Who Was the Man Who Could Not Be Hung: The Astonishing Case of John Lee
The phrase "the man who could not be hung" conjures images of near-mythical resilience, of a person seemingly blessed or cursed with an unyielding ability to defy the ultimate punishment. While legends and folklore are rife with tales of such individuals, history offers a remarkably documented and astonishing account of a man who, through a series of almost unbelievable circumstances, genuinely escaped the hangman's noose not once, not twice, but three times. This man was John Lee, an English farm laborer whose life became intertwined with the grim finality of capital punishment in the late 19th century.
John Lee was born in 1864 in the village of Babbacombe, Devon, England. His life took a dark turn in 1884 when he was convicted of the brutal murder of his employer, Emma Annis Whitbread, a wealthy widow he had been hired to assist. The crime itself was shocking, but what followed was even more so. Lee was sentenced to death by hanging, a common punishment for murder at the time.
The First Escape: A Rope Too Long
On February 23, 1885, John Lee was led to the gallows at Exeter Prison. The crowd gathered, a grim spectacle of morbid curiosity and solemnity. The executioner, James Berry, a man with years of experience, adjusted the noose. However, as the trapdoor was sprung and Lee dropped, the rope, which had been miscalculated in length, gave way. Lee fell a short distance to the ground below, miraculously unharmed but dazed. This was his first, and perhaps most dramatic, escape from death.
The incident caused immediate pandemonium. Prison officials, stunned and no doubt relieved to avoid the immediate fallout of a botched execution, quickly intervened. Lee was examined by doctors and found to be physically uninjured. The execution was, of course, halted. The public outcry and discussion were immense. Some saw it as divine intervention, a sign that Lee was meant to live. Others demanded a retrial or at least a commutation of the sentence.
The Second Escape: A Defective Mechanism
Despite the near-fatal incident, Lee was not released. The authorities, determined to carry out the sentence, decided to re-attempt the execution. A new date was set, and preparations were made. This time, however, the problem wasn't with the rope, but with the gallows mechanism itself. The trapdoor, which was supposed to open cleanly, was found to be jammed. It refused to budge, no matter how much force was applied.
Again, the execution was postponed. The repeated failures of the apparatus to perform its deadly task began to fuel the belief that Lee was somehow protected. The psychological impact on those involved, from the executioner to the prison guards, must have been immense. The gallows, a symbol of state-sanctioned death, had twice failed to fulfill its purpose in Lee's case.
The Third Escape: The Mercy of the Home Secretary
Following the second failed attempt, the pressure on the authorities to reconsider Lee's sentence intensified. The sheer absurdity of the situation, coupled with the growing public sentiment that Lee was either incredibly lucky or divinely spared, led to a significant reassessment. The Home Secretary, the government official responsible for such matters, was bombarded with petitions and public appeals.
After much deliberation, and likely influenced by the unprecedented and inexplicable failures of the execution, the Home Secretary commuted John Lee's death sentence to life imprisonment. The man who could not be hung was, at last, safe from the gallows, though he would still spend many years behind bars.
Life After the Gally
John Lee was eventually released from prison after serving 16 years of his sentence. He emigrated to the United States and lived a relatively quiet life, far from the sensationalism that had surrounded him in England. He married and had children, working as a laborer. He passed away in 1947, a man who had faced death multiple times and, against all odds, had lived to tell the tale, albeit through his continued existence rather than his own narrative.
The story of John Lee remains a fascinating footnote in the history of capital punishment. It highlights not only the fallibility of human systems but also the power of circumstance and, for some, the enduring mystery of fate. His repeated brushes with death earned him the enduring moniker, "The Man Who Could Not Be Hung."
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many times was John Lee supposed to be hung?
John Lee was sentenced to be hung once. However, the execution was attempted twice before his sentence was commuted.
Why did the hangings fail?
The first attempt failed because the rope was miscalculated and too long, causing it to break. The second attempt failed because the trapdoor mechanism of the gallows was jammed and would not open.
Was John Lee ever actually hung?
No, John Lee was never actually hung. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment after the repeated failures of the execution attempts.
What happened to John Lee after his sentence was commuted?
John Lee was released from prison after serving 16 years. He then emigrated to the United States, where he lived out the rest of his life as a laborer and raised a family.
