Dulcie Markham
Encyclopedia
Dulcie May Markham was a prominent Sydney
prostitute and associate of gangland figures in Sydney during the 1930s, 1940's and 1950s, when she was closely involved with the razor gang
milieu of that era of organised crime within that city. During her criminal career, she had amassed 100 convictions in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland & Western Australia for prostitution, vagrancy, consorting, assaulting police and the public, keeping a brothel, drunkenness and drunk driving, and was sent to prison on numerous occasions. Dulcie was known in the media as The Angel of Death, The Black Widow and Pretty Dulcie.
The Daily Mirror
, a former Sydney newspaper, summed up her career in crime thus: "Dulcie Markham saw more violence and death than any other woman in Australia's history".
in 1913, Markham became one of Australia's most notorious prostitutes and underworld figures. She became a prostitute when she was 15 and Sydney's most extravagant gangster's moll
by the time she was 18. She was attracted to, and associated with, many major criminals of the era. On 13 May 1931, stallkeeper Alfred Dillon and gunman Cecil "Scotty" McCormack came to blows over the attentions of Markham and in the resultant melee, Dillon stabbed McCormack to death.
By 1936, Markham was involved with Guido Caletti, another notorious Sydney gunman, the then husband of Nellie Cameron
, another prominent Sydney sex worker of that period. Caletti was shot dead in August 1939 at a party he attended with Markham. Reportedly, Markham was grief-stricken at his funeral.
By December 1937, Markham had shifted to Melbourne
and now had gunman Arthur Taplin as her pimp and lover. Taplin was subsequently shot dead later that year. She was also married to a criminal named Frank Bowen in the late 1930s. Frank Bowen was murdered in Kings Cross
in the early 1940s.
In 1944, Markham had relocated to Queensland
's Gold Coast
. When picked up for vagrancy by local police, she protested that she lived with her current de facto husband, Arthur Williams, and that while he gave her money and groceries, she was not involved in the local sex industry at that time, and was not aware of Williams' involvement in the sly-grog or bootleg alcohol distribution networks that flouted wartime beer and spirits rationing mandates. She also used the pseudonyms and aliases: "Dulcie Williams", "Dulcie Bowen", "Tosca de Marquis", "Mary Eugene", and "Tosca de Merene" during that period. In September 1945, her then boyfried and leading Melbourne criminal Leslie Walkerden, was shot dead in Richmond, Victoria
.
In 1947, Markham was accused and stood trial for conspiracy to murder Valma Hull, the wife of Keith Kitchener Hull, who had shot and killed another Sydney gangland figure, Donald "The Duck" Day, in January 1945. Markham and Edwin Martin, her current liaison, had visited a boarding house owned by Mrs Hull and had demanded to see her. Charges were later dropped when another pair of local gunmen, Charles Martin and George Barrett, were charged with an attack on Hull, but also acquitted a month later.
On 25 September 1951, Markham was shot in the hip at a wild party that turned violent in St Kilda, Victoria
. Her then boyfriend, Gavin Walsh was shot and killed at the same party. Three months later, while still recovering from the shooting, she married Leonard "Redda" Lewis, who was later shot in Melbourne on 22 April 1952. They didn't live together again and were later divorced.
Markham faced Central Police Court for soliciting one final time in 1957 before retiring from prostitution. In January 1959, Markham stood before a special Federal Court on a charge of not having filed a tax return for 1957. She was found guilty and fined ₤50 with £1 costs.
on 20 April 1976. Markham had outlived most of her criminal contemporaries from Sydney's tempestuous razor gang
era. Markham's funeral was held at St Patrick's Catholic Church, Bondi and the eulogywas given by Detective Frank "Bumper" Farrell
. She was cremated at Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park
.
In 2009, Markham was one of the figures from that era featured in an exhibition about that era at Sydney's Justice and Police Museum, entitled "Femmes Fatales: The Female Criminal."
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
prostitute and associate of gangland figures in Sydney during the 1930s, 1940's and 1950s, when she was closely involved with the razor gang
Razor gang
Razor gangs were criminal gangs that dominated the Sydney crime scene in the 1920s. With the passage of the Pistol Licensing Act 1927, the New South Wales State Parliament imposed severe penalties for carrying concealed firearms and handguns...
milieu of that era of organised crime within that city. During her criminal career, she had amassed 100 convictions in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland & Western Australia for prostitution, vagrancy, consorting, assaulting police and the public, keeping a brothel, drunkenness and drunk driving, and was sent to prison on numerous occasions. Dulcie was known in the media as The Angel of Death, The Black Widow and Pretty Dulcie.
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror (Australia)
The Daily Mirror was an afternoon paper established by Ezra Norton in Sydney, Australia in 1941, gaining a licence from the Minister for Trade and Customs, Eric Harrison, despite wartime paper rationing. In October 1958, Norton and his partners sold his newspapers to the Fairfax group, which...
, a former Sydney newspaper, summed up her career in crime thus: "Dulcie Markham saw more violence and death than any other woman in Australia's history".
Life and notable criminal liaisons
Born in the inner city Sydney suburb of NewtownNewtown, New South Wales
Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Marrickville Council in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
in 1913, Markham became one of Australia's most notorious prostitutes and underworld figures. She became a prostitute when she was 15 and Sydney's most extravagant gangster's moll
Gun moll
Gun moll is a term that refers to the female companion of a male professional criminal. In some contexts, gun moll more specifically suggests that the woman handles a firearm....
by the time she was 18. She was attracted to, and associated with, many major criminals of the era. On 13 May 1931, stallkeeper Alfred Dillon and gunman Cecil "Scotty" McCormack came to blows over the attentions of Markham and in the resultant melee, Dillon stabbed McCormack to death.
By 1936, Markham was involved with Guido Caletti, another notorious Sydney gunman, the then husband of Nellie Cameron
Nellie Cameron
Nellie Cameron , known as "The Kiss of Death Girl", was a notorious Sydney prostitute in the 1920s and 1930s, who was featured extensively in the 2011 Australian television mini-series Underbelly: Razor...
, another prominent Sydney sex worker of that period. Caletti was shot dead in August 1939 at a party he attended with Markham. Reportedly, Markham was grief-stricken at his funeral.
By December 1937, Markham had shifted to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and now had gunman Arthur Taplin as her pimp and lover. Taplin was subsequently shot dead later that year. She was also married to a criminal named Frank Bowen in the late 1930s. Frank Bowen was murdered in Kings Cross
Kings Cross, New South Wales
Kings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
in the early 1940s.
In 1944, Markham had relocated to Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
's Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
. When picked up for vagrancy by local police, she protested that she lived with her current de facto husband, Arthur Williams, and that while he gave her money and groceries, she was not involved in the local sex industry at that time, and was not aware of Williams' involvement in the sly-grog or bootleg alcohol distribution networks that flouted wartime beer and spirits rationing mandates. She also used the pseudonyms and aliases: "Dulcie Williams", "Dulcie Bowen", "Tosca de Marquis", "Mary Eugene", and "Tosca de Merene" during that period. In September 1945, her then boyfried and leading Melbourne criminal Leslie Walkerden, was shot dead in Richmond, Victoria
Richmond, Victoria
Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
.
In 1947, Markham was accused and stood trial for conspiracy to murder Valma Hull, the wife of Keith Kitchener Hull, who had shot and killed another Sydney gangland figure, Donald "The Duck" Day, in January 1945. Markham and Edwin Martin, her current liaison, had visited a boarding house owned by Mrs Hull and had demanded to see her. Charges were later dropped when another pair of local gunmen, Charles Martin and George Barrett, were charged with an attack on Hull, but also acquitted a month later.
On 25 September 1951, Markham was shot in the hip at a wild party that turned violent in St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
. Her then boyfriend, Gavin Walsh was shot and killed at the same party. Three months later, while still recovering from the shooting, she married Leonard "Redda" Lewis, who was later shot in Melbourne on 22 April 1952. They didn't live together again and were later divorced.
Markham faced Central Police Court for soliciting one final time in 1957 before retiring from prostitution. In January 1959, Markham stood before a special Federal Court on a charge of not having filed a tax return for 1957. She was found guilty and fined ₤50 with £1 costs.
Later years
In 1964 Markham married Martin Rooney in Sydney, and gave up her criminal career. After this period, little more is known about Markham's subsequent life, until her death in a house fire at her home in Moore Street, BondiBondi
Bondi could refer to:-Places in Australia:* Bondi Beach, New South Wales, a beach and suburb in Sydney, Australia* Bondi Junction, New South Wales, a suburb and commercial centre in Sydney, Australia* Bondi, New South Wales, a suburb in Sydney, Australia...
on 20 April 1976. Markham had outlived most of her criminal contemporaries from Sydney's tempestuous razor gang
Razor gang
Razor gangs were criminal gangs that dominated the Sydney crime scene in the 1920s. With the passage of the Pistol Licensing Act 1927, the New South Wales State Parliament imposed severe penalties for carrying concealed firearms and handguns...
era. Markham's funeral was held at St Patrick's Catholic Church, Bondi and the eulogywas given by Detective Frank "Bumper" Farrell
Frank Farrell (rugby league)
Francis Michael "Bumper" Farrell was an Australian premiership winning and national representative rugby league footballer. A prop forward, his long club career was with the Newtown Bluebags from 1938 to 1951 with four Test appearances for the Australian national side between 1946 and 1948...
. She was cremated at Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park
Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park
Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park is a cemetery and crematorium at Matraville, in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Land was dedicated as a cemetery site in 1888, with the first interment recorded on 21 August 1893. Since then, more than 65,000 people have been buried there...
.
In 2009, Markham was one of the figures from that era featured in an exhibition about that era at Sydney's Justice and Police Museum, entitled "Femmes Fatales: The Female Criminal."
Further reading
- Blaikie, George. Wild Women of Sydney. Rigby Australia, 1980. (ISBN 0 7270 1394 7)
- Kelly, Vince. Rugged Angel: The Amazing Career of Policewoman Lillian Armfield. Angus & Robertson, 1961.
- Lipson, Norm and Tony Barnao. As Crime Goes By... Ironbark Press, 1992. (ISBN 1 875471 14 6).
- Morton, James and Susannah Lobez. Gangland Australia. Melbourne: Victory Books, 2007. (ISBN 9780522857375)
- Writer, Larry. Razor. Pan Macmillan Australia, 2001. (ISBN 0 7329 1074 9)