The National Register.
London, England, 1811-08-04 00:00:00

IVIOG'K PARSON.

On Monday application was made at Bow-street Office, by a
Clergyman, for a warrant against a person calling himself the
Rev. John Shepherd, for defraudinrhim of 301. under the fol-
lowing circumstances :—A short time since the applicant came
to London, and was living at the Northumberland Coffee-house,
where the person complained against, calling himself the Rev.
John Shepherd, succeeded in persuading him, under various
pretences, to lend him 6L He then contrived to get so intimate
with the applicant, that he took him to Portsmouth, and intro-
duced him as a Clergyman among his connections; and he at
• length contrived to get 301. and left him. On the same after-
noon information was given by a Gentleman against a pretended
Clergyman, whom he had got acquainted with at a Coffee-house,
styling himself the Rev. Mr. Tucker' lately of Baliol and Mag-
dalen Colleges Oxford. From the description of his person,
there was no LOA but he was the same man ; and a warrant
being accordingly issued against him, on Tuesday he was taken
into cu Cody, and, in the evening, underwent an examination
before Mr. Nares, previous to which, the Magistrate inquired
for the prisoner, and, to his surprise, found he was sitting close
to him. He then inquired if ht Wai• a Clergyman ? when he
acknoWdedged he was not, and, with much presumption, con-
tinued to keep his seat, till A r. Nares ordered him to stand ;
when, on interrogatories being put to Lim, he frankly acknow-
ledged that he had preached, inarried several couples, and per-
formed the office in several Churches as a Clergyman. Mr.
Nares expresseddhis horror at the mischief his conduct would
occasion, as all the parties must be married apin. ' The above
charges were then gone into, and he was committed for further
examination.
Ott Thursday at the above Office, another charge was ex-
hibited against the fellow who has been committing trauds under
the assumed garb of a Clergyman. Mr. William Webb, of
Holy well-street, robe-mak, r, c ^arged him with obtaining several
clergyman's gowns on hire and purchase, but which he had never
paid for, when he gave his addrk ss, " the Rev. W. Tucker, cu-
rate of Park—treet Chapel" Among them was a sack pudding
sleeve gown, value eight guineas. It has already been discovered
o:at this telluw has assunn d the names of the Rev. John Tuck,
the Rev. John C. -Dicker, and the Rev. J. Shepherd. Instead of
his f.,_'‘er being R ccorder of the city of Exeter, as he represented
him to he, he turn,: out to be an honest hard-working man, who
reticles in a village near Exeter, and gets his living by taking ye-
getabl f.s to that city for sale. The profession of the mock parsons
till within the three last years, was a teacher of writing and
arithmetic at schools. The last situati mhe is supposed to have
filled, was at Mr. Hom's school, near Paddington.—He was re-
manded for further ciao' :irAt

On Friday, this clerical Gentleman wns again broucht up for
exatnination. Although it was not publicly known that he was
to be re-examined this day, yet the office was crowded to excess,
most of the persons present had charges against the prisoner;
but were so much aAiarned of their credulity, that they declined
standing forward to prefer their charges ; the following were
however made :—John Chanron, who stated himself to be a
clerk residing in Red-Crosss-rare, told a long story of the
prisoner getting into his acquaintance as Rector of Frome, in
Somersetshire. One Sunday morning he called at the prisoner's
lodging, in Fetter-lane, and went with him to the Broadway
Chapel, Westminster, the prisoner walking in a gown and inll
canonicals. They went into the Vestry, and the prisoner intro-
duced him to the celebrated Dr. Hawker, who was to have
preached a charity sermon there ; the prisoner read the prayers.
On their way from the chapel,the prisoner told him Dr. Hawker
was particularly intimate with his father; he always stopped at
his house in Exeter, when he was travelling to and from Ply-
mouth to London. They walked back to his lodgings, and
agreed to meet again the nAtt day. The next day he called again
upon the prisoner, who entertained him with some wine. He
proposed to the prisoner to go and see Covent-Garden Theatre,
as he was but just come from the country. The prisoner repaid
he should be very happy to accompany him, but at present be
was very short of money, and did not expect his father in WWII
till the Sunday following, when he should-get a plentiful suepty.
He answered, that made no ditrerence, as be should be MITT
to accommodate him viitla Emit cash, and acciadjAS4 414'

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