Deagol instead of Smeagol

[Chancellen the True]

If Deagal had killed Smeagal, the ring would have used it against him. Since Deagal's character was different then Smeagal's, probably more wholesome, the ring would have worked on him in a different way. The Ring would look for the weakness in the character of whoever possesed it. A good person is still vulnerable to the power of the Ring. That's why most of The White Counsel would not touch it. My guess is that The Ring would have used guilt from the murder of Smeagal to turn Deagal under it's will.

Now, what would have happened afterward, that's another story. Gollum loved getting to the roots of things, finding out secrets and such. That's what drove him into the mountains. Deagol's character wasn't examined to closely. It would be hard to say where The Ring would have driven him to. It could have driven him to Mordor. In a way, ME could have been lucky that Gollum had the ring. Sauron could have gotten The Ring before anyone else and a thousand years earlier too.