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John Tawell (1784–1845) was a British murderer and the first person to be arrested as the result of
telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that ...
technology. Transported to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
in 1814 for the crime of
forgery Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally refers to the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud anyone (other than themself). Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be forb ...
, Tawell obtained a
ticket of leave A ticket of leave was a document of parole issued to convicts who had shown they could now be trusted with some freedoms. Originally the ticket was issued in Britain and later adapted by the United States, Canada, and Ireland. Jurisdictions ...
and started as a chemist in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...
. There he flourished, and some years later left it a rich man. Returning to England, he married a
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...
woman as his second wife. In 1845 he was convicted of the murder of his mistress, Sarah Hart, by administering
prussic acid Hydrogen cyanide, sometimes called prussic acid, is a chemical compound with the formula HCN and structure . It is a colorless, extremely poisonous, and flammable liquid that boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is produced on an in ...
, his apparent motive being a dread of their relationship becoming known. Tawell fled the crime scene by train, but police were able to use the newly installed
electric telegraph Electrical telegraphs were point-to-point text messaging systems, primarily used from the 1840s until the late 20th century. It was the first electrical telecommunications system and the most widely used of a number of early messaging systems ...
to circulate a description of the suspect ahead of his arrival at his destination, where he was identified as he left the station. He was arrested the following day and later sentenced to hang.


Early life and criminal career

Tawell started out as a shop worker in London and for some years worked in a number of businesses owned by the
Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...
, a strict religious society which he later joined. He was eventually disowned by the Quakers as a result of his relationship with a non-Quaker woman, Mary Freeman, whom he ultimately married and with whom he had two children. In 1814 Tawell was charged with possessing forged banknotes from the Uxbridge Bank, potentially a capital offence. However, the Quaker-owned bank was opposed to the death penalty and, mindful of scandal, negotiated for Tawell to be allowed to plead guilty to a lesser offence. The result was that his sentence was commuted to fourteen years'
transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...
to the penal colony of Sydney. After eventually obtaining his
ticket of leave A ticket of leave was a document of parole issued to convicts who had shown they could now be trusted with some freedoms. Originally the ticket was issued in Britain and later adapted by the United States, Canada, and Ireland. Jurisdictions ...
, Tawell prospered, opening the colony's first pharmacy and conducting numerous property and business ventures. His family rejoined him in Sydney in 1823 and Tawell set about rehabilitating his reputation, being influential in setting up the first Quaker community in Australia and engaging in various philanthropic activities. In 1838 the Tawells returned finally to London. Mary, who had been suffering from
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...
, died by the end of the year. Tawell had employed a nurse, Sarah Lawrence, who later changed her name to Sarah Hart, to look after Mary. Despite having remarried, he began an affair with Hart. This secret relationship with Sarah Hart bore two children, and Tawell installed all three in a cottage in
Salt Hill Salt Hill is a district within the unitary authority of Slough in Berkshire in the south of England, close to London. Before 1974, Salt Hill was part of Buckinghamshire. It is to the north of Chalvey and the Great West Road, surrounding Salt ...
, outside
Slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the ...
where he paid £1 per week to maintain them. By 1844, Tawell was having severe financial problems. He bought two bottles of Scheele's
prussic acid Hydrogen cyanide, sometimes called prussic acid, is a chemical compound with the formula HCN and structure . It is a colorless, extremely poisonous, and flammable liquid that boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is produced on an in ...
, a treatment for
varicose veins Varicose veins, also known as varicoses, are a medical condition in which superficial veins become enlarged and twisted. These veins typically develop in the legs, just under the skin. Varicose veins usually cause few symptoms. However, some indiv ...
containing
hydrogen cyanide Hydrogen cyanide, sometimes called prussic acid, is a chemical compound with the formula HCN and structure . It is a colorless, extremely poisonous, and flammable liquid that boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is produced on a ...
, and on 1 January 1845 travelled to Salt Hill, where he poisoned Sarah while sharing a beer in her cottage. She was found later that evening.


Arrest by telegraph

A man in distinctive Quaker dark clothing had been observed to leave Sarah's house shortly before she died. Following his trail, the police found that a person answering his description had caught the train at Slough, heading for
Paddington Station Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great ...
in London. The police immediately used the newly installed
telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...
to send a message to Paddington, giving the particulars, and desiring his capture. "He is in the garb of a kwaker," ran the message, "with a brown coat on, which reaches nearly to his feet." There was no "Q" in the alphabet of the two-needle instrument, and the clerk at Slough therefore spelt the word "Quaker" with a "kwa". "Kwaker" was eventually understood, but only after several requests to repeat. When the train reached Paddington, the man (who was in fact Tawell) was followed from the platform by a sergeant of the
railway police Railroad police or railway police are people responsible for the protection of railroad (or railway) properties, facilities, revenue, equipment (train cars and locomotives), and personnel, as well as carried passengers and cargo. Railroad police ...
, William Williams, who had put on a long civilian overcoat. Williams followed him onto a New Road omnibus where Tawell mistook him for the conductor and gave him 6d for the fare. Tawell then went to a coffee tavern and later to a lodging house, all the while with Williams following. Williams came back the following morning with Inspector Wiggins of the
Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
and they eventually arrested Tawell in a nearby coffee house. At Tawell's trial, his murky past history was revealed. His defence was handled by Sir Fitzroy Kelly, who tried to make a case that the prussic acid that killed Sarah Hart was ingested accidentally, from eating the pips of apples (a large barrel of apples was in the house). The implausibility of this argument led the distinguished barrister to be known as "Apple-pip" Kelly for the rest of his life. Tawell himself also tried to convince the jury that Sarah had poisoned herself. Tawell was nevertheless convicted at Aylesbury Courthouse, and was hanged in public on 28 March 1845 in the Market Square at
Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, South East England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, David Tugwell`s house on Watermead and the Waterside Theatre. It is in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wy ...
with huge crowds watching. A written confession was handed to the gaoler, but never publicly released, leading to various unconfirmed rumours as to his guilt or innocence.


Legacy

The notoriety of the case brought the remarkable qualities of the telegraph to the public's attention. Its advantages as a rapid means of conveying intelligence and detecting criminals had been signally demonstrated, and it was soon adopted on a more extensive scale. Tawell's case was also significant as the first known homicide case where the criminal attempted to flee the scene of the crime by a railway train, and it was also one of the first cases in which prussic acid was used for a deliberate homicide.Baxter, page 341 The telegraph transmitter and receiver used to apprehend Tawell are preserved in the
Science Museum, London The Science Museum is a major museum on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London. It was founded in 1857 and is one of the city's major tourist attractions, attracting 3.3 million visitors annually in 2019. Like other publicly funded ...
.


See also

*
List of convicts transported to Australia Penal transportation to Australia began with the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and ended in 1868. Overall, approximately 165,000 convicts were transported to Australia. Convicts A * Esther Abrahams (c. 1767–1846), English wife of G ...


References


Bibliography

* *Nigel Wier, ''The Railway Police'', AuthorHouse, 2011 *Carol Baxter, ''The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable'', Oneworld, London, 2013 *Jill Buckland, ''Mort's Cottage 1838-1988'', Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst NSW, 1988.


External links


Tawell the Quaker
— Glimpses into the 19th Century Broadside Ballad Trade {{DEFAULTSORT:Tawell, John 1784 births 1845 deaths Poisoners Convicts transported to Australia English people convicted of murder English Quakers People convicted of murder by England and Wales 19th-century executions by England and Wales Executed English people People executed for murder Executed Australian people 1845 murders in the United Kingdom