Henry More
In 1817, Bates wrote "The Mysterious Stranger; or, memoirs of Henry More Smith; alias Henry Frederick Moon; alias William Newman: who is now confined in Simbury mines, in Connecticut, for the crime of burglary; containing an account of his . . . confinement in the gaol of King's County, province of New Brunswick . . . with a statement of his succeeding conduct". The book was about a burglar and confidence man named Henry More Smith, whom Bates got to know Smith while he was incarcerated in Kingston. "The Mysterious Stranger" chronicled Smith's jail breaks and comical behavior over a two-year period. However, it also described the local region and the people who had settled it. Published in the United States and the United Kingdom, "The Mysterious Stranger" sold thousands of copies.