The Sun.
London, England, 1802-11-23 00:00:00

HATFIELD THE IMPOSTOR !

The following Letter respecting this Man,, has been sent us
from Scarborough, giving an Account of his Proceedings at
that Place, some time ago.

Scarborough, 17th Nov. ISo2.

SIR,

As the Public are yet unacquainted with the par_
ticulars of Hatfield's (the Impostor) life and con-
duet during his stay at this place, I have taken the
liberty of transmitting to you the following state.
ment :

He came to. Scarborough in March 179 z, with-
out any attendants. Possessed of a good address,
and insinuating manners, he soon introduced him-
self to persons of the first respedability in the place.
He stiled himself Major Hatfield, or Hadfield, of
the Regiment of Foot, which had served in
America during the late War between that Country
and England. He farther added, that he was con-
nened with the Duke of RUTLAND by marriage,
and that he expected (through the Patronage of that
Interest) in a few weeks to be proposed as Candi-
date to represent this Borough in Pailiament, upon
the acceptance of the Chiltern Hundreds by Lord
TYRCONNEL, who was then one of the Members.
On his arrival at this place, he took up his resi-
dence at the _then principal Inn, which was kept
by 'Mr. Stephens (now deceased) ; and in the course
of a feW days, invited to dinner with him, such
Gentlemen of the Corporation, and others, as seemed
to pay
He
credulous an attention to his speCious
tales. apologized to his new acquaintance for his
humble appearance, intimating, that he had left his
carriages, servants, and horses at York, not having
intended to make mere than two o't three days stay
at Scarborough, as the object of this visit .(he said)
was merely to see the place which he should so soon
represent in Parliament. • He acquitted himself at
the head of his table with :a gentlemanly ease ;
and his conversation), on that day, chiefly turned
on his Services in America, and when in Ire
land as Aid.de-Camp to she late Duke of Rtrr-
LAND, the Lord Lieutenant of that Kingdom.
The fate of the unfortunate Major .ANDRE,being.
mentioned, conversation was suspended for some
few minutes, by attending to Hatfield, down whose
cheeks a copious flow of tears was seen to roll.
He apologized for this seeming weakness, as he
termed it, by saying, that the Major (his most in-
timate friend), a few hours before his death, had
committed two amiable Sisters to his care and pro-
teaion. A similar sudden display was exhibited by
him on the sight of a portrait print of the late gal-
lant and unfortuna:e Lord Ron ERT MANNERS, with
whom Hatfield pretended to have lived on terms of
the closest intimacy and friendship.—A fortnight
or three weeks having elapsed, 'Hatfield": worthy
host ventured to ask lay some 301. on account, when
the former readily offered a draft on his Banker in
Town, but which draft was never accepted'or paid.
In consequence of this, and some other suspicious
circumstances, his pretensions began to be very
generally disputed.; and Stephens at length thought
it prudent to arrest him for the tavern-debt. On.
the zsth April, 1792, not being able to procure .
bail, he went to the' gaol at this place; and in
June 1793, a detainer was lodged against him by
JOSEPH HAMILTON, Esq. of London, for a debt of
Eighty Guineas.
During his confinement, which lasted till Septem-
ber rBOO, he experienced many vicissitudes, re-
ceiving from some quarter unknown to any person
at Scarborough except himself, several remittances
which many times exceeded his debts, but which he
hastily spent, in idle extravagancies, and thus re-
duced himself to the common allowance of the gaol,
except when mistaken beneiolence occasionally in-
terposed. In one instance, in particular; he re.-
ceived by sale of some property belonging to his first
wife, a sum near iBol. and about this time he re-
ported that he had been promoted to the rank of
Lieutenant-Colonel, and applied for tke Militia
Band to play to him on that happy event.
Every half year during his imprisonment, he had
the impudence to request the attendance of a Ma.
gistrate to swear him to an' Affidavit, in order to ob-
tain half-pay as Major or Lieut.-Colonel Hatfield.
At other times, impatient of his confinement,
.he
would indulge himself with writing supplicant or
threatening Letters to the Bailiffs of Scarborough,
respeaing the state of the prison ; and he even had
the assurance•to misrepresent its condition to the
late Lord KENYON; although it is generally allowed
to be equal, if nott`superior, in cleanliness and
comfort, to any Borough-gaol in the Kingdom.
On the door of his apartment he inscribed an amus-
ing conceit, '' Here lives interred John Hatfield,"
and the walls of his prison-room still bear testimony
to the,sportings of his Muse. At the end of eight
years and a half he obtained his discharge, and also
the hand of a Miss IsTaTrosr, of Somersetshire or
Devonshire, who happened to be at 'Scarborough
in the Spa Season, and who, with misplaced libera-
lity, applied part of her own fortune in procuring his
release. At ten o'clock of the night of Saturday
the 13th September, rgoo, he was duly liberated
from farther detention, but preferring (and which
he was permitted to do), to remain in the gaol till
the next morning, he then was Married at the Parish
Church of Scarborough, and immediately afterwards,
with his second wife, left. the place.