The Sun. — 1845-03-17 (London, England)

THE CONVICT TAWELL. LATEST PARTICULARS. The unfortunate man, Tawell, since his conviction, continues in a state of the most deplorable dejection. He is constantly attended by two turnkeys. Upon being first conducted to the condemned cell he was most carefully and minutely searched, and even his watch-key was taken from him. With regard to the commission of the awful crime of which he has been found guilty, he maintains the most obstinate silence, neither admitting nor denying his guilt. His principal source of uneasiness appears to arise from the disgrace which he has brought upon his unhappy: family, and from the state of grief into which he feels they must necessarily be thrown. On Friday night he alluded to this, exclaiming, as he sat in his cell between the two turnkeys, "Oh, what a dreadful thing for a man like me, who has got a family, and who was in such comfortable circumstances, to be placed in such a position as this." The general feeling in the town of Aylesbury is decidedly against him. The jury are not inhabitants of the town, they resided in the immediate neighbourhood; but every one who expresses an opinion on the subject seems to be strongly impressed with the conviction that from the evidence they (the jury) could not possibly have returned any other verdict. Dlany seem to think that the bungling story which he himself told to the policeman, with respect to the woman poisoning herself, has been the principal means of causing his conviction. As to the fact of his guilt, however, a doubt does not exist in the minds of any patty. All speak of him with feelings-tif the grejitest possible execration—all, in fact, re-echo the words of Baron Parke in his address, when he denounced the murder as a most " cowardly one," and added, that from the evidence (" which satisfied him ") he could almost imagine that he actually saw him (the prisoner) mixing up' the poison for the unfortunate woman. Very different, indeed, appear to have been the prisoner's own anticipations as to the result of the trial. It is positively stated in the town of Aylesbury that he made arrangements to have left the town in a triumphant manner on Thursday evening (when he expected the trial would have terminated.) It appears, however, that, after the judge's charge on Friday, his confidence as to his acquittal was considerably shaken. Immediately after the charge he addressed a gentleman, and asked him, " What he thought of it ?" adding, at the same time, " the case, I now fear, looks decidedly black against me." The greatest possible sympathy is entertained towards his unfortunate wife. She, ever since his first apprehension, has acted towards him with the greatest Kindness and affection. She appeared to have been impressed with a thorough conviction of his innocence of the murder. As to the connexion which existed between him and the unfortunate deceased, she did not believe that that had been continued beyond his marriage with her to any extent beyond that of his allowing her a certain sum• for her support. It does not appear that she knew anything of this_ connexion before the publicity that has recently been given to it; but she evidently appeared to be quite satisfied that it had not—at least in a criminal point of view—been kept up since his marriage.