22 
On the day of his condemnation Wordsworth and Coleridge 
passed through Carlisle, and endeavoured to obtain an interview 
with him. Wordsworth succeeded; but from some unknown 
reason, Hatfield steadily refused to see Coleridge ; a caprice which 
could not be penetrated. It was true that he had, during his 
whole residence at Keswick, avoided Coleridge with a solicitude 
which had revived the original suspicions against him in some 
quarters, after they had generally subsided. However, if not him, 
Coleridge saw and examined his very interesting papers. These 
were chiefly from women whom he had injured pretty much in the 
same way, and by the same impostures, as he had so recently 
practised in Cumberland. Great was the emotion of Coleridge 
when he afterwards recurred to these letters, and bitter—almost 
vindictive—was the indignation with which he spoke of Hatfield. 
The execution took place at Carlisle on September 3rd, 1803, 
on an island formed by the river Eden on the north and south side 
of the city between the bridges. Three respectable men walked 
from Keswick to Carlisle—thirty miles—to witness the execution, 
so great was the excitement caused throughout the county by the 
event. One of them was Mr. Amos Richardson, the amiable and 
much-respected usher at Crosthwaite High School for a great 
number of years. I was a bit of a favourite with him, and I once 
had the temerity to ask him if he really did so. ‘ Well,” said he, 
“we were going to Carlisle, and we did see Hatfield hanged.” I _ 
thought then, and I have the same feeling still, that I would rather 
have gone thirty miles in the opposite direction, to keep as far 
away as I could from so sad a spectacle. 
Hatfield died with wonderful firmness, and acted the hero, dying 
as he had lived, the “lying Hatfield.” 
This all happened while Mr. I‘Anson was postmaster of 
Keswick. 
When Mr. Atkinson succeeded Mr. I‘Anson, the office was 
subsequently removed from the Oak inn to Museum Square. This 
Square used to be thought a grand improvement. A lady remem- 
bers when a child, before she had seen the squares of London, 
that she thought it a wonderful place. It was built by Words- 
