Thomas Powell (1809–1887) was an English writer and fraudster.
He was noted early for his prolific output and social charm, and he entertained a circle of notable authors at his home, often showing-off his skill at mimicking authors’ handwriting. But it became clear that he was putting this gift to criminal use, forging cheques and signatures, and he was repudiated by
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
(who likely based the character
Uriah Heep on Powell),
Robert Browning
Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...
, and others. In 1849 he moved to New York to avoid prosecution, and many American publications printed an accusation by Dickens, which he was unable to substantiate and had to withdraw, settling with Powell out of court.
Early career
By the age of 21, London-born Powell was contributing work to the literary ''
Fraser’s Magazine'', often using the pen name Pierce Pungent. He was a published poet, and his works included ''The Count de Foix, a Tale of the Olden Time'', ''Poems'', ''Dramatic Poems'' and ''Tales from Boccaccio''. He also wrote plays including ''The Wife’s Revenge'', ''The Blind Wife'' and ''The Shepherd’s Well''. He entertained a literary circle at his home in Peckham, South London, that included writers such as Robert Browning,
Leigh Hunt
James Henry Leigh Hunt (19 October 178428 August 1859), best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist and poet.
Hunt co-founded '' The Examiner'', a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles. He was the centr ...
, and R.H. Horne.
In 1841, he was one of the contributors to the writing of ''The Poems of Geoffrey Chaucer Modernized''; others involved with the project included
Richard Henry Horne
Richard Hengist Horne (born Richard Henry Horne) (31 December 1802 – 13 March 1884) was an English poet and critic most famous for his poem ''Orion''.
Early life
Horne was born at Edmonton, London, son of James Horne, a quarter-master in t ...
(editor),
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime.
Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabet ...
,
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798).
Wordsworth's ' ...
,
Leigh Hunt
James Henry Leigh Hunt (19 October 178428 August 1859), best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist and poet.
Hunt co-founded '' The Examiner'', a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles. He was the centr ...
,
Robert Bell, and
Leonhard Schmitz
Leonhard Schmitz FRSE (1807 – May 1890) was a Prussian-born classical scholar and educational author, mainly active in the United Kingdom. He is sometimes referred to in the Anglicised version of his name Leonard Schmitz.
Biography
Schmitz wa ...
. However, Powell later fell out of favour with his fellow authors. Horne wrote of Powell that he was “a dog he repudiates forever” and Robert Browning, in a letter of the same year (1846), warned Elizabeth Barrett Browning not to trust Powell "his impudence and brazen insensibility are dreadful to encounter beyond all belief”.
Charles Dickens
Powell was employed as a clerk in the shipping business of John Chapman & Co. of 2 Leadenhall Street in London. Charles Dickens was acquainted with the principal partners in the firm and asked them to find a position for his young brother
Augustus Dickens
Augustus Newnham Dickens (10 November 1827 – 4 October 1866) was the youngest brother of English novelist Charles Dickens, and the inspiration for Charles's pen name 'Boz'.
Early life
Augustus Dickens was the son of Elizabeth (''née'' Barrow ...
. Powell acted as Augustus' mentor, earning the thanks and appreciation of Charles Dickens, who occasionally socialised and corresponded with Powell on friendly and informal terms.
Forgery, embezzlement and fraud
For amusement, Powell showed off his ability to mimic his fellow authors' handwriting and signatures. He sold documents purported to be original letters and books inscribed by the authors, but some of these were thought to be forgeries and their authenticity was questioned. He also embezzled a large sum of money from John Chapman & Co., his employer, and when these activities were uncovered, he attempted suicide by taking an overdose of
laudanum
Laudanum is a tincture of opium containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight (the equivalent of 1% morphine). Laudanum is prepared by dissolving extracts from the opium poppy (''Papaver somniferum Linnaeus'') in alcohol (ethanol).
Red ...
. In consideration of Powell’s family, the directors of John Chapman & Co. decided not to prosecute.
In 1848, Powell was again in trouble when a warrant was issued for his arrest for obtaining money with false cheques. He was released on bail and ordered to appear the next day in court. When he failed to attend, his solicitor informed the court that he was in an asylum, certified insane. The case was adjourned for two weeks, during which time the police discovered evidence of further fraud. At the next hearing in January 1849, the court was told that Powell “was in a lunatic asylum, raving mad”. The police informed the magistrate that Powell’s symptoms were probably temporary, having been induced by the use of opium and charcoal burnt in the defendant’s bedroom.
Move to America
Powell escaped prosecution by moving to America with his wife and four children, arriving in New York on May 26, 1849, on board the ''Silas Richard''. Within six months of arriving, Powell had his book ''The Living Authors of England'' published. One of the 38 authors featured in the book was Charles Dickens, and he was not amused by what Powell had written. One item that seemed to have annoyed him was the assertion that he had based the character of Paul Dombey (''
Dombey and Son
''Dombey and Son'' is a novel by English author Charles Dickens. It follows the fortunes of a shipping firm owner, who is frustrated at the lack of a son to follow him in his footsteps; he initially rejects his daughter's love before eventual ...
'') on Thomas Chapman, one of the principal partners at John Chapman & Co. Dickens immediately fired off a letter to
Lewis Gaylord Clark
Lewis Gaylord Clark (October 5, 1808 – November 3, 1873) was an American magazine editor and publisher.
Biography
Clark was born in Otisco, New York in 1808.Miller, Perry. ''The Raven and the Whale: The War of Words and Wits in the Era of Poe ...
, editor of the New York literary magazine ''
The Knickerbocker
''The Knickerbocker'', or ''New-York Monthly Magazine'', was a literary magazine of New York City, founded by Charles Fenno Hoffman in 1833, and published until 1865. Its long-term editor and publisher was Lewis Gaylord Clark, whose "Editor's Ta ...
'', saying that Powell was a forger and thief. Clark published the letter in the ''
New-York Tribune
The ''New-York Tribune'' was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s through the 1860s it was the domi ...
'' and several other papers picked up on the story. Powell started proceedings to sue these publications, and Clark was arrested. Dickens, realising that he had acted in haste, contacted John Chapman & Co. to seek written confirmation of Powell’s guilt. Dickens did receive a reply from John Chapman & Co. confirming Powell's embezzlement, but once the directors realised that this information might have to be produced in court they refused to make further disclosures. Owing to the difficulties of providing evidence in America to support his accusations, Dickens eventually made a private settlement with Powell out of court.
While all this was in progress, Powell was arrested in New York for passing a forged draft for £250 from John Allan, who was another partner at John Chapman & Co. Owing to a lack of evidence, Powell was released without charge.
Editor and newspaperman
Although Powell's reputation had been sullied, he still made a successful career of writing and editing newspapers and periodicals, often working for
Frank Leslie
Frank Leslie (March 29, 1821 – January 10, 1880) was an English-born American engraving, engraver, illustrator, and publisher of family periodicals.
Biography
English origins
Leslie was born on March 29, 1821, in Ipswich, England as Henry C ...
. Titles that Powell worked on included: ''Figaro!; The Lantern; The Reveille and Review; Hudson County Democrat; New York Daily News'' and Frank Leslie's: ''Illustrated Newspaper; New Family Magazine'' and ''Budget of Fun''. In 1886/1887, a series of articles written by Powell called ''Leaves of my Life'' were published in ''Frank Leslie's Sunday Magazine''. These would be his final works and included a portrait of Powell in Volume 21.
Thomas Butler Gunn, illustrator and writer, worked for Powell during the 1850s and wrote about him in his diaries. He believed that Dickens had based the character of
Wilkins Micawber
Wilkins Micawber is a clerk in Charles Dickens's 1850 novel ''David Copperfield''. He is traditionally identified with the optimistic belief that "something will turn up."
His role in the story
Micawber was incarcerated in debtors' prison (the ...
on Powell, saying that he resembled him both physically and in his mannerisms. Gunn’s less-than-complimentary description of Powell goes on:
He is very familiar in conversation, and his speech has a sort of orotund unctuousness of accent which, in conjunction with his implied knowledge of every-body, might easily gull people into the belief that he was rather a witty man of the world than otherwise. He is a great mischief-maker and back-biter, and inherently a dodger.
Family
Details of Powell’s early life are vague although his death certificate indicates that his father’s first name was also Thomas. In 1836, Powell married Frances (Fannie) Maria Machell, the daughter of Charles and Martha Maria Machell. Their other daughter, Eliza Mary, married the historian
Leonhard Schmitz
Leonhard Schmitz FRSE (1807 – May 1890) was a Prussian-born classical scholar and educational author, mainly active in the United Kingdom. He is sometimes referred to in the Anglicised version of his name Leonard Schmitz.
Biography
Schmitz wa ...
.
Powell’s eldest son, William Frances (Frank), joined his father in the newsprint industry as an engraver. He served in the 9th Regiment, New York Infantry during the Civil War, first as a sergeant and then the first lieutenant.
Powell’s wife died in 1872, and he died of
Bright's disease
Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied b ...
in 1887 at his daughter’s home in New Jersey.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Thomas
1809 births
1887 deaths