Kate Jackson (1885–1929) was a mysterious woman who claimed to be born in India and told her husband she was the author Ethel M. Dell.
Every Wednesday she received a letter containing £30 cash from a source unknown to her husband - George Harrison.
He claimed £8000 of this was to supply the regular payments to the woman he knew as Mollie le Grys.
Whilst this did not bring her a fortune, it was far above the average weekly wage, and it allowed her many additional comforts.
[4] On Monday 4 February 1929, on Plunch Lane, in the tiny hamlet of Limeslade on the edge of The Mumbles, Jackson was attacked.
[5] Just after 10pm, Jackson and her neighbour Olive Dimick were returning from the Tivoli Cinema, having left home together at 6pm.
[6] Mr Jackson reappeared with clothes on and Mrs Gammon offered to call for a doctor, but he declined saying he would fetch someone if she got worse.
Tom eventually went to another neighbour Mrs Janet Philips and phoned Dr Neil Seddon Taylor of the Mumbles who agreed to come out.
Tom told Mrs Philips that Kate had recently received threatening letters regarding an embezzlement trial two years previously.
[9] The taxi arrived and the driver helped get Kate onto the back seat then drove with Tom to the hospital.
Tom claimed he heard a noise at 10.45pm and found Kate near the back door just as Olive ran up.
[12] Superintendent Harry Fox of Mumbles arrived later in the morning and was joined by Detective inspector Frederick William Gough and the Chief Constable, Captain Thomas Rawson.
[15] Both Tom and the neighbour Olive confirmed that Kate had a deep fear of being discovered and had wanted to live in Limeslade due to its remoteness.
Police guards stayed with Mrs Jackson in the hospital hoping she would recover enough to name her assailant.
[17] As the only suspect, Tom was charged with murder two weeks after the death and put on trial in July.
A tyre lever had been found concealed in the kitchen but there was no positive evidence whatsoever to link Tom to the crime nor was any motive evidenced.
Leopold le Grys certainly existed: he was born in 1876, lived and worked in London as a portrait artist and died in Kensington in 1971.