There are people whom death pursues but it seems not to be able to reach them , such is the case of John Lyne, the most "bad guy" in the world, or Roy Sullivan, the human lightning rod.The case at hand in this article is John Babbacombe Lee, hanged three times without result.Divine justice or a series of coincidences?
Hanged 3 times without result: The legend of John Babbacombe Lee
John Henry George Lee, who was better known as John Babbacombe Lee, was born in Devon , England in 1864 .He joined the Royal Navy and was convicted of robbery .Later he entered as a employee at the home of Emma Keyse in a place called Babbacombe Bay near Torquay also in Devon.In his early youth he had already worked at this woman's house as a footman.He was convicted of the murder of his boss that occurred on November 15, 1884.The woman died with a crushed head , apparently from an ax, and slaughtered .The only man who lived in the house at that time was John, and if we add to this his criminal record, we have the perfect culprit.

Babbacombe Lee always said he was innocent and even accused his sister Elisabeth's lover, who worked as a cook in the same house.No one paid attention to him and was brought to trial on charges of murder.Although the evidence was completely circumstantial - a cut in the arm and the fact of being the only man in the Home -He was condemned to death .The judge, before the immutability of John Babbacombe during the trial, interrogated him and replied:
«The reason I am so Quiet is that I trust the Lord and he knows that I am innocent.»
Here the legend of John Baabacombe Lee starts.Sentenced to the gallows, On February 23, 1885, the sentence is executed .The executioner performs the rigor tests and everything seems to work correctly.The rope is placed on the neck and the lever is activated.the trapdoor. NOTHING .The gate does not open.Operation is checked again, and it is correct.The process is repeated for a second time.NOTHING .open.The executioner rechecks the mechanism .When John is not hanging, it works perfectly. Third attempt .The trapdoor opening is activated again and DOES NOT open . Judge at that time decided to suspend the execution and ask for the commutation of the death of death for of forced labor.He was known as «the man they couldn't hang up» .


Why would not the trapdoor of the gallows ? At the time there was talk of witchcraft ; There was a rumor that in John's family there were powerful witches who enchanted the scaffold preventing it from opening.It was also said that Babbacombe had made a pact with the devil or that God had prevented Hang an innocent .No one really knows why it didn't work, even if it was really guilty.What do you think? Divine justice? Chance?
If you like curious legends, you may be interested in the legend of the vampire tree.
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