James Stockwell

On the afternoon of 21st August, Mrs Brooke, the landlady of the 'Ivy Bridge' public house at Milne Bridge, near Huddersfield, went into town. She left the bar in the hands of her waitress, Catherine 'Kate' Dennis, a sixteen year old Irish girl. The only customer at the time was Stockwell who was sitting in the kitchen eating a pie with a sharp knife. At 3pm, another customer, John Iredale, entered and stayed for fifteen minutes, thinking he was the only person apart from the girl in the building. As he left, he passed two men and saw them enter the pub. An hour later, a butcher's boy called on an errand but was unable to gain entry. Alarmed at this, he called on a neighbour and between them they forced entry and found Kate dead on the floor. She had been stabbed in the neck. On hearing about the murder, John Iredale quickly contacted the police and told them about the two men he had seen enter the pub. They were soon picked up and although one of them was carrying a knife, they were able to satisfy detectives of their innocence. When Mrs Brooks returned she told the police about James Stockwell being in the kitchen; when police went to interview him, he had vanished. Twenty six year old Stockwell was at liberty for several days, hiding on the moors until he eventually tired of running and surrendered. At his trial at Leeds Assizes he claimed that the girl had pulled his hair as he lay asleep on a bench and in a rage he had picked up the knife and stabbed her. He was hanged by James Billington on the 5th January 1892 in Leeds.