The Dark Side of Convict Life – part 10

by Barrie Jones

Chapter VII (continued) recounts Henry’s meeting with John Lee, the “Babbacombe Murderer.” Sentenced to hang for the murder of Miss Emma Keyes at Babbacombe, Devon, Lee had escaped execution by an “accident on the gallows “when the trap door had failed to open on three attempts. After having “undergone the pangs of imminent death,” the Home Secretary had obtained the consent of the Queen to a reprieve. Throughout, Lee had protested his innocence and writing to his sister he stated that “it was the Lord’s will that I should not die yesterday at the time appointed by man.”

The Dark Side of Convict Life (Being the Account of the Career of Harry Williams, a Merthyr Man). Merthyr Express, 5^th March 1910, page 11.

Chapter VII (continued)

I am not going to worry my readers with an account of the journey from Exeter. On my arrival at Portland Prison I was hurried again to the place called the separate cells, and just as I was entering the gates I happened to turn my eyes aside when I sae a rather tall, slightly built convict, and upon his arm he wore the letter L, which, of course, indicated a life sentence.

Shortly after the very same man brought me another suit of khaki and pointing to the figure nine upon the sleeve of my jacket, he said, “I wish that was my sentence, sonny.” He then said, “You tried to escape on your last lagging (sentence), did you not?”- “Yes,” I replied, “but how did you get to know that?” He then told me everything he had heard passed between the officers of Exeter and the Portland officers. They, in turn, passed it from one to the other, and I was closely watched.

Now the life sentence man, who told me all this, was a man who had  a great history, and when I first knew him he had served over fourteen years in his life sentence. Our conversation ripened into deep friendship, and before I had known him a month I had learned all his history from the first time he entered the service of Mrs Keyse, the murdered lady, to the first time I saw him at Portland, for I am speaking of none other than Jake Lee, the man they failed to hang, though they made three attempts, at Exeter Prison in the month of February, 1885.

Jack Lee was a typical convict, and quite a different chap in every respect to other convicts, and a man who was well liked by everyone he came in contact with. He as not like some of those who make it their business to inform against their fellows in misfortune in order to curry favour with an officer. During the whole time I was at Portland, and I was there over five years, not once did I hear a convict say that Jack Lee was a copper (informer). He was not a chap who had much to do or say with anyone, but if he could do no one any good he would do them no harm. This was a man who suffered over twenty-three years in prison, to say nothing of the sensation he must have gone through when placed upon the gallows face to face with death.

People may form their own opinion in regard to the case, but I firmly believe the man to be perfectly innocent of the crime, and the curious part of the case was that the day fixed for his execution he awoke and told the warders that he was not be hanged that day, and the very same gallows who failed to hang Lee had hanged many a man before him. Thus, I believe that the hand of God was in it all.

To be continued…..