The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable
A True Tale of Passion, Poison and Pursuit
Published on 5. September 2013
Book
Paperback/Softback
416 pages
978-1-78074-243-4 (ISBN)
Description
John Tawell was a sincere Quaker but a sinning one. Convicted of forgery, he was transported to Sydney, where he opened Australia's first retail pharmacy and made a fortune. When he returned home to England after fifteen years, he thought he would be welcomed; instead he was shunned.
Then on New Year's Day 1845 Tawell boarded the 7:42 pm train to London Paddington. Soon, men arrived chasing a suspected murderer - but the 7:42 had departed. The Great Western Railway was experimenting with a new-fangled device, the electric telegraph, so a message was sent: a 'KWAKER' man was on the run. The trail became a sensation, involving no apparent weapon, much innuendo, and a pious man desperate to save his reputation - and would usher in the modern communication age.
Told with narrative verve and rich in historical research, this is a delicious true tale of murder and scientific revolution in Victorian England.
Then on New Year's Day 1845 Tawell boarded the 7:42 pm train to London Paddington. Soon, men arrived chasing a suspected murderer - but the 7:42 had departed. The Great Western Railway was experimenting with a new-fangled device, the electric telegraph, so a message was sent: a 'KWAKER' man was on the run. The trail became a sensation, involving no apparent weapon, much innuendo, and a pious man desperate to save his reputation - and would usher in the modern communication age.
Told with narrative verve and rich in historical research, this is a delicious true tale of murder and scientific revolution in Victorian England.
Reviews / Votes
'Fascinating... told by Carol Baxter like a novel, with plenty of tension' * Independent on Sunday * 'Reading this account of a real-life crime in 1845 is an experience close to time travel. Through impressive research and unshowy prose, Baxter whisks us back to the start of the modern age... Totally irresistible.' * Independent * 'As lively and readable as a crime novel. Normally, that would be good enough; but this is a book of two halves - its unique selling point is the invention of the telegraph' * The Times * 'A fascinating history, mystery and portrait of a complex contradictory man.' * Daily Mail * 'Meticulously researched and thoroughly engrossing.' -- Fiona Rule, author of The Worst Street in London 'A masterful reconstruction of a forgotten story.' -- Sian Rees, author of The Floating Brothel and The Ship ThievesMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
8 Tables, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 134 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
460 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78074-243-4 (9781780742434)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2013
1st Edition
Oneworld Publications
€7.90
Available for download
Person
Carol Baxter is the prize-winning author of three popular histories with a criminal bent - An Irresistible Temptation, Breaking the Bank and Captain Thunderbolt and His Lady - all of which have been published to critical acclaim in her native Australia. Previously, she was General Editor of the Biographical Database of Australia and, before that, Project Officer of the Australian Biographical and Genealogical Record, in which roles she edited many records relating to convicts transported to Australia to serve out their sentences. These helped her to discover the subjects for her tales of true crime. She is a Fellow of the Society of Australian Genealogists and an adjunct lecturer at the University of New England (NSW). A full-time writer and speaker, she lives in Sydney.