Norwich bulletin., 1922-03-14
FAMOUS TRIALS
rHE RARRAcoMRE MYsTERY

The trial of case around which there was an unusual amount Of mys- tery and which was followed by seV- eral remarkable circumstances, was that of the Barbacombe mystery, in which a butler, John Lee, was charged with the murder of Miss Emma Keyse. This trial took place in London at the Exeter Assizes on Monday, Feb. ?, 1885, before Justice Manisty.
 Miss Keyse had been for some time a lady-in- waiting to Queen Victoria and at the time of the tragedy she was nearly 70 years of age. She was resid- ing at The Glen, Barbacombe, near ] Torquay. Two servants named Neck had been in her employ for over 30 years. She also had cook by the name of Elizabeth Harris, who was half
 sister of John Lee, the accused. Lee , had been in the old lady's employ for some 10 months when the tragedy oc-
 cured.
 On the night of Nov. IA, 1884. Miss 1 Keyse sat up late in the diningroom
 making entries in her diary. The ser wants retired at their usual hour and were awakened between and clock in the morning finding their rooms full of smoke. Lee was called by Eliza
 Neck and he at once came from his bedroom fully dressed.
 l The diningroom was found to be on fire and the body of the mistress lay on the floor with her clothing afire. The police arrived just as the fire was extinguished and were surprised to find that a terrible crime had been com imitted. There was a. great pool of blood in the passage close to the door of the pantry in which Lee had been sleep ling. Further examination showed that
 Miss Keyse had evidently been killed in the hall and then dragged into the idining room.
 Considerable paraffin oil saturated
 various articles in the library, and the
 only receptacle for oil in the house
 was a gallon can which was found
 empty in the cupboard above Lees bed
 and nobody could not get at it without reaching over him as he slept. Lee 8
 clothing, as well as the can, bore blood
 stains. In these circumstances Police
 Sergeant Knott told Lee he would ar
 rest him on suspicion of having mur-
 dered his mistress.
 The prisoner protested his innocence,
 both at the inquest and at the magis-
 terial examinations, though the evil
 dence brought against him was of the
 most conclusive character. The blood on his clothing, he said, was caused
 from cut in his hand received while | breaking in he dining room window to allow the smoke to escape. In regard to motive, at the trial on Feb. 2, Lees
 ihalf-sister gave peculiar evidence. She swore that Lee. who was under notice ; of discharge, told her that before ht : left Torquay he would have his re- venge and that he would set fire tc : the house and go to the top of the , hill and watch it burn.
 The trial only occupied . very shor'
 time and the jury, after an absence of 20 minutes, returned a verdict oi : guilty agains. Lee. When the judge passed the sentence, he told the pris-
 oner he was surprised at the calm ap-
 pearance he had maintained after hay
 ing committed so barbarous a crime to which the murderer replied: ''Tht reason I am so calm is because trust
 ed in my God, and my God knows that am innocent"
 Then comes the most remarkable . part of the Barbacembe mystery. Let was to have been hung on Feb. 23, 1SSt ' but the execution did net take plact :, for the reason that newly erected ? gallews failed to work. At a signal tn
 lever was drawn, but the trap did no 2 fall. Lee was marched off with tn r cap still over his face. The drop spran! T all right when the weight was remove S- g91A 1llilQI0o 1dI04 1AC HeAo SA5c1li I'4oSO e upon it and it refused to work. e The prisoned was marched to hi It cell while he edges of the doors wer l, cut away. He was brought back fo 1@ the third time, but gain the drop fail a ed to work, This time he was agai q taken back to his cell and the Hem IS Secretary was communicated with, tn IF result being g respite for the pfisene o and the eventual continuation of hi
 sntenee to penal sePvitude for life. te Lee claimed that the night before tn T. fatal day he had dreampt dream tha " three attempts would be made to car IS ry out the sentence of the law an se that his life would be preserved. i- ! The sequel of the story is still nor II remarkable. The governor was in Il It habit of carrying a little pocket alma a- nae, with seriptural text affixed E each date, and on the day of Fehrl 2 ary when the convict ought to ha1 he been hanged appeared this reeerf is Surely. 1t is the hand of the Lal r (which has dena this"