Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1902-02-07
FUGITIvES AT BAY.
Posse of officers Capture the Biddle
Brothers.
Together with Woman who Aided
Them to Escape They Make Dcs-
pernte Tigbt-Both Are Shot md
Mrs. sofreI Attempts Suicide.

perate Tigbt-Both Are Shot
Mrs. Soffel Attempts Suicide.
Pittsburg, Pa, Feb. IA telegram
from Butler at 9:3o p. m. says: Ed
ward Biddle, in Jail dying, John Biddle,
riddled with buckshot and in pre-
carious condition, and Mrs. Peter X.
Soffel lying in the hospital with a
self-inflicted wound in the breast is
the sequel of the sensational escape
of the Biddle brothers from the Alle-
gheny county Jail, aided by Mrs. Sof-
fel, the wife of the Jail warden, on
Thursday morning. The story of the
close of the Riddle tragedy, which
came at 5:45 Friday afternoon, is a
thrilling one.
Battle with Omcers.
The scene was n snow-covered road
two miles east of Prospect, Butler
county, near Mount Chestnut, and the
exact place was ut McClure's barn,
where two double-team sleighs, filed
with eight officers, three of them Pitts
burg detectives, John Roach, Albert
Swinehart and Charles McGovern, met
the two Biddles in u one-horse sleigh,
stolen at Perrysville, and at once
opened fire on the trio. The Biddles
returned the fire after jumping out
of the sleigh.
The wounded.
Mrs. Soffel was shot through the
breast. Edward Biddle 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 Friday afternoon by Deputy
Sheriffs Rainey and Hoon and Off
GERS Frank Holiday and Aaron Thomp-
son, the latter under command of
Chief of Police Robert Ray, of But
Ter. The officers were certain that
they were on.the right trail. 1t was
only question of time when they
would catch up with the escaping con-
demned murderers and their guilty
companion.
The Biddles and Mrs. Soffel ate din
ner at J. j. Stephens at Mt. Chestnut,
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 few miles in
the rear. took the wrong road for
about eight miles, but when they found
their mistake they made up for lost
time by telephoning and telegraphing
ahead for fresh horses. They reached
Mt. Chestnut not less than half an
hour after the Biddles and Mrs. Soffel.
At this point William Watson, store
keeper, had fresh horses awaiting
them, and the chase for life began
| anew. 5000
Shot to XIII.
The two sleighs with the eight Off
| GERS aboard started ives stward, and met
the Biddles and Mrs. Soffel at McClure's
barn, two miles from Mount Prospect,
the Bddles having learned that they
were almost overtaken, and taking
what they considered the only chance
! they had, drove eastward and met their
doom. The Pittsburg and other Off
GERS were armed with Winchester
rifles and revolvers of large caliber.
They shot to kill and their aim was
perfect. The Biddles tried to kill to
the last of their string, but not one of
the eight officers has wound as re-
suit of the battle.
Woman shoots Herself.
When the detectives got within about
GO yards of the fugitives they opened
fire. The Biddles answered with shot
gun and revolvers. Mrs. Soffel, too,
stood up in the sleigh with revolver
in each hand and biazed away at her
pursuers. When Ed Biddle fell and she
saw she was about to be captured she
fred bullet into her breast. An eX-
animation by physicians shows that
she will recover, as the bullet was de-
fected by her corset and the wound is
comparatively slight.
One may Die.
Ed Bddle got bullet in the breast
which penetrated his right lung and
will probably end his life. John Biddle
may recover, his wounds, though nu-
merous, failing to reach a vital spot
The escape of the officers is miracu.
lous. The Biddles have demonstrated
on several occasions that they are good
marksmen. and why they should have
failed to bring down their men is q
mystery.
After the Biddles fell to the snow
covered ground the officers picked vi
the apparently lifeless bodies of Mrs
Soffel and the Biddles and came bach
to Butler, bringing the stolen sleigh
patched up harness and worn out horse
that the trio had tried so strenuously
to get away with toward Canada ant
liberty.
Denies Shooting Herself.
Mrs. Soffel made a statement after
her capture in which she said she be
came involved in the affair through
sympathy for Ed. Biddle. She said sh,
now realized her mistake and wished
she was dead. She said she did no
shoot herself, but was the first on,
shot by the detectives. The officers
say the woman was armed, but do no
think she fred any shots.
Double Hanging.