Kate Leigh

Kathleen Mary Josephine (Kate) Leigh (1881-1964) was an underworld figure born in Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia.

Personal life

Kate Leigh was born on March 10 in Dubbo, the eighth child of Catholic parents Timothy Beahan, a boot-maker, and his wife Charlotte (nee Smith). After a shaky start with childhood neglect, and being in a girls' home at 12, at 18 she married James Lee (Leigh), an illegal bookmaker and petty criminal.

They separated in 1905 when Lee was imprisoned for assault and robbery. She was convicted for perjury and imprisoned for five years. In Sydney, on 26 September 1922, she married Edward Barry, a grog dealer who died in 1948. She married "Shiner" Ryan in 1950, flying to Fremantle for the wedding. They separated six months later.

Criminal connections

Through a relationship with Sydney criminal Samuel "Jewey" Freeman, she came in touch with the underworld. He and Ernest "Shiner" Ryan were convicted for a railway payroll robbery in 1914 and are reputedly the first armed robbers to use a getaway car in the history of Australia crime. [ [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A100063b.htm Leigh, Kathleen Mary Josephine (1881 - 1964) Biographical Entry - Australian Dictionary of Biography Online ] ]

Career

She went on to be a madam, sly-grog operator, drug trader and underworld figure known as "Queen of the Underworld." From 1919 to 1955 Leigh's main enterprise was the highly profitable "sly-grog" trade, a flourishing effect of six o'clock closing.

From her Surry Hills home she became an organized crime entrepreneur, charging excessive prices for a full range of illicit goods and services, including after-hours drinking venues, sly-grog, prostitution, illegal betting, gambling and, from the mid-1920s, cocaine. Leigh obtained loyalty and protection from a male network of gangsters, but often had to protect them and was adept with a rifle. Rival gangs eroded her profits from cocaine by standing over and slashing decoys (often working prostitutes) with razors. She was also engaged in a violent feud with her rival Tilly Devine, a Sydney madam based in Woolloomooloo.

In March 1930 she shot and killed "Snowy" Prendergast when he and other gangsters broke into her home. She was not indicted for the killing, or for shooting Joseph McNamara in 1931.

Through alleged personal connections throughout officialdom, she continued business throughout the 1930s and 40s despite frequent police raids and a mass of minor convictions. Appearing in courtrooms with flamboyantly expensive clothes and diamonds, her wealth was legendary.

Death

Continuing to live at Surry Hills, she died of choking on her own tongue on 4 February 1964, and was buried in Botany cemetery as a Catholic. She was survived by a daughter. She was remembered for her generous charitable acts to support the unemployed in harsh times and her patriotism by the press, who ignored her criminal connections.

Further reading

* V. G. Kelly, "Rugged Angel", Sydney, 1961
* A. McCoy, "Drug Traffic", Sydney, 1980

References

* [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A100063b.htm]

Persondata
NAME=Leigh, Kathleen Mary Josephine (Kate)
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Australian crime entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH=1881
PLACE OF BIRTH=Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia
DATE OF DEATH=1964
PLACE OF DEATH=Sydney, New South Wales, Australia