In November 1905, Thomas Jackson, 48, returned from the goldfields of Interior B.C. to his Vancouver home. Four days later, he was dead from strychnine poisoning.
Suspicion was cast on Jackson’s 24-year-old wife Theresa, followed by her American mother and two boarders.
A Thoroughly Wicked Woman details how the two women were arrested – not for murder, but for perjury – and how the people who were supposed to stand up for their bests interests, from lawyers to reporters, instead served their own interests.
While fledgling lawyers established reputations with grandiose courtroom speeches and reporters dug up salacious details for victory in circulation wars, the two women languished in jail. No one was ever charged with the murder of Jackson.
Wicked Woman is based on a true story from the annals of Vancouver’s history that people rarely speak of.
Author: Betty Keller
Published by: Caitlin Press, distributed by Harbour Publishing
Available at: local bookstores
List price: $19.95
