Evening star., 1902-01-30
Daring Escape From Jail Of Two
Condemned Murderers.
hey INTERESTED THE WARDEN'SW WIFE
She is Supposed to Have Joined
the Fugitiyes.
OF CAPTURE

D. Kahney of Mount Washington, over
powered the guards at o'clock this morn
ing and escaped
Both prisoners had been provided with
saws, with which they cut the bars in their
cells, and were ready at any moment to
make an opening sufficiently large to pass
through. The prisoners occupied adjoining
cells on the second range. They had evil
IDENTIFY been preparing for escape for some
time, and had assistance from the outside,
as both were armed with revolvers.
Shortly before 4 o'clock one of the Bid
dies. called to James McGeary, who had
charge of the outside gates, and asked for
some cramp medicine In q hurry, saying
his brother was dangerously sick.
McGeary fastened to the cel with the
medicine, when John Biddle sprang through
the opening in the cell, and, seizing the
guard around the waist, hurled him over
the railing to the stone floor beneath,
distance of sixteen feet.
Edward Biddle joined his brother imme-
diately, and both, with drawn revolvers,
hurried to the first floor where they met
Guard Reynolds and shot him.
There were but three men on duty, and
the third was on one of the upper ranges.
He was ordered down at the point of the
revolvers, and the three guards were put
in the dungeon.
How They Left the Prison.
Geary. and the two desperate prisoners
had a clear field. The only persons who
witnessed the escape were prisoners, who
could not interfere or give an alarm. The
Biddles went to the ward room, where the
guards keep their clothing, and each put
on a new suit. They then unlocked the
outside gates and passed out into Ross
street.
The escape was not discovered until the
daylight guards came on duty, at o'clock.
They were Informed by prisoners where the
night guards had been put, and they were
soon released from the dungeon and sent
to the Homeopathic Hospital.
For several months preceding the Kah-
ney murder daring burglaries were of al
most nightly occurrence. The police seemed
poWerless to prevent them, and nervous
citizens retired at night in fear and trem-
bling. On the morning Of April II last Mrs.
Kahney was awakened by burglars, and
called to her husband, a cripple, who was
sleeping in an adjoining room with one Of
the children.
AS he entered the door Of his wife's room
he was shot dead. The burglars then fed.
A few hours later Detective Patrick Fitz-
gerald and two officers surprised the Bid
die brothers at their home on Fulton street,
but before they were captured Fitzgerald
was killed and Edward Biddle, who shot
him, was dangerously wounded. Walter
Dorman, another of the gang, and two wo-
men, Jessie Bodine and Jennie Seebers,
were also arrested. Dorman turned states
evidence, and the two Biddles were con-
victed of Kahneys murder and sentenced
month and Edward on the 10th. but three
days before the date set FOR Johns execu-
tion they were respited until February %
and 27 by Gov. Stone, so that their cases
could go before the pardon board at It's
coming meeting. Dorman is still in jail
awaiting sentence. The women were
leased.
The entire detective force is at work on
S1,oa h,,+, - a. IL
clue as to the direction the murderers had
taken
A Woman in 1t.
The escape Of the Biddles has been ex-
planned. Warden Peter X. Soffel has au-
thorized its publication. 1t is the allega
tion that his wife is responsible for the fur
nishing of the revolver and saws to the
Biddes which enabled them to escape.
In her infatuatfon for the handsome des-
perado, Edward Bddle, it is alleged that
she has left her husband and her four chill
dren, and, it Is supposed is to meet the
escaped convictS at place agreed upon.
The story of the matter is brief. Mrs.
Soffel was the only person admitted to the
Jail since last Sunday. Yesterday after
noon she visited them during the Warden's
absence.
The Warden's SuspicfOns.
Last evening she retired at oclock. She
told her husband that she was going to
visit a sister at Mcdonald, and that she
would retire early so that she could get an
early start. Warden Soffel was about the
Jail until after - o'clock. He retired to his
room, which is separate from Mrs. Soffers
shortly before l o'clock
When he awoke this morning he asked
for Mrs. Soffel and was informed that she
was absent. Later, when the details of the
escape became known, he telephoned to Nc
n,,1 i,,fr ,,n1 hot T,<, CO
was not there.
Warden Soffel Immediately made frank
confession of his suspicious.
Sawed the Cell Bars.
The ruse Of the Biddles was a clever one
and was carried out with great success
They sawed out the bars Of their cells,
John cutting out three In his Edward, be-
ing the larger man, found it necessary to
cut out four.
Nothing suspicious was noticed in the ac-
tions of the two prisoners. nor was anything
wrong discovered when the day guards went
off duty yesterday afternoon. The MUIR
derers evidently sawed the bars during the
night, using what appears to have been
soap to deaden the noise and to reduce
friction.
The escape is as unparalleled as is their
record for crime throughout this vicinity.
The police all over the country are search
ing for the fugitives. While it is not
thought they have gone far, the shrewdness
Of the two criminals is such that the police
have hard problem to solve in their re-
capture.
The two guards injured will probably re-
cover. The bullet wound sustained by
Reynolds is not regarded as dangerous.
The physicians have been unable to ascer-
tain as yet the full extent of McGeary's
wounds. His head Is badly confused, but
there are no signs that his skull was frac-
tured by his sixteen-foot fall.
Search for the Warden's Wife.
District Attorney John C. Haymaker had
a conference with Warden Soffel at noon
and the warden told him Of his suspicious
concerning Mrs. Soffel
The warden has made inquiries at the
homes of all his wife's relatives and he
has been unable to find any trace of her.
An investigation disclosed the fact that she
had taken all of her best clothes with her.
The warden's overcoat is also missing. II
Is reported that the Biddles took train at
the 4th avenue station of the Panhandle
railroad, which is within block Of the
jail, and left for the west Warden Soffel
is broken hearted. He is completely I'M
nerved and with difficulty could repress his
tears. Il has been known for several
weeks that Mrs. Soffel was taking an In