The owner of the baker’s shop in Hampstead Road, north London, was fed up with the poor timekeeping of his employee, an ethnic German from Poland named John (or Johann) Schneider, 36. “You’re fired!” he said at last. Then, realising that Schneider was destitute, he added: “You can sleep here on the bakery floor one more night.”

Schneider’s job was given to another German, 19-year-old Conrad Burndt. Some time during the night of November 10th, 1898, Burndt mysteriously disappeared and Schneider was seen to have taken back his job.

A supervisor appeared. “What are you doing here?” he asked the sacked man. For an answer, Schneider hit him over the head and drew a knife. He was overpowered and locked in a room while the police were summoned. They found money and a watch belonging to Burndt in Schneider’s pockets.

They also found Burndt – or what was left of him. Schneider had hit him on the back of the head with a weapon of some sort and while he was semi-conscious pushed him into one of the bakery ovens, where he was incinerated.

Found guilty at the Old Bailey, Schneider was hanged on Tuesday, January 3rd, 1899, at Newgate Prison, by James Billington.