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

! The sanity Of Edward /. Coates was eX-
amined into by Justice Cole yesterday aft
/ ernoon In Criminal Court No. .. Coates is
from Monrose, 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 OF
the Capitol, and IS said to have given 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 shroWdness in the
cross-examination 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 a lunatic Of homi-
cidal and dangerous tendencies
Upon the filing of this petition Justice
Cole appointed Drs. J. Ramsay hewitt and
Frank p 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 proper person for treatment in the
insane asylum. They stated that he was
suffering with a type Of insanity known 20
the medical fraternity as paranoia. cbarac-
terized by systematized delusions. One of
his delusions was. stated the physicians
that he is interested in Western mining
interests Of great value and that huge
conspiracy had been organized TO defraud
him Of his interest and to get him out Of
the way.
They further told the court that Coates
had stated to them that the members Of the
Ute Indian Commission had been conspir-
ing 70 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
slcians that the Socialists we're giving him
trouble.
1t appeared from other testimony given
that Coates had been engaged in sending
many threatening letters to people in the
departments and prominent business men.
character and could not be understood BY
the recipients. On one occasion. il is said,
he addressed postal card to Judge Benja-
min a. Harlan, OF the Pension ONCE, on
which was written the following:
You dear Old thing! Nv complaint reads prior
10 and before the year 1896. You can act &C.
cordingiy. If you want TO- or You can come in. as
there Is no doubt sou know ali about the killing
Of The Jackson boy. THE BAD MAN COATES
One Of the witnesses stated that Coates
had accused Senator II. NJ. Teller on one
occasion Of stealing q pig in Colorado. and
wanted him prosecuted for H. A number
Of witnesses We're summoned to testify
against Coates, among them being Mr.
Charles a. Cotterll. Chief Clerk to the
Committee on PostOfiices and Postroads,
OF the United States Senate; Robert S
Hart, United States Senate postoffce:
Otto Mears, l. VI. Kelley. Assistant Com
missioner Of Pensions. and James Sellers.
After these had given their testimony,
Justice Cole permitted Coates to make a
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
whole 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 10 Washington
to make preparation 10 institute a big suit,
but that the police kept locking MIN 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
for care and curative treatment.