They met in a pub in Whiston, near Rotherham, and after a few drinks they began a serious pub-crawl. In the small hours of February 18th, 1880, they ended up in a brothel near Rotherham town centre. They were John Wood, a labourer and recently released burglar, and John Coe, both aged 27.
No one can be quite certain what happened after they left the brothel, but next morning Coes body was found in Canklow Road. His head had been battered in by a heavy branch which a passer-by had seen Wood carrying. Wood was arrested in the act of attempting to steal Coes watch, and was convicted of the murder at York Assizes in April, 1880. He was hanged on Tuesday, MAY 11th, 1880 at York Prison.