Eureka rebellion leader Edward Thonen previously arrested as a diamond thief

Before he became one of the Eureka rebellion leaders, Edward Thonen’s path took him from high-stakes robbery to high-seas adventure.

The Eureka Stockade rebellion of 1854 in Ballarat. Picture: State Library NSW.

Before he became one of the leaders of the 1854 Eureka rebellion, Edward Thonen was known by Diggers on the goldfields as “the lemonade man” or “German Teddy”.

Now Thonen’s extraordinary life before Eureka – as a bungling diamond thief arrested on the high seas during a dramatic escape from England – has been revealed for the first time.

His story is told in the free In Black and White podcast on Australia’s forgotten characters.

German amateur historian Daniel Bamberger and Ballarat researcher Anne Young tell the story in their new book, Edward Thonen: A Forgotten Eureka Rebel.

Thonen grew up in Prussia in a well-respected family and was expected to follow in the footsteps of his successful older brother, wealthy industrialist Friedrich Adolph Thonen (pictured below).

But his life started to unravel when he was robbed of every last penny soon after moving to London in 1850, in the first of a series of unfortunate mishaps.

Thonen was lucky enough to find a job as a clerk with a pair of diamond merchants, but succumbed to temptation and stole a haul of expensive diamond jewellery.

He fled London on the first train to Liverpool, sold some of the stolen jewels to pay for a ticket and boarded a steamer to New Orleans.

Bamberger says the last thing Thonen did before boarding was to send a letter home to friends in Germany, explaining what he had done.

“At his later trial, he says it’s the most stupid thing he’s ever done,” Bamberger said.

Thonen’s ship was involved in a collision the next day, and had to turn back to port, so he boarded a much slower sailing vessel headed for New York.

Industrialist Friedrich Adolph Thonen, Edward Thonen’s older brother. Picture: Haus der Stadtgeschichte Offenbach

Meanwhile, Thonen’s theft had been discovered by the diamond merchants much sooner than he anticipated, and his letter was opened when it reached the London Post Office.

Thonen’s confession was handed to police, and detective Michael Haydon, the most famous London policeman of the time, was soon hot on his trail.

Haydon reached Liverpool a few hours after Thonen had set sail for New York, but that did not deter the detective.

“So the only option Haydon had was to hire a steaming vessel, a fast trip, and try to capture Thonen in the middle of the ocean, which was just a crazy idea,” Bamberger says.

“And of course, it worked.

“He found the ship he was searching for, he boarded it, he found Thonen, he convinced the captain of that trip to have him arrest Thonen.”

The spectacular capture in the middle of the Irish Sea became a national sensation.

To find out more, listen to the interview in the free In Black and White podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or web.

Read the free book, Edward Thonen: A Forgotten Eureka Rebel

See In Black & White in the Herald Sun newspaper every Friday for more stories and photos from Victoria’s past.