MURDER VICTIM'S MYSTERIOUS LIFE

AFTER a night out at the local cinema, Kate Jackson was found gravely injured and bleeding outside her Mumbles bungalow.

- JASON EVANS Reporter [e-mail]

The 43-year-old was taken to hospital but could not be saved, and police launched a murder investigation.

But there are questions as to who exactly Kate Jackson was, for she seemed to have lived a colourful life and been known by a number of names over the years, including Madame le Grys, Mary Kathleen Douglas Hamilton, Madame Humber, Ethel M Dell, Holly Ingram and Madame X.

Kate, known to friends as Molly, spent the evening of February 4, 1929, at the cinema in Mumbles with her neighbour Olive Dimmick. After the film they walked home, reaching their bungalows on Plunch Lane at around 10pm.

Shortly afterwards Mrs Dimmick heard screams and went outside to find her friend lying in a pool of blood near the back door of her bungalow, which was known as Kenilworth. Her husband Thomas was beside her.

Together they were able to get the injured woman inside the bungalow and Mr Jackson went to call for a doctor while Mrs Dimmick dressed her friend’s head wounds. When Dr Taylor arrived, he began to treat Kate and asked her who had injured her. Her only reply was “Gorse” which she repeated a number of times. Mr Jackson told the doctor his wife had been receiving threatening letters.

Kate was taken by taxi to Swansea Hospital where she survived for another six days, slipping in and out of consciousness before passing away. She was never able to give an account of what happened. Police began a murder investigation, with detectives from Scotland Yard drafted in to assist.

Press reports at the time note that Mr Jackson seemed keen to talk to the police and reporters and he provided quite a tale.