The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1906-04-16
Adventures Of the Man
Who Could Not Be Hanged

- - 4
Walter Washington in The Sani
francisco Chronicles SITS no good
tstayin' where there, Is lots Of people,
eos there's a Jonah! after me. an !
allus get blynied for wat others do,
says John Lee, hidden in his little
cabin in a lonely canon far up in theI
Mendocino county woods Three times
did an English. hangnlan place Lee onI
the drop OF the scaffold, and each time
did he fail to execute the laws behest.i
4 Later Lee was carried out to sea on
an ice foe with two companions, Whol
were drowned, but Lee escaped. Arr
rested in Japan as a Russian spy, he
was sentenced to be shot, but was res-l
cued. Now he is a woodchopping her
nit in the i Mondocino woods, hiding
from his JONAH" desiring only that
both he and his history be forgotten
by the world that, he says, has treated
him so cruelty. But the world has not
q forgotten the horrible crime with
which he was charged, nor the failure
of the three separate attempts to hang
him in February, 1885, in the Exeter.
prison, in the county of Devonshire,
England. "a
III met Lee in a MEDICINE county
hospital in 1904 and again last fall, and,
having been present at his trial in
Exeter in 1885, | recognized him. Be
coming aware OF this, he told me Of
4 some Of his experiences since leaving
spris son-told me just enough to create
n q desire for more, but he is morose
zaiid reticent, fearful Of publicity and
seeking only oblivion. Il,
He was born at a little fishing vii.
slage in Devonshire forty four years
ago, and at the age OF ID was a cabin
boy on board one of the small coast
sing craft trading up and down the
4 English channel. From cabin boy he
was graduated as an able seaman, and
followed the sea until he was 22, when.
he says, he had his first experience
with his Jonah" and experience which
wrecked his life and prematurely aged
him but for over twenty years he has
escaped what has appeared to be his
manifest destiny.
Shortly after turning his twenty sec
oild year he returned from 4 long voy-
age and was paid off For months he
had looked forward to the delights
with which he would celebrate his re-
turn, and was watching for the first
sight Of the white cliffs of Devon be-
lore the lookout had raised the Liz
ard He was to have grand sfiare
up, exceed the traditions Of his kind,
ard his homecoming was to be an
epoch among his mates. He says il
WAS; that he played the bloomin ass
ashore" to perfection. keeping up his
drunken orgies until his last coin was
gone. Penniless, hungry and thor
oiighly discouraged, he walked out Of
soTquay, that ANoTi i ferio@fied a Slash
aioAab ableA regort.sok 9pathsA I4eVpfss ssarfgI
went to the pretty little village OF Bah
sacombe There, with her three do.
nestics, lived kindly, philanthropic
old lady, Miss Emily Al. w. Reyes,
who had word of sympathy for the
erring human wrecks cast on those
shores by the sea, supplementing heI
words with the substantial aid Of a
more tangible nature. To her Lee toll
his story and food and shelter were fur,
rished promptly She fosi1d Lee ea-
ger and anxious to make a new start
SO she took him into her service at i
small wage and board and lodging.
Lee did all that was demanded o
him and more, and never tired OF prais.
ing the mistress" But after a month
aor two his restless nature began tx
crave a change, variety. His service.
deteriorated and Miss Keyes advised
him to seek other employment NOR,
in accordance with his. ideas Of wha
his services were worth, as she wa.
paying him all she could afford, arls
IL he were not there no person wonlt
be employed to do the work. Til,
morning after the giving of this advic.
Miss Reyes was found foully murder
ed. Charred remains of her cIothint
were found in many parts of the hous
and grounds, showing anxiety OF TIL
murderer that no trace of the ae