The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable: A True Tale of Passion, Poison & Pursuit

By Carol Baxter and Stephan Pastis

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1780742436
• ISBN13: 9781780742434
• Release Date: October 2013
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.5" x 8.4"