THEY called him 'The man they could not hang'.

Three times, John 'Babbacombe' Lee stood under the hangman's noose in Exeter Prison in 1885. Three times, the executioner pulled the lever to open the trapdoor beneath Lee's feet. Three times it failed.

Lee, who had protested his innocence in the brutal murder of spinster Emma Keyse, who lived in The Glen, Babbacombe, had his sentence commuted to life imprisonment.

He spent 22 years in prison and it was thought he had emigrated and died overseas.

But now exciting new evidence has been uncovered by a former Tavistock man who believes Lee may have ended his days in the town's workhouse during world war two.

Torbay historian Ian Waugh, who lived and went to school in Tavistock in the 1960s and 70s, has been researching the John Lee story for several years.

He has traced a death certificate of a John Lee who died in Tavistock Workhouse in February 1941 and was buried in Tavistock Cemetery. The man was also known as George Walters.

Mr Waugh said: 'Reading this certificate and seeing this pseudonym struck me as extremely suspicious.

'John Lee was in the limelight until the beginning of World War I. After the war interest in him was largely lost, and my feeling is that John Lee wanted to fade into the background.

'There has been a lot of speculation about him dying abroad, but I don't think he had enough funds for that — I think he just died in obscurity.'

Mr Waugh said John Lee's death certificate showed he was a 'journeyman/painter' and that he died aged 77 of heart disease.

Mr Waugh said: 'I would like to know if anybody can recall this John Lee, or George Walters. Maybe they attended his funeral, or if anybody can shed any light on the story itself.'

Spinster Emma Keyse was found beaten and with her throat cut at her home at Babbacombe Bay. There was also an attempt to burn her body.

Mr Waugh is particularly interested in the case itself and the motive for the killing.

'She was brutally murdered and the house was set on fire in four places.

'There have been stories she came down one evening and found the servants having a bit of a party — one of the people there was a very well-to-do, high-up person in society. It could have been very damaging for him if this became known.

'John Lee could have been a fall guy in the murder — there could have been other people involved in this,' said Mr Waugh.

Twenty-year-old John Lee, the only suspect, was arrested, tried and found guilty.

After the bungled hanging attempts when the gallows trap door failed to operate three times, Lee was ordered to serve a life sentence and spent 22 years in prison.

He consistently protested his innocence during the court case and his prison sentence.

Following his release from Portland Gaol in 1907, he toured the country telling of his life in Victorian and Edwardian prisons, his experiences on the day of the hanging and his innocence of the murder.

There was even a silent movie made about his life.

Mr Waugh said: 'If these investigations turn out to be true, it will put to rest extensive speculation surrounding John Lee's final years.

'I am interested to find out if anyone can remember anything, no matter how trivial, about John Lee.'

Anyone who can help Mr Waugh can contact him at Babbacombe Murder, PO Box 219, Torquay TQ1 4BJ, e-mail [email protected]">[email protected] or on 07905 864 088.

Murder factfile

l October 28, 1884 — Miss Keyse sells her house, The

Glen, and informs John Lee his wages are to be cut.

l At the trial, Elizabeth Harris, the cook and Lee's half

sister, said: 'John came into the kitchen crying — he

said Miss Keyse was only going to pay him two

shillings a week. He added he wouldn't stop another

night and before he left Torquay he would have his

revenge.'

l November 14, 12.10am — Servant Jane Neck leaves

Miss Keyse.

l 12.30am — Miss Keyse retires to bed

l 1.30am — earliest time of Miss Keyse's murder.

l 2.30am — latest time of Miss Keyse's murder.

l 5.30am — Dr Chilcote examines the body of Miss

Keyse.

l November 14, 10am — John Lee arrested on suspicion

of murder.

l February 2- 4, 1885 — The trial of John Lee at Exeter.

l February 23 — The attempted hanging of John Lee.

l 1887-1900 — Rumours that Elizabeth Harris confessed

to the murder on her deathbed.

l December 7, 1907 — John Lee released from prison.

l 1912 and 1917 — silent movies about John Lee story.