Richland beacon., 1873-02-08
Clerical Swindlers

At the recent Worcestershire assiZes,
limping justice at last got her hand on the
coat-cOllar Of an unusually nimble-footed
rascal, who had led her a very pretty
chase of it over a number Of continents.
The Rev. Arthur Henry Moretoa, alias j.
o. r. KeatinSe, alias Joseph James
Crouch, was convicted of obtaining
money under false pretenses. On the
strength OF forged letters from the bishop
of Bath and Wells, he had dipped into the
pockets Of diverse clcr.cs. and tIades-peO-
pie. Tie sentence of the court was five
years penal servitude and seven years
subsequent police supervision.
This fellows stareer would furnish am
pie materials for q sensational novel of
the most approved modern pattern. He
is now only SO years old. He began life
in London wOrk-hOuse. Embracing the
Catholic faith, he was sent to Rom" to he
| educated for the priesthood. Within
year he was expelled from college for mis-
conduct, and sent back to England in dis
grace. I'm little time he turned up at
Rome again; a noble family had engaged
him as tutor. fin an unlucky moment, he
fundertook to pass himself off as cartli-
nal, and the police gave him twenty.four
hours to pack his trunks in. After brief
campaign i'm the Orient--the details of
which are unknown-he re-appeared in
England as lecturer against popery, a
writer OF poetry and sermons, aconhdence
man and swindlcr generally. After
several Jail experiences, he turned Baptist.
changed his name, married 4 widow. and
procured berth as chaplain on an Aus
trail ian emigrant ship. Horace tells u>
that men car change their skins, but not
ltheir natures. The pseudO-reverend was
the same tricky sharper at the anti
nodes that he had been in his rative
London, and presently found himself at
hard labor on the roads. Returning to Eng.
land, he was converted to AngclicaniSm.
and entered the English Bcnedictinc mon
astery of Father IgnatiOus. He soon got
into trouble; left; was re-cOnverted to
his original faith, and entered the CathO-
Olic monastery at Clapham. Here, too,
his stay was brief; AMI We next hear OF
him rs an ultra Protestant, doing curate' :
, duty at Chelsea. Being detected in imam
cjal irregularities, he had the happy
t thought of visiting the United States
Probably some Of or readers will re.
: member the Rev. DR.. Keatinge, who ap
Y peared among us i'm 1870; who lectured
r wrote and prea he'd so eloquently against
4 Roman Catholicism who presently go
into ''women scrapes'' and the newspa
: pers: who went to Montreal and tried
ilnsuccessfully-tO ring i'm on the Jesui
v fathers of that city; and who finally dis
e appeared as suddenly as he came. IT.
c the same man.
:, This history, like most others, has
d useful moral. 1t is to be hoped that on
+ sectarian authorities, pfstors of churche
a and the religious public generally, ma
+ mark and inwardly digest it. The dor
is of our pulpits open altogether too easil
It to unknown adventurers who can give
plausible account Of themselves. hay
d ''the gift o the CAB very gallopin' y an
k put our steady-going pastors quite to til
e, blush by the tervOr of their piOus yea
M Confidence is bestowed before any just tit
le1 to it has been established. Chances al
E given for roguery that ought not to
= given. 1t is high time we were reform
$. ing our pratice in this particular. TheI
d, are concerted priests'' and profe
" siOnal "reyivalist who are, no dOub
h perfectly honest and earnest in their sill
es gular vOcatiOns; there are Others who a
re- quite the reverse. In some cases, II
of jail-birtl OdOr is so strong that only vel
rs dull nostrils can fail to pc, ceive it; bl
e, oftener the Rev. Jeremy Diddler is plau
he ibIe enough and uctuous enough to decei'
in tie very elect - unless they are on the
in guard against him. We submit in all d,
Il erence that it is, on the whole. desirat
II they should be on their guard.-Sprv
feLd (MGss.) Republican.