The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-07-18
Is THIS MAN lNSANE?I
A New York Merchant
Causes Excitement at
Tay1or's Hotel.
BAD ESCAPED FROM BLOOMINGDALE.
Followed by His Keepers, but
sympathizers Prevent His Re-
moval to New York.

Three attendants from Bloomingdale
Asylum, at an early hour this morning,
chased man into Taylor's Hotel and finally
captured him in the billiard room. They
were about to drag their prisoner away to
New York when Proprietor Reed Of the
hotel interfered, and with the assistance OF a
police officer turned the ofticious attendants
out of doors and escorted the man to room
upstairs in the hotel, which he had earlier In
in the evening engaged.
The man is Edward F. Hartley, a well-to-
do haberdasher Of New York, who is known
in Harlem, where he lives, as mayor Hart
ley.n He was confined in the asylum pend
ing an examination as to his sanity before a
sheriffs jury. That body decided yesterday
afternoon that Hartley is insane.
While these proceedings werefin progress
he was in the asylum but managed to make
his escape in a remarkably shrewd manner.
How he gave his keepers the slip was
ton ton by DR.. G. E. Atwood, Of the
Asylum who said that Hartley had a room
in hall No. A on the ground floor, which is in
charge of Keeper John F. Wilson, one OF
the oldest employees. Wilson was about the
y
and Hartley was strolling around the hall.
Hartley noticed that Wilson's bunch Of KEYS
had been left on a bureau in the room Of one
of the patients, and he quietly took the Y ale
lock key which opened the outside doors
from the bunch and put the remaining keys
back again. As he was leaving the room
the night watchman strolled through the
hall and asked him what he was doing.
Hartley said:-
81 lust noticed that Wilson's keys are
there on the bureau. and l was going to
throw them out of the window"
FOOLED THE wATCHMAN.
The night watchman took the keys that
remained. not noticing that one was missing,
and Hartley returned to his own room. He
got out by back door about six o'clock in
the morning He met an iceman he knew,
and said he would be on hand before the
sheriff's jury at four P M. Then be looked
up Harlem friend, borrowed $3.50 and
crossed the Fort Lee ferry at ten o'clock.
He went direct to Buchheister's Hotel on the
TOP of the bluff and telegraphed to his wife
to come over with his horse and buggy to
see him He was known to Landlord Buch-
heister, with whom he left an order for din
ner, saying that he' was going to Llnwood,
where he and his wife formerly had cot
tage. Hartley,s daughter and his sister-in-
law went to Fort Lee to meet him IN response
to his telegraph to Mrs. Hartley, but they
missed him He returned after they had
gone back to New York, and he was last
seen by Landlord Buchheistefsgoing down
the hill toward the ferry.
SMARTER THAN THE KEEPER.
Mrs. Hartley heard that he was still IN
New Jersey last night, '.My husband can
not travel without money! she said, land
expect that the Bloomingdale authorities,
whom l shall hold responsible; will have him
before tomorrow night He's q good deal
smarter than his keepers
At ten o'clock last night Mrs Hartley got
a despatch from her husband saying that he
was at Taylor's Hotel, Jersey City, and asked
her to send him some money. Two hours
afterwards three attendants came to the
hotel, and seeing Hartley atithe door, ran to-
ward him while he few into the house, as
above stated.
Had Mr. Reed not interfered he would
have been taken away, but as the courteous
proprietor said, "Ihese men had no author
ity to take guest out of my hotel and re-
fused to allow them to do So"
SAYS TAMMANY IS THE ENEMY.
This morning Mr.. Hartley gave an audience
to newspaper men to whom he told long
story of his persecution by Tanamany Hall.
His arrest and confinement he attributes to
the leaders of the organization who want to
get him out of the way.
While he was talking some one entered the
room and told him that Justice Geiger had
issued warrant for his arrest on the ap-
plication of Superintendent Steele of the
Bloomingdale Asylum, but the announce
ment didn't disturb Mr.. Hartley. He finished
his recital of Tammany's evil doings and
then asked to see lawyer.
Counsellor ]. A. DENIM passing the hotel
was called in and he is looking after Mr..
Hartley. Mr.. DENIM says that he will re-
sist Mr.. Hartley's removal, and il necessary.
institute habeas corpus proceedings, should
they take him out of the hotel.
l. L. Al.-&
LAWYER had been summoned, left one OF their
number to watch the door of the hotel, and
the remaining two went over to New York
to get the requisite papers
From statement made by one of them
the proceedings in New York to determine
Mr.. Hartleys mental condition were
brought at the instance of his wife Hart
personal property which his wife seeks to
control for the benefit of herself and nine
children.
KEEPERS WATCHING FOR HIM
The group of attendants watching outside
of Taylor's Hotel received an addition this
afternoon of two keepers and tall IN
dividual, who was extremely mysterious
about everything. He would only speak in
a whisper, and glanced around every minute
as if he expected to see Hartley stealing out
of the side door This personage proved to
be relative Of Mr.. Hartley, but what he
proposed to do he would not say. In
the meantime the situation IS not
charged. Hartley keeps in his room and is
busy writing long letter for the newspa-
pers, in which epistle he will tell how Tam
many Hall is trying to shut him up.
He had long visit from Mr. +. M. Relyea,
of No. 167 Newark avenue, who offered him
mis- sympathies. If he is insane he is cer-
tainly remarkable lunatic. His speech is
rational, and there is none of the restlessness
and excitemeni usually r,afceiynd in men
deemed as he has been dangerous lunatic.
1t is only when he talks about Tammany
Hall that there is soupcon OF dementia.