Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-02-06

|
While frying 10 Escape In IA Sleigh.
Pittsburg, Feb. IA telegram from
| Butler at $3.50 p. In. says: Edward
Biddle, in jail dying; John Biddle,
rddled with buckshot and in pre-
carious condition; and Mrs. Peter X.
Soffel. dying in the hospital with a
self-infiicted bullet wound in the
breast, is the sequel of the sensation
al escape of the Biddle brothers from
the Allegheny county jail, aided by
Mrs. Soffel, the wife of the Jail war
den, on Thursday morning. The
story of the close of the Biddle
tragedy, which came at 5:4j Friday
afternoon, is a thrilling one.
The scene was a snow-covered road
two miles east of Prospect, Butler
county, near Mount Chestnut, and
the exact place at McClure's barn,
where two double team sleighs, filed
with eight officers, three of them
! Pittsburg detectives, John Roach,
! Albert Swinehart and Charles Nc
Govern, met the two Biddles in a
one-horse sleigh, stolen at Perrys-
Vile, and at once opened fire on the
| trio.
The Biddles returned the fire, after
jumping out of the sleigh. Mrs. Sof-
fers wound was through the breast.
! Edward Biddle was shot in the left
arm, in the breast and in one leg.
John Biddle was riddled with buck
shot in the breast and head.
The Pittsburg officers were met at
Butler yesterday afternoon by Depu-
! ty' Sheriffs Rainey and Hoon, and Of
ficers Frank Holiday and Aaron
! Thompson, the latter under command
of Chief-of Police Robert Ray, of
Butler.
The officers were certain that they
were on the right trail. 1t was only
question of time when they would
catch up to the escaping condemned
murderers and their guilty compan-
| ion.
The Biddles and Mrs. Soffel ate dim
ner at j. j. stephens, at Mt. Chest
nut, five miles east of Butler. They
! had made a detour of the town of
Butler and after going several miles
east turned north and then west.
| The Pittsburg officers, only a few
miles in the rear. took the wrong
/
! they found their mistake they made
! up for lost time by telephoning and
| telegraphing ahead for fresh horses.
They reached Mount Chestnut not
! less than half an hour after the Bid
| dies and Mrs. Sotfel. At this point
| William Watson, storekeeper, had
fresh horses awaiting them, and the
| chase for life began anew.
The two sleighs with the eight Of
| ficers aboard, started westward, and
met the Biddles and Mrs. Soffel at
| NIcClure'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.
When the detectives got within
about 60 yards of the fugitives they
opened fire. The Biddles promptly
answered with shotgun and revolverS.
| When Ed Biddle fell ana Mrs. Soffel
saw that she was about to be cap
tured she fired a bullet into her
| breast. An examination by physi-
clans shows that she will recover, as
| the bullet was DETECTED by her cor
set and the wound is comparatively
slight.
The Pittsburg and other officers
were armed with Winchester rifles
and revolvers of large calibre.
Ed Bddle got bullet in the breast
which penetrated his right lung and
will probably end his life before
morning. John Biddle may recover,
his wounds though numerous, fail
ing to reach vital spot. The escape
of the officers is miraculous.
After the BiddIes fen to the snow
covered ground the officers picked
up the apparently lifeless bodies of
Mrs. Sotfel and the Bddles and came
| back to Butler, bringing the stolen
Sleigh patched up harness and worm
out horse that the trio had tried so
strenuously to get away with to-
ward Canada and liberty.
At the Jail last night Ed BiddIe
called for a priest and made the
following statement: II have been
accused of a great many serious
crimes. | admit that | could have
committed many, the opportunities
for them having presented them
selves. | want to say now that L
did not kill Detective Fitzgerald nor
/ L y
my brother implicated in the latter
affair. Mrs. Soffel aided us in get
ting out of the county Jail, and had
it not been for her we would have
made our escape to-day. She gave up
everything for us and | was bound
to back her. | did not shoot her. She
! shot herself. Oh, father, bless me,
and tell me that my sins are for
given. Although | have been pictured
to you as "A desperate man, | still
have some heart and gratitude for
the woman who helped us to escape.
She merely did it out of good sym
pathy for us. | persuaded her to do
it. l told her | was guiltless of the
crime for which | was about to be
executed and she was impressed and
yielded to my suggestion. ! planned
it all"