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The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable: A True Tale of Passion, Poison and Pursuit
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.
393 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2013
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868 people want to read
About the author
Carol Baxter
25 books14 followersCarol 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
November 25, 2013
Well...I DID ask for this. I entered the giveaway, and I won.
BUT...
Both the title of the book AND the contest's description led me to expect something different:
"Fans of Erik Larson’s true-crime thrillers will be pleased by this gripping account that presents a tipping point in the public acceptance of the telegraph: its use in 1845 to alert the authorities in London that a murder suspect had boarded a train headed there."
See... I was expecting a Connections-type book about how the telegraph and perhaps other inventions not specifically designed for crime prevention ended up being used for EXACTLY that purpose. This is not that book.
On New Year's Day 1845, a young telegraph operator in Paddington Station received the following message:
A murder has just been committed at Salt Hill and the suspected murderer was seen to take a first-class ticket for London by the train which left Slough at 7:42 p.m. He is in the garb of a kwaker.
(The two-needle telegraph contained no code for the letter 'q'.)
The thrill of the chase is over within the first two chapters. The rest of the book revolves around one fairly unspectacular murder case. An elderly Quaker named John Tawell is the only suspect. As a younger man convicted of forgery, he is transported to Australia where he manages to make a bundle. The government even pays to send his family to be with him! (Guess they showed him that crime doesn't pay!)
Throughout the book, Tawell is thoroughly unrepentant and completely devoid of charm. His response when he is arrested for murdering a young mother?
"My station in society places me beyond suspicion."
Ha! I find it amazing this guy was not involved in politics! Lying seemed to come so naturally for him.
This is certainly not a bad book...just not the book I was hoping for. If you have an abiding interest is learning about the history of Quakers in England and Australia, or a morbid fascination with prolonged murder cases, you'll certainly love this. For me, there was too much Quaker, not enough telegraph. The book should have been titled "The Case of the Pompous Murdering Quaker ". That would have been a whole lot more accurate.
BUT...
Both the title of the book AND the contest's description led me to expect something different:
"Fans of Erik Larson’s true-crime thrillers will be pleased by this gripping account that presents a tipping point in the public acceptance of the telegraph: its use in 1845 to alert the authorities in London that a murder suspect had boarded a train headed there."
See... I was expecting a Connections-type book about how the telegraph and perhaps other inventions not specifically designed for crime prevention ended up being used for EXACTLY that purpose. This is not that book.
On New Year's Day 1845, a young telegraph operator in Paddington Station received the following message:
A murder has just been committed at Salt Hill and the suspected murderer was seen to take a first-class ticket for London by the train which left Slough at 7:42 p.m. He is in the garb of a kwaker.
(The two-needle telegraph contained no code for the letter 'q'.)
The thrill of the chase is over within the first two chapters. The rest of the book revolves around one fairly unspectacular murder case. An elderly Quaker named John Tawell is the only suspect. As a younger man convicted of forgery, he is transported to Australia where he manages to make a bundle. The government even pays to send his family to be with him! (Guess they showed him that crime doesn't pay!)
Throughout the book, Tawell is thoroughly unrepentant and completely devoid of charm. His response when he is arrested for murdering a young mother?
"My station in society places me beyond suspicion."
Ha! I find it amazing this guy was not involved in politics! Lying seemed to come so naturally for him.
This is certainly not a bad book...just not the book I was hoping for. If you have an abiding interest is learning about the history of Quakers in England and Australia, or a morbid fascination with prolonged murder cases, you'll certainly love this. For me, there was too much Quaker, not enough telegraph. The book should have been titled "The Case of the Pompous Murdering Quaker ". That would have been a whole lot more accurate.
December 9, 2013
This review is of a book won from Goodreads First Reads Giveaway program.
In 1845, a woman was found dead and the suspect, a man dressed as a Quaker, was on the run. Unluckily for the suspect, the electric telegraph was being used experimentally by the Great Western Railway. It was due to the communication between stations that the suspect was apprehended.
The Quaker in question was John Tawell, and this book is about his apprehension, the trial-of-the-century, his motive, his method, and . The author clearly did extensive research on this topic, reading and referring to newspaper articles written at the time following the case. It's not a story I was familiar with prior to receiving this book, so for that alone I find this book a success.
I understand a couple of the other complaints that the title can be a bit deceiving, but I do not feel it's entirely out of place. The 'electric constable', the telegraph, was instrumental in tracking and apprehending Tawell; without it, he would have gotten away with murder, and with it, communication was never the same again. While the story focuses primarily on Tawell's case and less on the telegraph (outside the beginning and the end), so it does feel a bit jarring when references are made occasionally to the electric constable. I understand the connection, but feel it could have been a tad more fluid in execution.
Still, these are the sorts of true crime books I enjoy reading. They are entertaining and informative, generally about topics of which I am not very familiar or of which need more attention by the public. Baxter writes with a personality that lends itself to an easy-breezy read, without being simplistic or boring. There's occasional supposition that normally would bother me, but in this book it does work bringing the story alive and a fun read.
As a side note: There was an issue initially with the publisher releasing the book to Giveaway recipients, and a few of us thought it was a lost cause. I had made a reference to the issue in the review box at the time, and the author saw it and kindly stepped in to help rectify the situation. I ultimately have deleted the comments related to this as I want my review to stand on its own. At the same time, I do want to make it known that I am appreciative that the author stepped in to investigate what had caused the snafu.
That being said, the brief interaction had no bearing on my rating or my review. I don't play like that.
In 1845, a woman was found dead and the suspect, a man dressed as a Quaker, was on the run. Unluckily for the suspect, the electric telegraph was being used experimentally by the Great Western Railway. It was due to the communication between stations that the suspect was apprehended.
The Quaker in question was John Tawell, and this book is about his apprehension, the trial-of-the-century, his motive, his method, and . The author clearly did extensive research on this topic, reading and referring to newspaper articles written at the time following the case. It's not a story I was familiar with prior to receiving this book, so for that alone I find this book a success.
I understand a couple of the other complaints that the title can be a bit deceiving, but I do not feel it's entirely out of place. The 'electric constable', the telegraph, was instrumental in tracking and apprehending Tawell; without it, he would have gotten away with murder, and with it, communication was never the same again. While the story focuses primarily on Tawell's case and less on the telegraph (outside the beginning and the end), so it does feel a bit jarring when references are made occasionally to the electric constable. I understand the connection, but feel it could have been a tad more fluid in execution.
Still, these are the sorts of true crime books I enjoy reading. They are entertaining and informative, generally about topics of which I am not very familiar or of which need more attention by the public. Baxter writes with a personality that lends itself to an easy-breezy read, without being simplistic or boring. There's occasional supposition that normally would bother me, but in this book it does work bringing the story alive and a fun read.
As a side note: There was an issue initially with the publisher releasing the book to Giveaway recipients, and a few of us thought it was a lost cause. I had made a reference to the issue in the review box at the time, and the author saw it and kindly stepped in to help rectify the situation. I ultimately have deleted the comments related to this as I want my review to stand on its own. At the same time, I do want to make it known that I am appreciative that the author stepped in to investigate what had caused the snafu.
That being said, the brief interaction had no bearing on my rating or my review. I don't play like that.
November 15, 2014
On New Year’s Day 1845 a message was sent along the telegraph wires laid beside the railway tracks between Slough and Paddington stations:
“A murder has just been committed at Salt Hill and the suspected murderer was seen to take a first-class ticket for London by the train which left Slough at 7:42 p.m. He is in the garb of a kwaker.”
(The early two-needle telegraph had no letter ‘q’.)
A man was apprehended; a man with an extraordinary story.
John Tawell had been found guilty of fraud, he was transported to a penal colony in Australia; when his fourteen year sentence was done he made his fortune, sent hope for his family, and, some years later, they returned to England.
Carol Baxter tells his story, the story of the crime and the investigation, and the story of the trial and conviction. It reads like a drama-documentary. The level of detail is extraordinary, and the long, long list of sources confirm that this book was built the most detailed, most thorough research.
I learned much about the development of the electric telegraph, early Australian history, Quakerism, chemistry and forensic medicine. It was fascinating, but once the ‘thrill of the chase’ was over the story settled, it became engaging when it should have compelling.
There was no major fault but there were small things: dialogue that was credible but that no amount of research could have uncovered, a lack of wider and historical context, and maybe a little unevenness in the pacing.
But Carol Baxter writes well, she clearly knows and loves her subject, and she handles the small revelations and the big revelations particularly well
There really was a great deal to hold the interest.
The case against John Tawell was compelling, but the evidence was circumstantial, and there are many questions that could be asked about the handling of the investigation and the subsequent court case.
There was a confession, at the eleventh hour, but the written document has not survived and so there has to be another question. Did it exist or was it merely reported?
The title of the book and description of the book is a little misleading, and I can understand why some readers have been disappointed.
This is actually a very human story, and its strength is the remarkable history and psychology of John Tawell.
That’s what came through at the end, that’s what had stayed with me, and it made this book well worth reading.
“A murder has just been committed at Salt Hill and the suspected murderer was seen to take a first-class ticket for London by the train which left Slough at 7:42 p.m. He is in the garb of a kwaker.”
(The early two-needle telegraph had no letter ‘q’.)
A man was apprehended; a man with an extraordinary story.
John Tawell had been found guilty of fraud, he was transported to a penal colony in Australia; when his fourteen year sentence was done he made his fortune, sent hope for his family, and, some years later, they returned to England.
Carol Baxter tells his story, the story of the crime and the investigation, and the story of the trial and conviction. It reads like a drama-documentary. The level of detail is extraordinary, and the long, long list of sources confirm that this book was built the most detailed, most thorough research.
I learned much about the development of the electric telegraph, early Australian history, Quakerism, chemistry and forensic medicine. It was fascinating, but once the ‘thrill of the chase’ was over the story settled, it became engaging when it should have compelling.
There was no major fault but there were small things: dialogue that was credible but that no amount of research could have uncovered, a lack of wider and historical context, and maybe a little unevenness in the pacing.
But Carol Baxter writes well, she clearly knows and loves her subject, and she handles the small revelations and the big revelations particularly well
There really was a great deal to hold the interest.
The case against John Tawell was compelling, but the evidence was circumstantial, and there are many questions that could be asked about the handling of the investigation and the subsequent court case.
There was a confession, at the eleventh hour, but the written document has not survived and so there has to be another question. Did it exist or was it merely reported?
The title of the book and description of the book is a little misleading, and I can understand why some readers have been disappointed.
This is actually a very human story, and its strength is the remarkable history and psychology of John Tawell.
That’s what came through at the end, that’s what had stayed with me, and it made this book well worth reading.
May 26, 2014
I was interested to read this book as I had referred to the use of the telegraph to send information on an alleged murderer ahead of his rail journey from Slough to London in one of my books, but had only known about this aspect of the case, where Carol Baxter concentrates mostly on the details of the legal case and subsequent execution.
It's a book that is worth reading, but doesn't quite do what it sets out to achieve. It's rather too long for the slight history it covers, and the trouble with a story largely based on newspaper reports of the time is the whole thing comes across as very stodgy and stilted. (Baxter excuses this at the end of the book by saying that this is because none of the dialogue is made up, and that's how they spoke. I'm not sure this is true, I think it's more that's how they reported it in the newspapers back then. I suspect they were just as likely to use contractions and slang as we are today.)
Even so, it's hard not to become absorbed in the court case. It really makes you think, as there was strong circumstantial evidence that the alleged murder Tawell was guilty (and he would confess just before his execution), but the trial was abysmally handled with the 'expert' witnesses lying to present the evidence as they felt it should be, rather than what was actually observed, and with the judge, who clearly wanted a conviction, summing up in a way that would be instantly thrown out on appeal these days.
Throw in a fascinating past for the central character, including being transported to Australia for forgery, but managing to build a small business empire for himself and becoming quite well off as a result, and you have a story that is certainly worth telling. I just think it could have been rather less wordy along the way.
It's a book that is worth reading, but doesn't quite do what it sets out to achieve. It's rather too long for the slight history it covers, and the trouble with a story largely based on newspaper reports of the time is the whole thing comes across as very stodgy and stilted. (Baxter excuses this at the end of the book by saying that this is because none of the dialogue is made up, and that's how they spoke. I'm not sure this is true, I think it's more that's how they reported it in the newspapers back then. I suspect they were just as likely to use contractions and slang as we are today.)
Even so, it's hard not to become absorbed in the court case. It really makes you think, as there was strong circumstantial evidence that the alleged murder Tawell was guilty (and he would confess just before his execution), but the trial was abysmally handled with the 'expert' witnesses lying to present the evidence as they felt it should be, rather than what was actually observed, and with the judge, who clearly wanted a conviction, summing up in a way that would be instantly thrown out on appeal these days.
Throw in a fascinating past for the central character, including being transported to Australia for forgery, but managing to build a small business empire for himself and becoming quite well off as a result, and you have a story that is certainly worth telling. I just think it could have been rather less wordy along the way.
June 24, 2018
Although the murderous activities are closely noted by all nationalities of their own, be they native born or immigrant, Great Britain has a reputation for being the most famous (or infamous if you will) having this national habit. Just go to England and sooner or later you hear remarks of people about Dr. Crippen or Jack the Ripper, or more recent individuals like Reginald Christie of 10 Rillington Place. But certain figures drop into a kind of forgotten miasma due to the passage of time. Maybe we still think of Dick Turpin as the epitome of the classic highwayman, or of the body snatchers of Edinburgh, William Burke and William Hare, but others fully as famous in their day are non-entities now. It helps in the case of John Tawell, that he was one of the transportees sent to the penal colony in New South Wales, and left a very interesting career in trade and other matters in Sidney. Carol Baxter is an Australian, and a gifted historian. She frequently lectures on how to do personal genealogical research in Australia and Britain, and even writes a full news letter on this fascinating subject. But she has written at least five books by this date (June 24, 2018) about Australian criminals. Tawell, who is the subject of this book, is a unique exception - although a convict when he came to Australia in 1814, he never committed any crimes in Australia. On the contrary, he proved to be a hard working, and industrious man, who by 1823 owned a prospering dry goods business in Sydney, did trading with whalers around the Pacific Ocean, and invested heavily in property. By 1831 he was a very rich man.
It wasn't always that way. He had been a dry goods clerk (his last name is pronounced "Towell", not "Taywell") and he sold cloth goods for his employers. He was also a member of the Society of Friends or Quakers, and wore the simple grey clothes the men wore, and spoke with the archaic "Thees and Thous". He appeared to have a good course set for him, but he married early, and his wife soon had a child. Tawell was desperate for more money and committed an act of forgery. In 1814 that could be a hanging matter under British law. Instead, the people who would have been affected took pity on him, and sent Tawell to the penal colonies instead. However, the Quakers disowned him. This was a bitter blow to him, as he enjoyed being a Quaker.
He sent for his wife and children in the 1820s and they joined him in Sydney. He did much to show he was a good citizen, including (in 1834) a symbolic but expensive act of self-prohibition in Sidney Harbor, where he poured all his wine and liquor into the harbor to impress the citizens to sign prohibition pledges. He would give housing and meals to visiting Quaker divines, and even buy land and build a Quaker tabernacle (a large one) in Sidney. But no matter what he did he could not convince the Quaker community to forgive him. One understand that the rules of that order are quite hard, but in judging what was not done by them to Tawell when he gave them so much leaves an unpleasant sensation on the viewer.
in 1838 Tawell was finally allowed to legally return to Great Britain. But his wife died, as did his oldest son. He returned with his sons' wife and children, and he settled in England in Buckinghamshire, and soon got the prestigious post of town surveyor. He hired a young woman, Sarah Hart, to be his housekeeper. However, although still trying strenuously to get readmitted to the Quakers, Tawell soon was having an affair with Sarah, and it resulted in two illegitimate children. Tawell could not marry Sarah, as his conduct with her might damage any remaining chances of joining the Quakers, and she wasn't even of his social class as she was a maid. However he did give her support money for herself and her children. She moved to Aylesbury, near Eton College, at Salt Hill. Tawell had hopes he could keep this situation under wraps, but he got bad news from Sidney. Most of his fortune was tied up in real estate there now, and there was a financial panic affecting the real estate market. Tawell found he could not afford his own and Sarah's separate establishments. Also Tawell found a young, wealthy widow, who was of his social class, who would make a good spouse . The days of Sarah Hart were numbered.
Tawell went to Salt Hill in early January 1845 and went to Sarah's cottage. Still hoping to get back into the Quakers, Tawell came to the house in his Quaker garb. The two were alone so we really don't know what precisely happened in there, but a neighbor heard Sarah moaning. She went to the front door as Tawell left, and he did not answer her questions about what happened. The neighbor went in and found Sarah lying on the floor in agony. The neighbor yelled for help, and others came in . One sent for a local doctor, and he came in time to see Sarah die, and to guess she had died from poison - probably prussic acid in her glass of porter on the table. The first person to come in described the mysteriously silent Quaker, and others say him too. Soon he was being searched for, and was traced to the train station, but he and the train for London had left only ten or so minutes earlier.
It is here that the Tawell Case made technological history, when somebody recalled that only a few months earlier the new electric telegraph of Sir Charles Wheatstone and his partner Cooke was set up with a direct wire to London. A description was sent, except that the Wheatstone and Cooke device did not have a symbol for the letter "q". They improvised, and confused the London telegraphers warning them to look for a "Kwaker" getting off the train from Aylesbury. Someone finally figured it out though.
Tawell managed to evade capture that day, but was found and arrested and returned to Aylesbury the next. He would be tried in March 1845, and would be found guilty, and executed later . He did marry the young widow, who (like Tawell) was thrown out of the Quakers as a result.
The story is like a Victorian novel, and one wonders if Charles Dickens thought of Tawell when he created Abel Magwitch in "Great Expectations" who has made a fortune in Australia as a reformed criminal, but jeopardizes his fortune to see his adopted son Pip back in England. But Baxter sticks to the facts of Tawell's odd case, which combines transporting of convicts, fortune building, fighting for redemption, and murder with technological innovation (telegraphy and railroads) into a remarkably interesting story of social rise, fall, rise, and final disaster. I feel that the reader will agree Ms Baxter did a very good job presenting this forgotten story.
It wasn't always that way. He had been a dry goods clerk (his last name is pronounced "Towell", not "Taywell") and he sold cloth goods for his employers. He was also a member of the Society of Friends or Quakers, and wore the simple grey clothes the men wore, and spoke with the archaic "Thees and Thous". He appeared to have a good course set for him, but he married early, and his wife soon had a child. Tawell was desperate for more money and committed an act of forgery. In 1814 that could be a hanging matter under British law. Instead, the people who would have been affected took pity on him, and sent Tawell to the penal colonies instead. However, the Quakers disowned him. This was a bitter blow to him, as he enjoyed being a Quaker.
He sent for his wife and children in the 1820s and they joined him in Sydney. He did much to show he was a good citizen, including (in 1834) a symbolic but expensive act of self-prohibition in Sidney Harbor, where he poured all his wine and liquor into the harbor to impress the citizens to sign prohibition pledges. He would give housing and meals to visiting Quaker divines, and even buy land and build a Quaker tabernacle (a large one) in Sidney. But no matter what he did he could not convince the Quaker community to forgive him. One understand that the rules of that order are quite hard, but in judging what was not done by them to Tawell when he gave them so much leaves an unpleasant sensation on the viewer.
in 1838 Tawell was finally allowed to legally return to Great Britain. But his wife died, as did his oldest son. He returned with his sons' wife and children, and he settled in England in Buckinghamshire, and soon got the prestigious post of town surveyor. He hired a young woman, Sarah Hart, to be his housekeeper. However, although still trying strenuously to get readmitted to the Quakers, Tawell soon was having an affair with Sarah, and it resulted in two illegitimate children. Tawell could not marry Sarah, as his conduct with her might damage any remaining chances of joining the Quakers, and she wasn't even of his social class as she was a maid. However he did give her support money for herself and her children. She moved to Aylesbury, near Eton College, at Salt Hill. Tawell had hopes he could keep this situation under wraps, but he got bad news from Sidney. Most of his fortune was tied up in real estate there now, and there was a financial panic affecting the real estate market. Tawell found he could not afford his own and Sarah's separate establishments. Also Tawell found a young, wealthy widow, who was of his social class, who would make a good spouse . The days of Sarah Hart were numbered.
Tawell went to Salt Hill in early January 1845 and went to Sarah's cottage. Still hoping to get back into the Quakers, Tawell came to the house in his Quaker garb. The two were alone so we really don't know what precisely happened in there, but a neighbor heard Sarah moaning. She went to the front door as Tawell left, and he did not answer her questions about what happened. The neighbor went in and found Sarah lying on the floor in agony. The neighbor yelled for help, and others came in . One sent for a local doctor, and he came in time to see Sarah die, and to guess she had died from poison - probably prussic acid in her glass of porter on the table. The first person to come in described the mysteriously silent Quaker, and others say him too. Soon he was being searched for, and was traced to the train station, but he and the train for London had left only ten or so minutes earlier.
It is here that the Tawell Case made technological history, when somebody recalled that only a few months earlier the new electric telegraph of Sir Charles Wheatstone and his partner Cooke was set up with a direct wire to London. A description was sent, except that the Wheatstone and Cooke device did not have a symbol for the letter "q". They improvised, and confused the London telegraphers warning them to look for a "Kwaker" getting off the train from Aylesbury. Someone finally figured it out though.
Tawell managed to evade capture that day, but was found and arrested and returned to Aylesbury the next. He would be tried in March 1845, and would be found guilty, and executed later . He did marry the young widow, who (like Tawell) was thrown out of the Quakers as a result.
The story is like a Victorian novel, and one wonders if Charles Dickens thought of Tawell when he created Abel Magwitch in "Great Expectations" who has made a fortune in Australia as a reformed criminal, but jeopardizes his fortune to see his adopted son Pip back in England. But Baxter sticks to the facts of Tawell's odd case, which combines transporting of convicts, fortune building, fighting for redemption, and murder with technological innovation (telegraphy and railroads) into a remarkably interesting story of social rise, fall, rise, and final disaster. I feel that the reader will agree Ms Baxter did a very good job presenting this forgotten story.
June 9, 2014
2.5
"John Tawell was a sincere Quaker but a sinning one" - he was indeed! He seemed to have no difficulty in reconciling his Quaker views with also being a criminal (transported to Sydney at one point), a fornicator and possibly even a murderer...........
The Quaker outfit implied religious piety and was distinctive in Early Victorian England. This plus his very ordinariness made people make snap judgements that he couldn't possibly be a 'bad man'.
In fact Tawell says himself when arrested -
"My station in society places me beyond suspicion."
Oh no it doesn't!
The book starts brilliantly, showing how the use of the new fangled electric telegraph (nicknamed God's Lightening) sent a message swiftly alongside the railway line to Paddington, warning the staff there that a possible murderer was on the train. However it 'goes on' far too long and I found myself getting bored with it.
The real problem I had with this book was that Baxter was all too fond of giving her real life characters dialogue that she could not have known they had said. Either stick to the facts or write a fictional account, don't mix up the two!
"John Tawell was a sincere Quaker but a sinning one" - he was indeed! He seemed to have no difficulty in reconciling his Quaker views with also being a criminal (transported to Sydney at one point), a fornicator and possibly even a murderer...........
The Quaker outfit implied religious piety and was distinctive in Early Victorian England. This plus his very ordinariness made people make snap judgements that he couldn't possibly be a 'bad man'.
In fact Tawell says himself when arrested -
"My station in society places me beyond suspicion."
Oh no it doesn't!
The book starts brilliantly, showing how the use of the new fangled electric telegraph (nicknamed God's Lightening) sent a message swiftly alongside the railway line to Paddington, warning the staff there that a possible murderer was on the train. However it 'goes on' far too long and I found myself getting bored with it.
The real problem I had with this book was that Baxter was all too fond of giving her real life characters dialogue that she could not have known they had said. Either stick to the facts or write a fictional account, don't mix up the two!
December 27, 2013
"Had it not been for the murder of a simple young woman in 19th Century England, we might not have the Internet today..." is how I would have started a lecture on improvements in communications technology in my AP Modern European History class a few years ago. This book would have been invaluable in preparing such a lesson! It is a fascinating study - nonfiction that reads like a novel - of the beginning of the electric constable (telegraph) and of early forensics and the use of science in proving whether or not a person had been poisoned. It was amazing to see how the court system in England in the 19th century worked - I am very glad that we require more specific evidence today! (And that judges are not allowed to instruct the jury in such a prejudicial manner!) This was a very good book; well-written, with the scientific "stuff" easy to understand.
April 15, 2018
A very detailed true-crime story set in the Victorian era. The title is rather misleading, as the telegraph is a fairly small part of the story, although it was instrumental in capturing the suspect. The science of forensic toxicology is a much larger and more interesting part of the story. The author also gives us an interesting window into the mind-set of the times, into the views of Quakers, and the mind and motives of the suspect himself.
The book is well-researched and scrupulously specific. It is, however, far too long and turgid to do justice to the lively characters and events within it. The momentum of the story is entirely blunted, as if the author was paid by the word. It's drawn-out and ponderous the way soap operas are; the pace is plodding and everything gets equal weight, regardless of whether it's important or relevant.
The book is well-researched and scrupulously specific. It is, however, far too long and turgid to do justice to the lively characters and events within it. The momentum of the story is entirely blunted, as if the author was paid by the word. It's drawn-out and ponderous the way soap operas are; the pace is plodding and everything gets equal weight, regardless of whether it's important or relevant.
September 9, 2016
The title and the book don't mesh. Yes, it is about how a telegraph helped capture a criminal, but like a lot of othes have commented, the story isn't really about the telegraph. By the time the telegraph came up again in the end, I'd pretty much forgotten about it.
The whole story was like that - lots of little rabbit trails that were interesting, but wandered from the main story. I know a iittle now about Quakers, transport of prisoners to Australia, prussic acid, foreensic testing in its early history, courtrooms in Victorian England, hanging...
It wasn't a difficult book to read, just long and rambling, and not particularly satisfying in the end.
The whole story was like that - lots of little rabbit trails that were interesting, but wandered from the main story. I know a iittle now about Quakers, transport of prisoners to Australia, prussic acid, foreensic testing in its early history, courtrooms in Victorian England, hanging...
It wasn't a difficult book to read, just long and rambling, and not particularly satisfying in the end.
May 3, 2017
The telegraph is more of a framing device here, with the focus of the story more on the problems within the emerging fields of toxicology and medical jurisprudence. Solid and enjoyable worth nevertheless.
June 4, 2018
An interesting story albeit one that dragged a little in the middle. But Tawell certainly was an intriguing character.
July 4, 2018
Anyone who watched “The Borgias” on Showtime knows that in an earlier time poison was a favored means of dispatching adversaries without detection. “Doubtless it is an exaggeration, but it has been said of this period that poisonings were so common that few believed in the natural deaths of princes, kings, or cardinals.” (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~toxmetal/ar...). Arsenic was the poison of choice because it was so hard to detect. But as time went on, of course, the options multiplied. When Sarah Hart suddenly died in her home in Slough, west of London in 1845, her body was exhaustively tested for poison. The result confirmed the presence of prussic acid — cyanide.
This isn’t really a whodunnit. Carol Baxter does her best — and it is quite good — to maintain suspense, but the circumstantial evidence against John Tawell was overwhelming: he was seen leaving Hart’s home immediately after she collapsed and when he was arrested in London, he lied about having been there. More: he was himself an experienced apothecary, and had bought prussic acid very shortly before Hart’s death. There’s still more, but amounting to mere details.
So then, what is there to say about this sorry event? Plenty, as it turns out, starting with the “electric constable” in the title (referring to the nascent electric telegraph, without which Tawell could never have been apprehended after he fled Slough on a train bound for London); how the Quakers (Tawell was an expelled but persistently aspirational Quaker) arranged themselves; transport to and life in the Antipodal penal colony; forensics at the dawn of the modern era; on the one side the spectacle of, and on the other, burgeoning opposition to public execution. But all of it leads inexorably to a courtroom drama. Tawell was a man of means and he retained a, if not the, leading attorney of the day, Fitzroy Kelly; and given the circumstantial nature of the case, the infancy of forensic chemistry — they made up tests as the prosecution merrily proceeded — along with Kelly’s reputation for theatrics, Tawell had reason to hope he’d leave his confinement by walking away on firm ground rather than dangling in air at the end of a rope. His hopes were dashed in the event.
Here, it’s interesting to compare Tawell’s trial to that of another notorious Victorian murder defendant, Edmund Pook, which has certain striking if superficial similarities. Pook allegedly killed Jane Clouson 25 years after and perhaps 30 miles distant from Hart’s murder. True, Clouson was brutally killed, by vicious hammer blows to her head, but the case against Pook rested on the same sort of inferences that doomed Tawell: the deceased had been in service to and impregnated by the accused; rather than risk being found out and suffering humiliation and loss of status, the accused did away with her; the instrumentality of death was linked to the accused. Of course, the shared characteristics oughtn’t be amplified too much, but it’s nonetheless worth asking: why did Pook get away with it and Tawell hang? Kelly, good as he reputedly was, may not have performed up to snuff; and, as Baxter persuasively argues, the pathologists (in function if not quite name) lied about their examination to fortify the conclusion of death by prussic acid poisoning. Ultimately though, the glaring point of distinction is in the nature of judicial intervention in the respective cases: in Pook’s, the presiding judge came down squarely on the defendant’s side, all but bludgeoning the prosecution in the jury’s presence; and in Tawell’s, he poisoned the defense, all but directing a verdict against the defendant.
There is another, typically recurrent modern problem, namely resolution by lay jurors of battling experts. Did Hart die because Tawell (no one else was in a position to) administer the poison, or because she simply consumed too many apple pips? The judge meddled, more or less telling the jury the defense was risible. Perhaps so, but that should have been for the jury to decide without the judge's able assistance.
Why did Tawell do it? Baxter goes a bit too far in labelling him a psychopath, a term that in any event doesn’t seem appropriately attached to him. It’s like saying, he did it because he he was evil. Thanks for nothing. Joseph Conrad’s 1920 prologue to “The Secret Agent” enigmatically says that we’re not interested in motives, only consequences; we love the obvious and shrink from explanations. I don’t know if that’s really so, but in this instance the obvious is the best explanation. That is, Tawell did it for two obvious reasons. First, he was desperately concerned about having his relationship to Hart found out; desperate people do desperate things. Second, and I think more important, he did it because he was confident he could get away with it; and he quite nearly did, but for the electric constable.
Highly recommended. For a very short but decent summary: if you have a subscription to the New York Times, you’ll find in the archives an article in the Oct. 11, 1874 edition.
This isn’t really a whodunnit. Carol Baxter does her best — and it is quite good — to maintain suspense, but the circumstantial evidence against John Tawell was overwhelming: he was seen leaving Hart’s home immediately after she collapsed and when he was arrested in London, he lied about having been there. More: he was himself an experienced apothecary, and had bought prussic acid very shortly before Hart’s death. There’s still more, but amounting to mere details.
So then, what is there to say about this sorry event? Plenty, as it turns out, starting with the “electric constable” in the title (referring to the nascent electric telegraph, without which Tawell could never have been apprehended after he fled Slough on a train bound for London); how the Quakers (Tawell was an expelled but persistently aspirational Quaker) arranged themselves; transport to and life in the Antipodal penal colony; forensics at the dawn of the modern era; on the one side the spectacle of, and on the other, burgeoning opposition to public execution. But all of it leads inexorably to a courtroom drama. Tawell was a man of means and he retained a, if not the, leading attorney of the day, Fitzroy Kelly; and given the circumstantial nature of the case, the infancy of forensic chemistry — they made up tests as the prosecution merrily proceeded — along with Kelly’s reputation for theatrics, Tawell had reason to hope he’d leave his confinement by walking away on firm ground rather than dangling in air at the end of a rope. His hopes were dashed in the event.
Here, it’s interesting to compare Tawell’s trial to that of another notorious Victorian murder defendant, Edmund Pook, which has certain striking if superficial similarities. Pook allegedly killed Jane Clouson 25 years after and perhaps 30 miles distant from Hart’s murder. True, Clouson was brutally killed, by vicious hammer blows to her head, but the case against Pook rested on the same sort of inferences that doomed Tawell: the deceased had been in service to and impregnated by the accused; rather than risk being found out and suffering humiliation and loss of status, the accused did away with her; the instrumentality of death was linked to the accused. Of course, the shared characteristics oughtn’t be amplified too much, but it’s nonetheless worth asking: why did Pook get away with it and Tawell hang? Kelly, good as he reputedly was, may not have performed up to snuff; and, as Baxter persuasively argues, the pathologists (in function if not quite name) lied about their examination to fortify the conclusion of death by prussic acid poisoning. Ultimately though, the glaring point of distinction is in the nature of judicial intervention in the respective cases: in Pook’s, the presiding judge came down squarely on the defendant’s side, all but bludgeoning the prosecution in the jury’s presence; and in Tawell’s, he poisoned the defense, all but directing a verdict against the defendant.
There is another, typically recurrent modern problem, namely resolution by lay jurors of battling experts. Did Hart die because Tawell (no one else was in a position to) administer the poison, or because she simply consumed too many apple pips? The judge meddled, more or less telling the jury the defense was risible. Perhaps so, but that should have been for the jury to decide without the judge's able assistance.
Why did Tawell do it? Baxter goes a bit too far in labelling him a psychopath, a term that in any event doesn’t seem appropriately attached to him. It’s like saying, he did it because he he was evil. Thanks for nothing. Joseph Conrad’s 1920 prologue to “The Secret Agent” enigmatically says that we’re not interested in motives, only consequences; we love the obvious and shrink from explanations. I don’t know if that’s really so, but in this instance the obvious is the best explanation. That is, Tawell did it for two obvious reasons. First, he was desperately concerned about having his relationship to Hart found out; desperate people do desperate things. Second, and I think more important, he did it because he was confident he could get away with it; and he quite nearly did, but for the electric constable.
Highly recommended. For a very short but decent summary: if you have a subscription to the New York Times, you’ll find in the archives an article in the Oct. 11, 1874 edition.
October 2, 2025
The title was a bit misleading as the electric telegraph was only a small part of the story, but in no way do I discourage anyone from reading. This is a historic true crime about an excommunicated but still practicing Quaker who committed a lot of sins to go while seemly being a good man to outsiders. It's the story of a con man, a murderer, a theif, and psychopath with good manners & seem kind to outsiders. The book is well researched and has strong engaging writing. Highly recommend reading
John Tawell reminds me of a Hawley Harvey Crippen in terms of being a con artist, probably psychopath who fooled people into believing they were good men. They both kept running cons until a woman got in their way & they coldly murdered her. I don't believe Tawell's religious feelings were all an act. Rather, he saw Quakers as lucrative and extremely respectful individuals that he wished to be. I don't think any of Tawell's movaties were so simplistic as his religion was about God or just money or just respectiblity. He was a complex man who thought he could succeed at crime to get what he wanted & found out twice that he wasn't as nearly smart as he thought he was. He left many victims in his wake. Sarah Hart, their orphan children, his wife Sarah & their children & step children. All those who believed in him. The author's proposed motivation for murder was plausible. In the end, the reason Tawell killed was about HIS feelings. His worry for his wife's feelings was really about his own. Really, that is the same with most murders. It's not because the victim did X or the wife might find out Y. It's his desire for respectiblity & his feelings about himself.
John Tawell reminds me of a Hawley Harvey Crippen in terms of being a con artist, probably psychopath who fooled people into believing they were good men. They both kept running cons until a woman got in their way & they coldly murdered her. I don't believe Tawell's religious feelings were all an act. Rather, he saw Quakers as lucrative and extremely respectful individuals that he wished to be. I don't think any of Tawell's movaties were so simplistic as his religion was about God or just money or just respectiblity. He was a complex man who thought he could succeed at crime to get what he wanted & found out twice that he wasn't as nearly smart as he thought he was. He left many victims in his wake. Sarah Hart, their orphan children, his wife Sarah & their children & step children. All those who believed in him. The author's proposed motivation for murder was plausible. In the end, the reason Tawell killed was about HIS feelings. His worry for his wife's feelings was really about his own. Really, that is the same with most murders. It's not because the victim did X or the wife might find out Y. It's his desire for respectiblity & his feelings about himself.
August 25, 2019
If half-stars were an option, this would be a solid 3.5.
There are plenty of elements for a fascinating, enjoyable book: The story--an almost-perfect murder, with a criminal who would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for that meddling telegraph!--is the perfect historical true crime story and John Tawell's backstory is captivating. However, the prose is a bit dry and meanders quite a bit. The amount of padding leading up to Tawell's end leads me to suspect that the author had a word count to meet and had run out of ideas on how to meet it.
If true crime is your thing, you love books about Victorian England, or want to read about Quakers behaving badly, you'll enjoy this. I can't really recommend this book for the uninitiated, though.
There are plenty of elements for a fascinating, enjoyable book: The story--an almost-perfect murder, with a criminal who would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for that meddling telegraph!--is the perfect historical true crime story and John Tawell's backstory is captivating. However, the prose is a bit dry and meanders quite a bit. The amount of padding leading up to Tawell's end leads me to suspect that the author had a word count to meet and had run out of ideas on how to meet it.
If true crime is your thing, you love books about Victorian England, or want to read about Quakers behaving badly, you'll enjoy this. I can't really recommend this book for the uninitiated, though.
May 7, 2024
An interesting book by Carol Baxter, a renowned genealogist who lives in Australia. Baxter illustrates how genealogical and other research can be used to write about long past events. I have listened to several of her webinars. She is an excellent presenter.
This particular book tells about an early use of the electric telegraph, which helped to bring the device to the public's attention and bring it into greater usage.
The book is very thorough--almost too thorough for me. While the tale could have been told in less words, Baxter does illustrate how one can tease out the entire story through careful research. She also manages to keep the reader wondering throughout the book whether or not John Tawell is, or is not, guilty of murder.
This particular book tells about an early use of the electric telegraph, which helped to bring the device to the public's attention and bring it into greater usage.
The book is very thorough--almost too thorough for me. While the tale could have been told in less words, Baxter does illustrate how one can tease out the entire story through careful research. She also manages to keep the reader wondering throughout the book whether or not John Tawell is, or is not, guilty of murder.
April 12, 2020
Hint/Suggestion: Gwen read this while also reading The Inheritor’s Powder which features a different case of poisoning in England barely a decade before this crime. Do not be like Gwen, read them at different times! It wasn’t as confusing as you might think but the dates did get wonky for me at times.
Both books were good. Besides my wee note above, I came to whine about language.
This is about poisoning and the specific life and murder trial of John Tarwell. He stands accused of killing a former housemaid who just happens to have fathered children with him.
See what I said there? He fathered the children. In the last pages of the book is this sentence, “While she remained hidden away, a dutiful servant to his needs and manipulations, he accepted her and her children.” This is from the current author, not a contemporary newspaper clipping or the like.
I haven’t even told you if he was married, if she was his mistress, for all you know, he could have been a priest. Those were not just her kids, they were his! He knew it, friends knew it, etc.
Women do NOT FALL pregnant. They do the tango with a man and become pregnant. It takes two folks, you heard it here first! In the same vein, if you have a child, barring a few exceptions, whether you are the X or the Y, that child is yours as well.
Do you need me to go on? I can, have and am more than happy to. It’s not hard. Well...you know what I mean.
Both books were good. Besides my wee note above, I came to whine about language.
This is about poisoning and the specific life and murder trial of John Tarwell. He stands accused of killing a former housemaid who just happens to have fathered children with him.
See what I said there? He fathered the children. In the last pages of the book is this sentence, “While she remained hidden away, a dutiful servant to his needs and manipulations, he accepted her and her children.” This is from the current author, not a contemporary newspaper clipping or the like.
I haven’t even told you if he was married, if she was his mistress, for all you know, he could have been a priest. Those were not just her kids, they were his! He knew it, friends knew it, etc.
Women do NOT FALL pregnant. They do the tango with a man and become pregnant. It takes two folks, you heard it here first! In the same vein, if you have a child, barring a few exceptions, whether you are the X or the Y, that child is yours as well.
Do you need me to go on? I can, have and am more than happy to. It’s not hard. Well...you know what I mean.
September 27, 2024
This was an interesting overview of a case with a few unusual features. The fact that the accused is a quaker and has returned from exile in Australia adds interest and some details of the forensics, such as an autopsy performed in the home at the site of the murder, make for some interesting reading. Felt it was a bit of a companion piece to Eric Larson's Thunderstruck, which details the first time the wireless telegraph was used to track a killer escaping by boat, while this book examines an escape by railroad which was interfered with thanks to the telegraph.
March 27, 2018
It started well but was about 150 pages too long (and those were in the middle). Good writing but I thought it'd be focused on the communications revolution and in fact it was a courtroom drama and the beginnings of medical jurisprudence. Great if that's what you're looking for but not what I expected.
So only 2 stars - well written just not as advertised.
So only 2 stars - well written just not as advertised.
Read
January 17, 2020Enjoyed this book. There are so many threads that deal with Victorian scientific inventions. The title is strange, but represents the content after you get into it. Baxter did tons of research. I was surprised at the amount of newspaper articles that chronicled the details about John Tawell, the Quaker.
April 2, 2022
Thoroughly researched and presented the story concerning 19th century justice, forensic science, technology, theology and society. I rather enjoyed the author’s philosophical analysis late in the book.
January 18, 2019
Prodigiously researched, but the author's long-winded writing style really wore me down; instead of savoring the book, I found myself anxious to get it over with so I could start something else.
July 25, 2019
Another one of those "let's hook them with the title and throw in a saucy subtitle" books. Fortunately, the book itself was interesting.
Read
April 28, 2022Long read, interesting but perhaps too detailed.
September 10, 2021
On New Year’s Day 1845, John Tawell murdered his mistress, Sarah Hart of Salt Hill. The witnesses saw him escape on the train. That would have been the end of it, except the constables send a message to London using the electric telegraph enabling the authorities in London to arrest him. The 1840s were a time of technological innovation: railroads, telegraph, and forensics. The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable by Carol Baxter tells the story of John Tawell, someone who stayed one step ahead of the law until this new technology caught up with him.
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March 17, 2017
A very intriguing yet little-known historical tale of the first successful use of the telegraph. I had a tough time getting into and staying with the story...the writing felt a bit clunky and droning at times. But this book is chalk full of interesting information from this thrilling murder mystery in history that I had never heard, and it was quite fascinating to learn!
December 2, 2013
I received a copy of this book as a giveaway on Goodreads.
The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable is the true description of a Victorian murder case. John Tawell, a seemingly devout Quaker, stands accused of having murdered a young mother by poisoning her. This was the first case in which the electric telegraph was used in apprehending the suspect, and one of the earliest in which new scientific procedures were used to determine the presence of poison in the deceased. Over the course of the book, it is revealed that Tawell is not the religious and devoted husband and father he first appears, but a former criminal who appeared to use the Quaker reputation to get ahead in business and secure faith in his business acumen.
I was mildly disappointed in this book because its description and title both allude to the use of the telegraph and early communication methods as pivotal to the story. While it is true that the telegraph was used to signal the next train stop to be on the lookout for a 'KWAKER,' (spelled such since the early telegraph did not contain all letters of the alphabet, such as 'Q') this is early in the book and the telegraph and early communication systems are never mentioned again. I did however discover through reading that the "peculiar" in the title is quite aptly used, since Quakers were referred to at the time as "the peculiar people" (72).
Early in life, Tawell was found guilty of attempting to forge bank notes and as punishment, was sentenced to live for 15 years in Sydney, Australia. Based on his suspicious past, I did not find it hard to believe that he would go on to have a mistress, who he is accused of poisoning. Furthermore, John Tawell was not born a Quaker, but adopted in later in life, seemingly to use the reputation the Quakers worked so hard to foster to build his businesses and inspire faith in his honesty and integrity.
Although the evidence regarding the poisoning was not 100% conclusive, Tawell was found guilty, not least of all because the judge strongly urged the jury to find him guilty. However, it clearly was the right call, since Tawell said soon after being apprehended "'Mind, I have disclosed nothing.' It was an odd remark from a pious Quaker. Indeed, it was the type of self-protective comment usually made by those with first-hand experience of the law" (50). Additionally, before his execution, he did confess to his crimes.
John Tawell was an interesting man, who seems to have the hallmark features of a psychopath. A loving and devoted husband, he murdered his mistress and the mother of his children without a second thought. "He was the devotee who sat through Quaker meetings plotting to rob his brethren. He was the aspirant who assured a Quaker committee that he truly believed in their moral and religious codes and the beau who vowed love for a Quaker woman, while illicitly fathering children with his housekeeper. [...] He was the gentleman who wore his virtuous Quaker garb while murdering the mother of his children" (339).
My greatest complaint with this book is that it was drawn out far too much. Although a sensational murder trial, his was a fairly cut and dried case. A woman was murdered, and the one suspect was convicted. Yet it was dragged out to almost 400 pages of description. However, Tawell was a significant case that marked progress for crime detection; "He was the first British murderer convicted of using prussic acid - cyanide - as a weapon of destruction." Furthermore, "he was one of the first murderers to use the railway as his getaway vehicle. Most importantly, he was the first murderer caught by the revolutionary electric telegraph" (342). While not as compelling as if it had been written more succinctly, this is a worthy and interesting read.
The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable is the true description of a Victorian murder case. John Tawell, a seemingly devout Quaker, stands accused of having murdered a young mother by poisoning her. This was the first case in which the electric telegraph was used in apprehending the suspect, and one of the earliest in which new scientific procedures were used to determine the presence of poison in the deceased. Over the course of the book, it is revealed that Tawell is not the religious and devoted husband and father he first appears, but a former criminal who appeared to use the Quaker reputation to get ahead in business and secure faith in his business acumen.
I was mildly disappointed in this book because its description and title both allude to the use of the telegraph and early communication methods as pivotal to the story. While it is true that the telegraph was used to signal the next train stop to be on the lookout for a 'KWAKER,' (spelled such since the early telegraph did not contain all letters of the alphabet, such as 'Q') this is early in the book and the telegraph and early communication systems are never mentioned again. I did however discover through reading that the "peculiar" in the title is quite aptly used, since Quakers were referred to at the time as "the peculiar people" (72).
Early in life, Tawell was found guilty of attempting to forge bank notes and as punishment, was sentenced to live for 15 years in Sydney, Australia. Based on his suspicious past, I did not find it hard to believe that he would go on to have a mistress, who he is accused of poisoning. Furthermore, John Tawell was not born a Quaker, but adopted in later in life, seemingly to use the reputation the Quakers worked so hard to foster to build his businesses and inspire faith in his honesty and integrity.
Although the evidence regarding the poisoning was not 100% conclusive, Tawell was found guilty, not least of all because the judge strongly urged the jury to find him guilty. However, it clearly was the right call, since Tawell said soon after being apprehended "'Mind, I have disclosed nothing.' It was an odd remark from a pious Quaker. Indeed, it was the type of self-protective comment usually made by those with first-hand experience of the law" (50). Additionally, before his execution, he did confess to his crimes.
John Tawell was an interesting man, who seems to have the hallmark features of a psychopath. A loving and devoted husband, he murdered his mistress and the mother of his children without a second thought. "He was the devotee who sat through Quaker meetings plotting to rob his brethren. He was the aspirant who assured a Quaker committee that he truly believed in their moral and religious codes and the beau who vowed love for a Quaker woman, while illicitly fathering children with his housekeeper. [...] He was the gentleman who wore his virtuous Quaker garb while murdering the mother of his children" (339).
My greatest complaint with this book is that it was drawn out far too much. Although a sensational murder trial, his was a fairly cut and dried case. A woman was murdered, and the one suspect was convicted. Yet it was dragged out to almost 400 pages of description. However, Tawell was a significant case that marked progress for crime detection; "He was the first British murderer convicted of using prussic acid - cyanide - as a weapon of destruction." Furthermore, "he was one of the first murderers to use the railway as his getaway vehicle. Most importantly, he was the first murderer caught by the revolutionary electric telegraph" (342). While not as compelling as if it had been written more succinctly, this is a worthy and interesting read.
September 10, 2016
Carol Baxter's latest book 'The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable' is a genuinely interesting read.
Carol is highly-regarded in Australia as a genealogical researcher. Some years ago she befriended me at the state archival offices in Sydney and encouraged me to become a self-published author of family histories, following in her own footsteps. Since then, Carol's writing horizons have continued to expand and she has achieved commercial success in a field she describes as narrative non-fiction, her subjects being some of Australia’s colourful colonial characters including the bushranger Captain Thunderbolt.
In 'The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable', Carol has told the intriguing story of a forger named John Tawell who was transported to Sydney in 1815, made his fortune in the colony and eventually returned to England, just like Magwitch in 'Great Expectations', the Charles Dickens novel of 1860. Thanks to Carol, Tawell is now flagged as having some significance in Sydney’s early history, but he was always an historical figure of interest in England. Carol has even pipped another writer to the post in recounting the wider significance of Tawell’s sensational trial for the poisoning murder of a certain Sarah Hart near Slough in the winter of 1845.
The 'Electric Constable' is a good non-fiction read because Carol, who promotes herself as a ‘history detective’, is an expert when it comes to uncovering and converting historical material into riveting text. She tells the Tawell story in the active, not passive, voice, allowing readers to feel present in the moment. The story is well-paced, with accurate historical dialogue. In her 'Author’s Note' at the end of the book she explains her technique, which works well when extensive supplies of contemporary documents and media reports of court hearings are available to the historian, as in this case.
The lengthy sections of traditional exposition of relevant historical events are also told in Carol’s lively and colourful style. A trained linguist, she has a commanding and impressive grasp of the English language, even if adjectives sometimes dominate. The book taught me much about nineteenth century topics of personal interest: the electric telegraph, the Great Western Railway, Quakerism (the ‘peculiar people’), British legal processes, chemistry, forensic medicine and aspects of Sydney in its early days.
However, Carol’s laudable attempt at tackling the genre of ‘true-crime thriller’ or 'murder mystery' did not entirely work for me. Somehow the flow was not quite right, although Carol did keep me avidly turning the page to find out if Tawell really did commit the crime. It was scarcely believable that a man bent on murder, as the evidence portrayed him for much of the book, could have made so little effort to disguise his identity, and I found myself puzzled by many unanswered questions until the closing moments of the book - and afterwards.
Carol used the electric telegraph as the ‘hook’ for her story, but to me it was fundamentally about something else altogether – Tawell’s psychological profile. Without giving the game away here, that profile becomes clear at the end and it must make his case study a fascinating read for mental health professionals. The book also provides an excellent ‘how to’ lesson for all writers of non-fiction life stories from our past. I have certainly gained much from reading this book. Thank you, Carol.
Carol is highly-regarded in Australia as a genealogical researcher. Some years ago she befriended me at the state archival offices in Sydney and encouraged me to become a self-published author of family histories, following in her own footsteps. Since then, Carol's writing horizons have continued to expand and she has achieved commercial success in a field she describes as narrative non-fiction, her subjects being some of Australia’s colourful colonial characters including the bushranger Captain Thunderbolt.
In 'The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable', Carol has told the intriguing story of a forger named John Tawell who was transported to Sydney in 1815, made his fortune in the colony and eventually returned to England, just like Magwitch in 'Great Expectations', the Charles Dickens novel of 1860. Thanks to Carol, Tawell is now flagged as having some significance in Sydney’s early history, but he was always an historical figure of interest in England. Carol has even pipped another writer to the post in recounting the wider significance of Tawell’s sensational trial for the poisoning murder of a certain Sarah Hart near Slough in the winter of 1845.
The 'Electric Constable' is a good non-fiction read because Carol, who promotes herself as a ‘history detective’, is an expert when it comes to uncovering and converting historical material into riveting text. She tells the Tawell story in the active, not passive, voice, allowing readers to feel present in the moment. The story is well-paced, with accurate historical dialogue. In her 'Author’s Note' at the end of the book she explains her technique, which works well when extensive supplies of contemporary documents and media reports of court hearings are available to the historian, as in this case.
The lengthy sections of traditional exposition of relevant historical events are also told in Carol’s lively and colourful style. A trained linguist, she has a commanding and impressive grasp of the English language, even if adjectives sometimes dominate. The book taught me much about nineteenth century topics of personal interest: the electric telegraph, the Great Western Railway, Quakerism (the ‘peculiar people’), British legal processes, chemistry, forensic medicine and aspects of Sydney in its early days.
However, Carol’s laudable attempt at tackling the genre of ‘true-crime thriller’ or 'murder mystery' did not entirely work for me. Somehow the flow was not quite right, although Carol did keep me avidly turning the page to find out if Tawell really did commit the crime. It was scarcely believable that a man bent on murder, as the evidence portrayed him for much of the book, could have made so little effort to disguise his identity, and I found myself puzzled by many unanswered questions until the closing moments of the book - and afterwards.
Carol used the electric telegraph as the ‘hook’ for her story, but to me it was fundamentally about something else altogether – Tawell’s psychological profile. Without giving the game away here, that profile becomes clear at the end and it must make his case study a fascinating read for mental health professionals. The book also provides an excellent ‘how to’ lesson for all writers of non-fiction life stories from our past. I have certainly gained much from reading this book. Thank you, Carol.
October 8, 2014
Today’s nonfiction post is on The Peculiar case of the Electric Constable: A True Tale of
Passion, Poison & Pursuit by Carol Baxter. It is 391 pages long including notes and an index. The
cover is like a old time newspaper cover with a train in the center. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The story is told from newspaper articles, dairies, and other historical documents. The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime, whodunit’s, and history. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the back of the book- The electrifying story of a criminal Quaker, a poisoned mistress, and the dawn of the information age 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 in 1845 Tawell boarded the 7.42 pm train from
Slough 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 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 verse and rich in historical
research, this is a delicious true tale of murder and scientific revolution in Victorian England.
Review- This was a great read. The murder is interesting and very cruel. The details and manner of
how the murderer was caught is the root of how we catch them now. There is so much going on here.
There is legal drama, religion, new sciences, and a man who just wanted it all. I do not find Tawell to be very sympathetic. I did not like him and I think that is because he was hiding behind religion for all his crimes. He had committed forgery with plans to continue to do so. He had relations a maid in his service for years then tossed her aside for a Quaker woman, who would her place in her religion
if she married him but he did not care. His actions made it very clear to me that he only cared about himself. Baxter’s writing and research are solid. She presented the case without much personal input until the very end. Her notes are easy to follow and I will be reading more of her stuff. I recommend this interesting true crime book.
I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.
September 5, 2014
When you don't read blurbs, or avoid coverage of a book that you know you're going to read eventually, some things can come as a considerable surprise. Things like THE PECULIAR CASE OF THE ELECTRIC CONSTABLE being a true story.
The starting premise of the book is the speedy identification and capture of an alleged murderer by an early electric telegraph. If you think, however, that this is the whole point of the story, then you are going to be disappointed. Whilst there is background to the scepticism of the system's worth and the difficulties in getting an installation up and running, the telegraph's usefulness in this particular case, is done and dusted very quickly as the story becomes all about John Tawell and his assumed guilt in the murder of a young woman.
Not that the alternative focus is necessarily a major disappointment as John Tawell is a fascinating character. A supposedly pious and sincere Quaker he's been a surprisingly naughty boy. He's also gifted with a major talent for refusing to acknowledge his part in his own downfall. Long after he's ejected from the Quaker church he's still trying to buy, bribe and cajole his way back. He's still walking around dressed as a Quaker, still participating as much as he can in the community. You can almost hear the Quaker elder's teeth grinding as Tawell simply will not go away.
Whilst the known facts of Tawell's life, his crime(s) and his subsequent trial for murder are built into the story, this reads like a ripsnorter of a yarn. The pace clips along, and the actions of Tawell are beautifully described, as are the reactions of everyone around him. The author appears to be in as much doubt as to WHY as anybody else is by the end of the story (although which "why" ... well that would be telling). That seems to be absolutely fair - allowing the reader to question, consider and resolve in their own minds if they are of a mind to do so.
As unexpected as THE PECULIAR CASE OF THE ELECTRIC CONSTABLE was, and as unlikely as the scenario may seem, even allowing for the slightly misleading title of the book itself, this was a very interesting, engaging book and as silly as this sounds, a tall tale but true.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
The starting premise of the book is the speedy identification and capture of an alleged murderer by an early electric telegraph. If you think, however, that this is the whole point of the story, then you are going to be disappointed. Whilst there is background to the scepticism of the system's worth and the difficulties in getting an installation up and running, the telegraph's usefulness in this particular case, is done and dusted very quickly as the story becomes all about John Tawell and his assumed guilt in the murder of a young woman.
Not that the alternative focus is necessarily a major disappointment as John Tawell is a fascinating character. A supposedly pious and sincere Quaker he's been a surprisingly naughty boy. He's also gifted with a major talent for refusing to acknowledge his part in his own downfall. Long after he's ejected from the Quaker church he's still trying to buy, bribe and cajole his way back. He's still walking around dressed as a Quaker, still participating as much as he can in the community. You can almost hear the Quaker elder's teeth grinding as Tawell simply will not go away.
Whilst the known facts of Tawell's life, his crime(s) and his subsequent trial for murder are built into the story, this reads like a ripsnorter of a yarn. The pace clips along, and the actions of Tawell are beautifully described, as are the reactions of everyone around him. The author appears to be in as much doubt as to WHY as anybody else is by the end of the story (although which "why" ... well that would be telling). That seems to be absolutely fair - allowing the reader to question, consider and resolve in their own minds if they are of a mind to do so.
As unexpected as THE PECULIAR CASE OF THE ELECTRIC CONSTABLE was, and as unlikely as the scenario may seem, even allowing for the slightly misleading title of the book itself, this was a very interesting, engaging book and as silly as this sounds, a tall tale but true.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
October 15, 2013
THE PECULIAR CASE OF THE ELECTRIC CONSTABLE: A True Tale of Passion,Poison & Pursuit by CAROL BAXTER is a gripping tale of Victorian England. A Historical True Crime Thriller set in 1845 England. What a gripping tale of passion,murder,poison,a Criminal Quaker,and the dawn of a new age of information. The story of John Tawell... John, a Quaker,a possible murderer,who was transported to Australia for forgery some fifteen years prior to this story,he has returned to England to be shunned and not welcomed as he had hoped.
What follows can only be described as sensational,desperate and the reconstruction of a story long ago forgotten. England or the Great Western Railway, was experimenting with a new device, the electric telegraph. Thus, the modern communication age. John, accused of murdering his mistress, is on the run and desperate to save his reputation. You see, he is experienced in pharmacy,and chemistry so of course he would be a suspect. Told in the narrative. Rich with historical details, the characters are engaging, to say the least. The storyline intriguing. Who really did kill Sarah Hart? Did John Tawell have a Jekyll and Hyde personality? To learn more of this gripping story, you MUST read "The Peculiar Case of The Electric Constable".
What a complex and gripping tale of murder,scientific revolution,passion,innuendo,and the pursuit to find justice! The murkier side of Victorian England during the nineteenth century is truly engrossing. I would recommend this title to anyone who enjoys historical true crimes,the invention of the electric telegraph,finding justice, toxicology,Quakers,criminal psychology,history,and the long ago buried story of John Tawell. A fascinating read to say the least! Very Detailed,the research shows on very page. Received for an honest review from the publisher.
RATING: 4
HEAT RATING: Mild
REVIEWED BY: AprilR, review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
What follows can only be described as sensational,desperate and the reconstruction of a story long ago forgotten. England or the Great Western Railway, was experimenting with a new device, the electric telegraph. Thus, the modern communication age. John, accused of murdering his mistress, is on the run and desperate to save his reputation. You see, he is experienced in pharmacy,and chemistry so of course he would be a suspect. Told in the narrative. Rich with historical details, the characters are engaging, to say the least. The storyline intriguing. Who really did kill Sarah Hart? Did John Tawell have a Jekyll and Hyde personality? To learn more of this gripping story, you MUST read "The Peculiar Case of The Electric Constable".
What a complex and gripping tale of murder,scientific revolution,passion,innuendo,and the pursuit to find justice! The murkier side of Victorian England during the nineteenth century is truly engrossing. I would recommend this title to anyone who enjoys historical true crimes,the invention of the electric telegraph,finding justice, toxicology,Quakers,criminal psychology,history,and the long ago buried story of John Tawell. A fascinating read to say the least! Very Detailed,the research shows on very page. Received for an honest review from the publisher.
RATING: 4
HEAT RATING: Mild
REVIEWED BY: AprilR, review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
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