The Man They Could Not Hang
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  • Front Page
    • Researching the Babbacombe Murder
    • Murder at Babbacombe
    • John Babbacombe Lee’s Story
    • The Thief
    • Scene of the Crime
    • The St. Marychurch Inquest
    • Court Archive
    • The Botched Executions of the Man They Could Not Hang
    • Reginald Gwynne Templer – The other man
    • The Life of Jessie Lee
    • Correspondence Archive
    • What The Media Said
    • Parliamentary Debates
    • Prison and Petitions
    • The Penny Dreadful
    • The Man They Could Not Find
    • Who Killed Who
    • Emma Keyse and the Fishermen
    • Fallout – The 1880’s
      • Fallout – Money Matters
    • Who’s Who
    • Frederick George Boughton – Devon Police Officer
  • Lee Family History
  • Lee Extras
    • Contact
      • Terms Of Use
  • More

Author: Ian Waugh

Templer’s last court appearance

Ian Waugh

John Lee’s solicitor,  Reginald Gwynne Templer, who is widely linked to the Babbacombe murder and suffering from a neuropsychiatric disorder affecting the brain and central nervous system, caused by syphilis infection, was reported to have been too ill to act… Continue Reading →

Old British News, Old News, Uncategorized

Scaffold Bungling – 1886

Ian Waugh

The events at the scaffold at Exeter in 1885 had created long lasting debate. A year after John Lee’s botched execution The Exeter and Plymouth Gazette – Saturday 06 March 1886 – had much to say. Scaffold Bungling It is… Continue Reading →

British News, Old British News, Old News

The ‘Marvelous’ Life Story of John Lee – ‘Absolutely True’

Ian Waugh

In 1907, no sooner had the prison gates closed behind him, John Lee, described by The Western Morning News as a “keen businessman”, struck a lucrative deal with Lloyd’s Weekly News to have his experiences (or at least his side… Continue Reading →

Uncategorized

Frederick George Boughton – Devon Police Officer

Ian Waugh

Born 1855, F. G. Boughton’s police career lasted 31 years. Retired February 1913 whilst serving at Ashburton Devon, his penson was 60 16s 8d. He died Bishops Tawton, near Barnstable, Devon August 1924 “He shewed me his left arm. He… Continue Reading →

Uncategorized

John Lee ‘Movie Legend’

Ian Waugh

In the 1920’s picture houses throughout the UK were packed nightly whilst showing the silent film of John Lee’s life. ‘The Man They Couldn’t Hang’ was an over dramatised, over-long kind of documentary displaying Lee’s side of events in his… Continue Reading →

Uncategorized

John Lee’s Marriage – 1909

Ian Waugh

John Lee was a respected much admired Edwardian celebrity by the time he was released from prison. Now squeaky clean in the eyes of the general public. He had been dating various women in and around mid-Devon. But it was… Continue Reading →

Uncategorized
  • Front Page
  • Murder at Babbacombe
  • Researching the Babbacombe Murder
  • John Babbacombe Lee’s Story
  • The Thief
  • Who Killed Who
  • Who’s Who
  • Scene of the Crime
  • Emma Keyse and the Fishermen
  • The Life of Jessie Lee
  • Reginald Gwynne Templer (feature)
  • Frederick George Boughton – Devon Police Officer (feature)
  • The St. Marychurch Inquest
  • Court Archive
  • The Botched Executions of the Man They Could Not Hang
  • Parliamentary Debates
  • The Man They Could Not … Find
  • Fallout – Money Matters
  • Fallout – The 1880’s
  • Prison and Petitions
  • Correspondence Archive
  • The Penny Dreadful
  • What The Media Said
  • The Life of Isidore Carter
  • Links
  • Terms Of Use
  • Contact
  • Lee Extras

John Babbacombe Lee (The Man They Could Not Hang) is researched and written by Ian Waugh