the man they could not hang
Introduction
This is the true story one of the most famous events in Victorian history - the murder of Emma Ann Whitehead Keyse at Babbacombe, England, by her employee John Henry George Lee. Also the alarming failed attempts to hang the murderer and his bizarre life before, during and after a life sentence in prison.
On Saturday 15th November 1884, elderly spinster, Emma Keyse, was found hacked to death at her burnt out villa at Babbacombe Bay, South Devon, England. The person accused of this atrocity was her employee, John Lee, a young man from nearby Abbotskerswell who was to become notorious as "The Man They Couldn't Hang". No property or valuables were stolen on the night so the motive was to silence the victim for some reason.
On
the surface, this looks like a relatively straight forward
case of murder. There was little sympathy for John Lee and,
on execution day, Monday 23rd February 1885, crowds waited
in anticipation outside Exeter Prison. The throng though
were not to see justice complete. Three times they tried to
hang Lee and three times it failed.
In the end he was taken back to his cell while outside confusion
ensued.
"You say you are innocent, I wish I could believe you" (Sir Henry Manisty - Judge at Lee's trial)
"They have not told six words of truth - that is, the servants and that lovely step-sister, who carries her character with her ... " (John Lee awaiting execution)
Above: John Henry George Lee. Born 1864 at Abbotskerswell, Devon, England. Found guilty of theft in 1883. Murdered his elderly employer, Emma Ann Whitehead Keyse in 1884. Survived three execution attempts in 1885. Served a life sentence. Married in 1909. Deserted his malnourished pregnant wife and child in the workhouse in 1911. Furtively sailed out of Britain for America with a woman falsely claiming to be his spouse. Died 1945, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. John Lee was the world famous 'Man They Could Not Hang' and the subject of this research.
 Left:
Stories filled the British and overseas press of this
truly horrendous killing on a quaint, peaceful
Devonshire bay at Babbacombe. This editorial paints a
fairly accurate picture of the events just after the
Babbacombe Murder - however the story was to take on a
whole new twist as the years passed by. This web site
tries to unravel the actual facts surrounding the crime,
failed execution and aftermath so frequently misreported
in books and the press. |
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Before the Babbacombe murder - Emma Keyse' home - the delightful 'Glen' sitting on the waterfront at Babbacombe Bay. |
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After the Babbacombe murder - Wrecked by fire and immortalised as the scene of dreadful carnage where employee killed employer. This is where 68 year old Miss Emma Ann Whitehead Keyse was hacked and burnt to death. John Lee was, in 1884, the guilty party - but was he actually the killer? |
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The almost hidden simple grave stone of Emma Ann Whitehead Keyse at St. Marychurch graveyard. She was buried with her mother, Elizabeth Whitehead, who had died 13 years earlier. |
Throughout the following twenty odd years, from prison, John Lee pleaded his innocence, claiming another party was involved in the murder.
He petitioned the succession of Home Secretaries until 1907 when he was finally released from Portland Jail. After his discharge, John 'Babbacombe' Lee toured the country explaining, in various forms, his story, his innocence, his life in Victorian & Edwardian prison and his experience the day he was due to hang … there was even a silent feature film outlining his alleged 'incredible life'. Later he was to shun the public life he appeared to crave and slipped into obscurity in another country - of which more is revealed on this site.
If you've heard about The Man They Could Not Hang and a little about John 'Babbacombe' Lee these pages might put you in the picture - if you hear stories of Lee walking the streets of Newton Abbot with rope marks around his neck, take it with a large pinch of salt!