Murder is still
the magistrates at Huddersfield on no less than eight occasions. Huge crowds gathered outside the West Riding County Police Court in Princess Street.
At the County Police Court, James Kenyon stated that he recognised Henry Buckley as the man he had encountered on the moors with his son Robert. He claimed that Buckley’s way of walking was very distinctive, as was the way he carried his gun.
Although there was some circumstantial evidence against Buckley, his solicitor, Mr. G.P. Fripp of Oldham, argued that old Mr Kenyon held a grudge against his client, and that his story kept changing – journalists and police confirmed this.
The eye witness testimony of James Kenyon was taken apart by Buckley’s defence. Fripp pointed out, that old Kenyon was at least a mile away from the poacher he saw on the moors, and could not possibly recognise Buckley from that distance.
The weather at the time was known to be misty and raining. Mr Kenyon was even unable to see if the poacher was wearing a hat or cap. It would be hard to convict anyone on this evidence.
Witnesses came forward to support Mr Buckley’s alibi. He had been on the moors on the day of the shooting, but not where the game keepers were at Buckstones. There were plenty of reliable witnesses who saw Buckley leave the moors by 4.30pm on the day of the killings. The murders were believed to have taken place after this time.
Other witnesses attested to Buckley’s good character, as chairman of the Oldham Temperance Society and an active member of the Salvation Army. All this being said, he was known to poach on the moors.
Huge crowds gathered outside the Magistrates Court in Huddersfield, and at times policemen on horses had to use their truncheons to maintain order. Every detail of the court case against Buckley was covered by local and national newspapers.
These features ranged from Mr Kenyon shaking his fists at the accused across the courtroom, to reports of shotgun cartridges and wadding, matching those by Uttley’s body, being found at Buckley’s house.
At all times Mr Buckley maintained his innocence and impressed onlookers with his quiet demeanour. On Friday, October 16, the magistrates gave their verdict. There was not enough evidence to justify committing Buckley for trial at the Crown Court so he walked free amid great celebrations in the court room. Many felt that old Mr Kenyon’s primary aim throughout the court case was to find a man to hang for the murder of his son. His evidence was not found to be credible. However, Mr Kenyon swore until his dying day, that it was Buckley he saw on the moors. The police had to issue a restraining order to stop him from pestering Buckley at his home. In 1918, after an accident in which he was seriously injured, Henry Buckley took his own life.
Public interest in the crime was tremendous, and thousands visited Buckstones moor. Guides at Saddleworth station met the trains and for a fee of one shilling conducted sight-seers to where the bodies were found. There is so much about these murders that remain uncertain. Was robbery the motive? William Uttley had five shillings in his pockets, but it was not taken. Robert Kenyon had a silver watch and chain, with a unique identity number, that went missing. Locals papers said that if anyone was found in possession of the watch, they would be the killer.
Five days after the murder, the watch and chain of young Kenyon, were found in a red handkerchief, 70 yards from the body of Uttley. The weather had been appalling for five days after the murders yet curiously, the handkerchief was nearly dry.
Rumours spread that the nervous killer had returned the incriminating evidence. Did this point to the killer being local? Certainly, the killer could easily have returned it, by mixing with the thousands of sightseers.
The Huddersfield press felt that for many years a local man or men committed the killings, and that the local community knew of the killer(s)’s identity, but kept silent.
Inevitably, the police faced much criticism, especially Superintendent Pickard, who was in charge of the case. He always felt that Buckley was the likely murderer.
Mr Fripp, the defence solicitor for Buckley, was of the opinion that the gamekeepers were victims of a ‘targeted’ attack.
He suggested that usually, if caught, poachers were more concerned in running away than committing murder. Fripp contended that Uttley may have been murdered first, and Kenyon was then killed and buried. He thought it was the murderer’s hope that Robert Kenyon’s body would never be discovered, and he would be blamed for Uttley’s murder.
No one was ever charged with the murders of William Uttley and Robert Kenyon, despite a sizeable reward of £300 being offered.
The perpetrator(s) of these murders probably took their grim secret to the grave.