\"Babbacombe\" John Lee: The Man They Could Not Hang His Own Story Published by Devon Books, 1985 Very good condition with ex-libris plate inside front cover. Paperback. 96 pages. \"John \"Babbacombe\" Lee (c. 1864 – 19 March 1945) was an Englishman famous for surviving three attempts to hang him for murder. Born in Abbotskerswell, Devon, Lee served in the Royal Navy, and was a known thief. In 1885, he was convicted of the brutal murder of his employer, Emma Keyse, at her home at Babbacombe Bay near Torquay on 15 November 1884 with a knife. The evidence was weak and circumstantial, amounting to little more than Lee having been the only male in the house at the time of the murder, his previous criminal record, and being found with an unexplained cut on his arm. Despite this and his claim of innocence, he was sentenced to hang. At times, he was thought to be \"the man you shouldn\'t hang\" due to suspected divine intervention.\"