That was his name: just John. No one seemed to know if he had a surname, so they hanged him as John at Salisbury (now Harare) Prison on Thursday, April 2nd, 1959.
John was the servant of Mrs. Lettie Digby-Ovens, 29, who was a celebrated fashion model. He stabbed her to death when she was in her nightdress at her home in Salisbury, then threw one of her children over his shoulder, walked to the police station, and announced he had just killed his employer in a row over wages.