caroline soon became his lover. He was welcomed into the family and Caroline’s parents looked upon him, as a future husband to Caroline. Dedea, became jealous of a friendship between Caroline and an artillery man at Woolwich, and was further angered on seeing a letter from him addressing her as “Dear Caroline”. On hearing, Caroline was to visit Woolwich to see her sister Mary, he determined to kill Caroline. On Saturday 2nd August, he left the Back’s house to purchase a poniard (dagger). On his return he invented a story that his sister had arrived in Shornecliffe and was anxious to meet his future wife, the following morning. He proposed they walked there, the following morning at sunrise by the beach. Mrs Back at first objected but later consented on condition, that Caroline was accompanied by her sister Maria. The next morning, Mr Back saw the girls and Dedea. leave in high spirits, laughing and talking and they were seen on route in good humour by others, within a mile of the fatal spot, where their bodies were discovered. Dedea murdered Maria and then Caroline, and stated in a letter to Mrs Back that he had not intended in killing Maria, but she was in the way and that he killed Caroline as it had been “put into my mind at last that Caroline rather may she die at my hands than allow Caroline’s love being bestowed upon others” He rushed from the scene and was captured the next day, where upon he stabbed himself with the same dagger and was taken to a hospital in Canterbury. A German Roman Catholic priest was called to the hospital, as Dedea was expected to die, however he  recovered before his trial.
Prior to this execution, in the condemned cell, he was visited by the gaol chaplin Rev Watson King, the Rev. unable to communicate adequately with Dedea and on Dedea’s apparent lack of remorse, he requested a German copy of “The Sinner’s friend” from Mr Hall. Dedea requested to Rev Watson King, that he be accompanied to the scaffold by a German Roman Catholic priest, stating he wished “to be led to the place of execution by him who kills me, because I also led my poor dead girls to where I killed them.” Father Lawrence arrived at the gaol on Saturday 27th December. On meeting Dedea, Father Lawrence believed Dedea was not of a sane state of mind and conveyed this to the governor of the gaol Mr Bone. Mr Bone referring to the peculiar circumstances of the prisoner being a ‘foreigner’ and the difficulty of communication, he wrote to the Secretary of State Sir George Gray. A letter from Whitehall, dated 31st December 1856, however sealed his fate, with Sir George Gray expressing his regret, that he “can discover no sufficient grounds to justify him interfering with the due course of the law” and that “the prisoner was not insane when he committed the murders.”
On the eve of his execution, he finally regretted his crimes and spent several hours with Father Lawrence, receiving the sacrament. He was allowed to smoke his pipe and vowed to eat no more food that evening, he amused himself by drawing the scene of the crime. After a restless night, he stated he had been dreaming of being reunited with Caroline and Maria. He attended the usual prison church service at 9 o’clock and at 10 o’clock was accompanied by Father Lawrence, Rev Watson King, the governor and under Sheriff Mr Wildes to the scaffold. He was executed by the infamous executor Calcraft, in front of the prison, where a crowd of four to five thousand people had gathered. The mood of the crowd was described as “extreme quietude” and Superintendant Blundell reported no complaints of robbery from the crowd.
Sadly, Dedeas was not alone in meeting his fate that day. After the removal of his body from the scaffold, James Anderson and George Willmer, who were employed to dismantle the scaffold, were removing a cross-beam, when Anderson lost his balance and fell 15ft to his death. Mr Holliday was summoned and Mr Anderson was conveyed to the shop of chemist Mr Waterman, opposite the gaol. He was found to be deceased and the coroner T. Kipping declared an inquest was not required as his cause of death was so apparent. James Anderson had buried his wife, just three weeks before.

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