Anthony Yates

Anthony Yates died after a fight he had with a 36-year-old man whilst he was fencing in Walker Lane.

Anthony Yates had been fencing and a dispute arose between him and the other man over some stakes that had been taken from a hedge.

Anthony Yates had a knife and a drag with him.

Anthony Yates and the 36-year-old man were seen from some distance to be struggling together.

When Anthony Yates got home, he was said to have been in a shaky condition with a scalp wound on the top of his head and a slight wound on his nose.

The wounds became septic and were the cause of his death.

When the police spoke to the 36-year-old man he said that he was sorry that he had struck Anthony Yates but said that Anthony Yates had been 'skitting' him. He said that Anthony Yates had threatened him with the knife and drag and that he had pushed Anthony Yates down.

At the 36-year-old man's trial at the York Assizes on 10 March 1920, it was heard that the medical evidence was divided, with one doctor saying that the primary cause of death was erysipelas that had been set up by the scratch to his nose, and another doctor, who had carried out the post-mortem, stating that Anthony Yates's death was due to congestion of the brain caused by the septic condition of his scalp wound.

The 36-year-old man was acquitted.