The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-02-10
WhenPursuitNears
They Attempt
Suicide.
MRS. SOFFEL ALSO
SHOOTS HERSELF
A Sensational Ending Of the Re
markable Story Of Crime
From Pittsburg, Pa.

u
Biddle is dying in the jail at But
u Ter; John BiddIe is riddled with
buckshot and in a precarious condi-
tion. and Mrs. Peter X. Soffel is lying
in the hospital with a self-inficted
wound in the breast. This is the Sc
queI OF the sensational escape of the
Biddle brothers from the Allegheny
county Jail, aided by Mrs. Soffel, wife
of the jail warden, on Thursday morn
ing.
ar 5:55 O'Clock this afternoon in a
snow-covered road two miles east OF
Prospect, Butler county. near Mount
Chestnut. The exact place was al Nc
CIure's barn, where two double-team
sleighs filed with eight officers, three
of them Pittsburg detectives. John
Roach, Albert Swfnehart and Charles
McCiOyern, met the two Biddles in a
one-horse sleigh stolen at Perryville,
and at once opened fire on the trio.
The BiddleS returned the fire, after
jumping out of the sleigh Mrs. Soffel
was shot through the breast. Edward
BiddIe was shot in the left arm. in the
breast and in one leg John Biddle was
riddled with buckshot in the breast
and head.
The Pittsburg officers were met at
Butler this afternoon by Deputy Sher-
ifs Rainey and Hoon and officers
Frank Holiday and Aaron Thompson,
the latter under command of Chief of
Police Robert Ray OF Butler The Of
ficers were certain that they were on
the right trail, and it was only ques-
tion OF time when they would overtake
the escaping condemned murderers and
their guilty companion.
The Biddles and Mrs Soffel ate din
ner at J. j. Stephens home. at Mount
Chestnut five miles east of Butler.
They had made a detour of the town
of Butler, and after going seven miles
east turned north and then went west.
The P-ttsburg officers, only few miles
in the rear, took the wrong road for
about eight miles, but when they found
their mistake they made up lost time
by telephoning and telegraphing ahead
for fresh horses. They reached Mount
Chestnut not less than half an hour
after the Biddles and Mrs. Soffel. At
this point William Watson. storekeeper,
had fresh horses waiting for them and
the chase began anew.
The two sleighS carrying the eight
officers met the Biddles and Mrs. Sof-
feI at McClure's barn. two miles from
Mount Prospect The Biddles. having
learned that they were almost over
taken, and taking what they consid-
cred the only chance they had, drove
eastward and met their doom.
The Pittsburg and other officers were
armed with Winchester rifles and re-
vcIyers of large caliber. They shot to
Kill. and their aim was perfect The
BiddIes tried to kill to the last of their
hut Of he fph
has wound as a result Of the battle.
When the detectives got within about
sixty yards of the fugitiveS they open
ed fire. The Biddles promptly answer
ed with shotgun and revOlvers. When
Ed Biddle fell and she saw that she
was about to be captured. Mrs Soffei
fired q bullet into her breast
Edward Biddle got a bullet in the
breast. which penetrated his right lung
and will probably end his life before
morning.
John Biddle may recover, as his
wounds. though numerous. failed to
reach a vital spot. The escape of the
officers is miraculous. The Biddles have
demonstrated on several occasions that
they are good marksmen. and why
they should have failed today to bring
down their men is a mystery.
After the BiddIes fell to the snow
covered ground the officers picked up
the apparently lifeless bodies of Mrs.
Sohei and the Biddies and took them
back 10 Butler. where they also took
the stolen Sleigh and the worn-out
horses that the trio had made use of
in their flight.
The story of the fight. as told by one
If the detectives, follows: The Biddles
were sitting on the right side of the
shtter. Mrs. Soffel was on the left side ,
Wilen Defective McGoverI called To 1
hem 10 hold up their hands and sur t
render Ed BiddIe jumped up and. rails
ing ais shotgun, fired at McGovern. He