John 'Babbacombe' Lee survives attempted hanging at Exeter Prison

Execution Attempts. On 23 February 1885, three attempts were made to execute Lee at Exeter Prison. All attempts failed because the trapdoor of the scaffold did not open, despite being carefully tested beforehand by the executioner, James Berry. Berry's memoirs note adjustments to the trapdoor between attempts, though he mentions only two executions in some accounts.

Commutation. Following the failed executions, Home Secretary Sir William Harcourt commuted Lee's death sentence to life imprisonment. Lee's survival became a notable event associated with Exeter Prison. Berry's reputation as a meticulous professional, noted by prison governors and surgeons, contrasts with an anonymous account attributing the failures to a prisoner's confession.