The original is correct. Your guess is the opposite. It says "nobody thought". Erika's restating of the sentence should give you an idea. Maybe the phrase 'for a moment' is confusing. It is just a way of saying nobody thought that at all.

Your question has already been answered. I just want to comment on the phrase "about whom such a stir had been made". It is not wrong, but it sounds awkward to me. It seems pointless to use passive voice since it is so clear what caused the stir. Passive voice only serves a purpose when you want to avoid naming an implied subject. Either state what caused the stir or make "stir" an active verb: "Tom was the convict whose escape had caused such a stir" "Tom was the one whose escape from prison had created such a stir" "It was Tom's escape that stirred up all the commotion."

No one has even for a moment considered that Tom could have been the escaped convict. The one that all the news and talk was about.