Manhunt by Shark

Puzzle explanation

The extra words in clues gave “Wheatstone two-needle telegraph”, describing a device that used needle positions to encode letters spelling a message. The machine’s letter encodings didn’t include J, Q or Z, so other letters were used in their place. In 1845, a murder suspect was seen boarding a train from Slough to Paddington. While he was in transit, police used the telegraph to send a message to Paddington, where the suspect was identified, followed and later arrested. Letter choices from the double-letter grid cells spelt out the start of the transmission, A MURDER HAS GUST [ie, just] BEEN COMMITTED AT; the next two words were SALT HILL, appearing in rows 4 and 12 of the grid. Using the grid’s vertical and diagonal bars as needle positions for the telegraph gave the phrase GARB OF A KWAKER [Quaker], part of the description of the suspect. The man was John Tawell, who was convicted of the murder and hanged in Aylesbury. The letters of his surname formed a triangle in the grid after changing the I of HILL to A.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra word Answer Explanation
Across
1   REARMOUSE MOUSE after REAR
2   HORDE H + E after ORD
3 Wheat BENI BENI(n)
4   RESISTORS 2 meanings
5   REHEARSAL HEARS(e) in REAL
6   LIGATURE (I + GAT) in LURE
7   COSSETED SET in CODES *
8   TEBET BET after (THE − H)
9 stone GAGE 2 meanings
10   VERONICAS VERONICA + S(aturate)
11   COCOPLUMS COLUMNS − N around COP
12   CODOMAIN COD + O + MAIN
13   STATUETTE SETTE(r) around TATU
14   DECO CODE with halves switched
15 two HILL SHILL − S
16   TRANSITED (RAT’S IN) * + DET <
Down
    EROSE E + ROSÉ
    ARED RED after A
    MOBS BS after MO
    USE (to)U(ch) S(cr)E(en)
    ENROL LORNE <
  needle XIS X + I(nsult)S
    HERRY CHERRY − C
    RAGA RAG + A
    ASTUTE (f)AST (b)UT (w)E
    TELESMS TELE + SMS
    LOBE (g)LOBE
    STEREO STERE + O’
    SEGNO (SIGN with E for I) + (ech)O
    GAUNTLET G + AUNT + LET
    ECOCIDE E + COC(k) + IDE
    CILIATE CITE around LIA(s)
    OSCAR SO < + CAR
    MOUTHS MOTHS around U
  telegraph WELD WED around (meta)L
    ATON SAT ON − S
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