WALKER'S HIBERNIAN MAGAZINE: OR, Compendium of Entertaining Knowledge. FOR NOVEMBER, 1802. Account of JOHN HATFIELD, the Kefwick Impoftor and Swindler. (With a Portrait.) HE addrefs of the accomplished fwindler, and the depravity of the hardened villain, are united in this living Zeluco, who has become fo well known to the public by his bafenefs to the unfortunate Mary of Buttermere. It affords but a melancholy picture of human nature, to fay, that this act of wanton wickedness, exhibits only a folitary inftance of the daring iniquity which has marked the whole life of this abandoned man. much in Ireland, where he was engaged in many duels. About the year 1793 he was arrefted for debt, and confined in Scarborough goal from that period till September 1800, when he had addrefs enough even through the bars of his prifon, to captivate a young lady, who married him, extricated him from confinement, and accompanied him to Devonshire. Not long after his arrival in Devon, by the moft artful means and infidious He was born at Mottram, in Long- mifreprefentations, he prevailed on endale, in Cheshire, and is of low fome refpectable merchants to admit origin, but poffeffing abilities, and him to a partnership in their busines being early devoted to pleafure, after offering to bring a large fum of mofome domeftic depredations, he quit ney; and to do this he alfo prevailed ted his family in purfuit of adven- on a worthy clergyman to accept his tures. It was not long before he drafts to a large amount on the perenfnared the natural daughter of a fuafion of his remitting property to noble parent, with a handfome inde- provide for them when due. He now pendent fortune, who ran away vifited town, and with his carriage with and married him. He foon and establishment, made a fplendid fquandered her property, and left her a figure, and turning his talents to a beggar. For fome time the exifted feat in parliament previous to the geon a ftipend provided by her friends, neral election, canvaffed the borough and then died of a broken heart. By of Queenborough, to many electors her he had three daughters, whom he of which place he muft be well deferted, and one of them is now liv. known. Sufpected, however, by ing in the loweft ftate of fervitude. fome of his creditors, and threatened In the courfe of his career he vifited with arreft, he abandoned his parliaAmerica, and travelled over many mentary fcheme, and all his projects, parts of Europe, representing himself decamping with fome hundreds of as a major in the army, and was pounds, which he had art enough to November, 1802. 4 M fecure, fecure, and leaving his wife in Devonshire with a young infant, and ready to be brought to bed of another, depending for bread on the charity of the world. The clergyman who had accepted his drafts, was obliged to fly his duty and his country to fave himfelf from a prifon, and Hatfield was inftantly made a bankrupt in order to unravel his villainies. until the ardour of the first fearch Under the refpectable name, of Perhaps, in the circle of life in which he moved, there was never sa fpecious an hypocrite; he never spoke of thofe ties which are valued in fo ciety, without a tear trembling in his eye; he hardly ever faw an object of mifery in the prefence of others, with out giving affiftance, which though the gift of oftentation, refembled the tribute of charity. His countenance, is extremely engaging, his informati on claffical and general, his mannen courteous and infinuating, and his language eloquently perfuafive. The perfect bafilifk, he hardly ever faw 1 It has lately appeared that on his quitting London he took the road to Portpatrick, with his carriage, and leaving it there, paffed over to Ireland, and from an intercepted anonymous letter, there is great reafon to fufpect he was concerned with a defperate banditti in the neighbourhood of Glenarm or Coleraine. Although when he firft abfconded, diligent fearch was made for him, by letter, all over England, and even on the Continent, he was never difcovered till he made the lakes of Cumberland the theatre of his iniquity, and under the fancti- woman whom he wished to allure, on of marriage betrayed poor Mary without fuccefs. The hiftory of his of Buttermere. This unfufpecting feductions and gallantries would form girl, who had hardly ever loft the a volume, at which Britith blood profpect of her native mountains, would run cold, and even the difcitempted by her artlefs innocence, this ples of chevalier de Faublas himself, barbarous deftroyer ! would fhudder at his triumphs over chastity. The unwary female, whom he deluded, would become the minion of his pleasures, or the purveyor of his purfe, and there are, alas too many victims of his treachery. After efcaping from Buttermere, he took refuge on board a floop of Ravenglafs, where he was plentifully fapplied with provifions from the thore, and by voluptuous profufion, attracted in his hiding place the curiofity of a ftranger, who went on board, on purpose to fee this amazing confumer. Finding he fhould be detected, he went in the coach to Ulverfton, and was feen at the hotel at Chester, about three weeks ago, where he had, in his ufual way a good fupper, and drank his bottle of Madeira. The next morning he ordered a chaife for Norwich, but not being able to get one, he walked away in a great paffion, and has not been heard of fince. It is, however fuppofed, that he was haftening towards his native village to fecrete himself, re Be So plaufible, that his acquaintance conld hardly be refifted, he adapted himself to the ruling paffion of all whom he knew, difcovering their weak fide, and having a genius to turn their abilities to his own advantage; availing himself in the mok dexterous manner of the foibles, inclinations, prejudices, and jealoufies of mankind. For the repofe of the community. and the peace of virtue, that this wicked and dangerous character may foon be overtaken and punithed, is a confummation devoutly to be withed.' The The following are the particulars, hon. Charles Hope, member for refpecting his marriage with the Dumfries. Here he paid his addreffes Beauty of Buttermere, as published in to a lady of youth, beauty, and good The Sun, an English print, before the fortune, and obtained her confent difcovery of his real character: The wedding clothes were bought, and the day fixed for their marriage, when On the 2d Oct. a gentleman, calling himfelf Alexander Auguftus he feigned a pretence for abfence, and Hope, member for Linlithgowfhire, married the Beauty of Battermere.→→ and brother to the earl of Hopetoun, The mistake in the name, the want was married at the church of Lorten, of an establishment suited to his rank, near Kefwick, to a young woman, and the circumftance of his attaching celebrated by the tourists, under the himself to a young lady of fortune, namme of The Beauty of Buttermere. had excited much fufpicion, and maTo beauty, however, in the ftrict ny began to confider him an impostur. fenfe of the word, the has fmall pre- His marriage, however, with a poor tenfions, for the is rather gap-toothed, girl without money, family, or exand fomewhat pock-fretten. But pectations, has weakened the fufpiciher face is very expreffive, and the ons entertained to his difadvantage expreffion extremely interefting, and but the intereft which the good people her figure and movements are grace of Kefwick take in the welfare of the ful to a miracle. She ought to have Beauty of Buttermere, has not yet been called the Grace of Buttermere, fuffered them to entirely fubfide, and rather than the Beauty. She is the they await with anxiety the moment laughter of an old couple, named when they fhall receive decitive proofs Robinfon, who keep a poor little pot- that the bridegroom is the real perfon houfe at the foot of the Imall lake of whom he defcribes himself to be. Buttermere, with the fign of the The circumftances of his marriage Car, and has been all her life the are fufficient to fatisfy us that he is no attendant and waiter, for they have impoftor-and therefore, we may 10 fervant. She is now about thirty, venture to congratulate the Beauty of and has long attracted the notice of Buttermere upon her good fortune.every vifitor by her exquifite elegance, The hon. Alex. Hope, the member and the becoming manner in which for Linlithgowihire, is a colonel in he is used to fillet her beautiful long the army, a lieut. col. of the 14th hair; likewife by the uncommonly regt. of foot, brother to the earl of fine Italian hand-writing in which the Hopetoun, and lieut. governor of little bill was drawn out.-Added to Edinburgh caftie. this, he has ever maintained an irreproachable character, is a good daughter, and a modeft, fenfible, and obfervant woman. That fuch a woman hould find a husband in a man of rank and fortune, fo very far above Having feen in your paper of her fphere of life, is not very extraordi yefterday, an account of a romantic nary; but there are other circumftan- marriage, fuppofed to be celebrated ces which add much to the intereft of by the hon. col. Alexander Hope, the ftory. Above two months ago, with a young woman of inferior rank Mr. Hope went to Buttermere upon in life, at the church of Lorten, near a fishing expedition, in his own car- Kefwick, on the 2d inft.' and at the riage, but without any fervants, and conclufion of the account, you imtook up his abode at the houfe of the prefs your readers with the idea of the Beauty of Buttermere, in the neigh- authenticity of the marriage, I think bourhood of which he was called the In confequence of the above publication, the following letter was immediately addreffed to the editor of The Sun. SIR, it |