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Kathleen Margaret Dolan

Age: 31

Sex: female

Date: 18 Mar 1931

Place: Disraeli Road, Putney

Kathleen Margaret Dolan died from local interference.

She was found dead on her bed fully dressed and looked as though she had been thrown there. There was nothing to indicate her cause of death and nothing in the room to indicate that an operation had been performed there.

An address book and diary were belonging to her were found in her room.

A doctor who examined her said that she had been in a certain condition and that she had died from shock following an internal injury due to local interference. It was thought that the injury might have been caused in another part of London about two or three hours before she died.

Kathleen Dolan had been employed as a shop assistant in Southport but had recently gone to South America where she was expecting to get married but when she got there she found out that the man was already married. When she returned she had gone to London to find work.

The daughter of the landlady at Disraeli Road where Kathleen Dolan had gone said that she had never seen Kathleen Dolan in her life before she came to her house for a room. She said that when she arrived she had a hand bag, a small portmanteau and a little bag with her. The landlady's daughter said that Kathleen Dolan had told her that she had come to London on business and that she thought that she had been looking for a post.

The landlady's daughter said that on the Friday evening, she and Kathleen Dolan went to Walham Green on a bus but said that they didn't visit anyone.

However, an entry in Kathleen Dolan's diary, dated 6 March 1931 read, 'Letter from man. Told landlady's daughter everything. She has told me of someone to do the trick. I am glad I went to Fulham with her. She had supper with me and we came back. Feeling better already.’.

The landlady's daughter said that she couldn't explain the entry and said that she had nothing to do with the writing of it. The Coroner said that it was very suspicious.

The Coroner said 'Did you tell her she could go out and see someone? You are on your oath you know. You say you did not tell her?' and the landlady's daughter said 'No, sir'. The Coroner then said, 'You cannot explain that entry?' and she again replied 'No'.

When the Coroner summed up he said that there were entries in her diary which left no reasonable doubt that Kathleen Dolan was going to find someone to terminate her condition, but there is not sufficient evidence to point the finger at any particular individual.

The jury then returned an open verdict.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Gloucester Citizen - Wednesday 18 March 1931

see Western Daily Press - Thursday 19 March 1931

see Nottingham Evening Post - Friday 13 March 1931