The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable: A True Tale of Passion, Poison and Pursuit
Author(s): Carol Baxter
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.
Product Information
'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
General Fields
- :
- : Oneworld Publications
- : Oneworld Publications
- : 30 April 2014
- : 198mm X 129mm
- : 01 May 2014
- : books
Special Fields
- : Carol Baxter
- : Paperback
- : 514
- : 416
- : Illustrationsstrations (black and white)