The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-17

The sanity of Edward L. Coates was ex-
amined into by Justice Cole yesterday aft
ernoon in Criminal Court No >. Coates is
from Montrose, Col, and claims to repre-
sent large mining interests in the West
He has spent a considerable portion of his
time recently around the Senate wing 81
the Capitol, and IS said to have gwen GER
tain members Of Congress and officials OF
the Senate much trouble and annoyance.
When Coates case was called Up for in
vestigation he informed the court that he
would act as his own counsel. In managing
his own case he showed shrewdness in the
! cross-eNamination of the witnesses who ap-
| peared against him. Throughout the pro
| ceedings not once did he fail TO show the
utmost respect for the court The District
was represented in the examination by the
Assistant Attorney for the Commissioners.
| \. Lefwich Sinclair
| Coates, it is said has been regarded as
being of unsound mind for some time. and
| on Sunday last Mr. Claiborne A. Wilson
an employe of the United States Senate
| filed petition in which was set forth his
| belief that Coates was lunatic of homi-
cidal and dangerous tendencies.
upon the filing of this petition Justice
Cole appointed Drs. j. Ramsay hewitt and
FRANK =. Vale TO examine Coates and to
appear in court yesterday and testify as to
his mental condition, which they accord
ingly did. The physicians concurred in
the opinion that he was of unsound mind
and a proper person for treatment in the
insane asylum. They stated that he was
suffering with type of insanity known 20
the medical fraternity as paranoia. cbarac-
Sygfpmafized Halt
MS deluslons was. stated the physicians
that he is interested in Western mining
interests OF great value and that a huge
conspiracy had been organized TO defraud
MIN OF his interest and to get him out of
the way.
They further told the court that Coates
mad stated TO them that the members of the
Ute Indian Commission had been conspir-
ing to get him out of the way because he
had knowledge OF certain murders which
had been committed by members of the
commission and would give damaging testi-
mony against them. He also told the ply
sicians that the Socialists were giving him
trouble
1t appeared from other testimony given
That Coates had been engaged in sending
many threatening letters to people il: the
departments and prominent business men.
All OF the letters were of an incoherent
character and could not be understood by
the recipients. On one occasion. il is said
he addressed postal card to Judge B,nia-
min a. Harlan of the Pension once. on
which was Written the following:
You dear old thing. Ny complaint reads prior
20 ana before the year 1855 You can act sc-
eorclngly, II you want TO, YOU tan come in as
there Is no doubt you know all about the killing
Of the Jackson boy. THE BAD MAN COATES.
One OF the witnesses stated that Coates
had accused Senator II. N. Teller on one
occasion OF stealing pig in Colorado and
wanted him prosecuted for IT, A number
OF witnesses We're summoned to testify
against Coates, among them being Mr.
charles a. Cotterill, Chief Clerk TO the
Committee on Postofices and Postroads.
OF the United States Senate Robert S,
Hart, United States Senate postoffice;
Otto Nears, L. VI. Kelley. Assistant Com
missioner of Pensions. and James Sellers
After these had given their testimony.
Justice Cole permitted Coates to make |
statement. He practically Acknowledged
what had been testified against him. He |
admitted having written the postal TO |
Judge Harlan and said that he had no !
explanation to offer except to say that |
the jackson boy referred to was one of |
the boys murdered by the ute Commits |
SION" He said to Judge Cole that the |
Whoie Ute Commission crowd has been in |
prison out West for killing the jackson |
boy and had to get them out" He ex- |
planned that he had come TO Washington |
TO make preparation 10 institute a big suit. |
but that the police kept locking him up |
and wouldn't let him get to work on it. |
He said, too, that the employees in the |
Department OF the Interior were working |
against him and did not want him to start |
the proposed suit.
After hearing Coates statement Judge |
Cole signed an order committing him to |
the Government Hospital for the Insane |
fer care and curative treatment,