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/tenfold-more-wicked, 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.
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