At 9.30 that evening, the head lad to Christopher Scaife, trainer and jockey to General Pashkoff, went to the trainer's house to inform him that one of his horses had suddenly become very ill.
Scaife immediately went to the stable and entered the horse's box. As he did so, two stable lads sprang at him and held him fast whilst a third lad seized him around the throat, attempting to strangle him. Scaife's dog, which had followed its master to the stable, launched himself at the assailant, bringing him down. This enable Scaife to momentarily break free before two further stable lads joined the melee. The trainer had no chance against the five young Russians, who then strangled him.
They took his body to nearby woods and hung him by the neck from a tree in an attempt to make it look like suicide.The truth was, however, soon uncovered, and all five boys were sent to prison for life.
Scaife was well known in the north of England and much respected. Several other Englishmen had recently met with the same fate, yet Scaife chose to ignore the several warnings that he had been given by concerned friends.