Eye - 14 July 2023

From Friends and a fugitive to A little lining

Friends and a fugitive

What do a police officer, a Quaker, and a telegraph operator have in common? They all played a part in a historical true crime case!

The first time telegraph technology performed a vital role in the capture of a suspect, and Quakerism’s unexpected role, saw Eye diving into a podcast-shaped rabbit hole recently.

Tenfold More Wicked, which can be found at www.exactlyrightmedia.com/tenf..., is a true-crime podcast that blends ‘narrative nonfiction storytelling with investigative journalism’.

The ninth series, called ‘The wolf among us’, concluded on 12 June and tells a tale with a Quaker from the 1800s at its heart.

The programme – written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson – investigates the story of ‘a man who used his religion to cloak his sinister side, and the two women in his life who both suffered because of it’.

John Tawell and his background form the focus of the first episode, as does Quakerism and Quaker history. This sets the scene for those who might be unfamiliar with Friends.

The series goes on to tell the story of: John’s relationship with the Society; his criminal activities, including forgery and murder; his personal relationships with the women in his life; experiences in England and Australia, where he served his sentence for forgery; his pharmaceutical business; the crime that drew him to national attention in 1845; and the pivotal role of his ‘Quaker garb’ in his apprehension.

His case was one of the first in which telegraph technology was used to communicate a description to police further down the train line that he attempted to escape via.

Gerald and Hilary Fox and their granddaughter Meg Edwards, who contacted the programme with this story from their family history, appear in multiple episodes, bringing a contemporary, personal slant to this case.

The conclusion reflects on the impact of John’s actions on both his victim and the rest of his family. It also highlights the glimmers of good within the sadness, as Sarah Appleby-Tawell – a Quaker and John’s second wife – financially supported her husband’s illegitimate children for the rest of her life.

The complexity of John Tawell is evident, and the influence of Friends, for example, in petitioning for his forgery sentence to be transportation instead of death, permeates the series.

Even if you don’t have an interest in true crime, this might be worth making an exception for!

A little lining

The wrapper of the Friend has been re-used as notepaper (10 February) and a canvas for artwork (17 March). Now Jane Serraillier, of Stroud Meeting, writes: ‘I use mine to line the box collecting our food waste – it fits very nicely, and does not get too soggy!’

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