Waterbury Democrat., 1902-02-01

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 This Forenoon and Called for Her
 Children-.Both of the Riddles Make
 Statements-The Butler Officers Who
 Assisted in the Capture of the Els
 capped Prisoners Want Half of the
 Reward.
 Butler, Pa, Feb 1.-The condition this morning of the fugitives from jus tice, Edward and John Riddle and Mrs Kate Soffel, who were wounded in the battle with the Pittsburg and Butler police last evening, has not changed since midnight, except III t.e case of Ed Riddle, who has grown mo- ficeably weaker, and it is believed that his death is now only q matter of a few hours. Unless peritonitis sets In Jack will be taken to the hospital where an operation will be performed in the hope of saving his life.
 Mrs Soffel is resting easy. Her only wound was made by bullet which penetrated the left breast. The bullet has been removed and she is in such condition that her recovery is believed to be matter of very short time. Mrs Soffel tells two different stories of the shooting, one to the effect that she shot herself during the fight, and the other that she was shot by Ed ward Riddle. The bullet did not go through her outer garment, hich h. dicates that the shot was fired by her self or Riddle by putting his hand up under the coat. A legal battle is ex- pected when the Pittsburg authorities arrive to-day and at the jail 1t 1s said the only way the Pittsburgers will be able to secure the Biddles will be by q writ of habeas corpus. Ire Butler authorities are determined to fight against their being taken away
 From the statement made tliis morn ing by Jack Riddle in his cell, it is evl. dent that the escaped convicts and their accomplice had arranged to com- init suicide in case capture became i'm mfnent. In addition, Jack also told how they escaped. Their manner of getting out of jail, according to hls statement was SIS has already been published. McGearey, he says, fell over the range when he ielilcd loose from the hold the prisoner had on hlm. He says Mrs SOffel helped them to cs- cane. but would not say she supplied the saws. The saving of the bars or he cell, he says, was completed Dniore January 14 and that several times. previous to the day on which the es- cane was made their rlans failed through some little detail. Jack again reiterated that he never killed anyone, and that he never put bullet into anyone except Keeper Reynolds. lie said the first crime he ever committed was assisting to rob liQuor store at Carnegie. but admitted that he had participated in a number of robber1es after that. After they had left the fail the went to house near railroad in Pittsburg.
 They remained there all of Thursday. The people in the house, Jack said, when they read of the escape from the 1aiI recognized them, and would only let them remain after the Riddles gave them '.bunch of money"
 They remained at the house until Thursday night, leaving it as soon as ii. grew dark Jack says he wanted to ssfay there, and that Ed was also will Ing to stay. but that ''the woman" was nervous and afraid they would be caught. s'I wouldn't let them go alone,v Jack said, ''and as soon as it grew dark we went down the street and took a Perrysville avenue car. We rode to the end of the line and from there walked until we reached the farm where we stole the horse. If it had not been for the woman we would not have been caught, for we could easily have gotten another horse, and Ey this time been more than hundred miles away. It's a lead-pipe cinch that we would have es- capped, but we could not let that poor woman go by herself. She did all she could with us, betrayed her husband, deserted her family, all to help us out, and we would have been a great deal worse than we are thought to be if we had thrown her down
 When we saw the officers coming toward us on the road yesterday we knew it was all up. We did not fire q shot at the officers, but agreed to kill ourselves. I shot myself in the mouth. Ed shot himself over the heart, and the woman shot herself in the breast. We knew we had no chance to get away. and we knew we would swing if taken back. and that Is why we wanted to kill ourselves''
 It has been discovered that Jack has two bullet holes through his mouth, Instead of one, as first thought. One of his other wounds is through his abdomen, and it is thought into his bowels, and this may cause his death, because peritonitis usually results from wounds of this kind. Bullets from two of his other wounds about the stomach were taken out this morn ing.
 The Biddles when captured had on the same clothes they wore when they escaped. Jack had. in addition, q light Melton overcoat. Mrs Soffel also had on the clothes in which she left her home Through Eds coat there is one bullet hole, but through the dark blue velvet vest he wore are two holes made by the bullets that are lodged near his heart. Jacks coat and vest are literally riddled. There are four holes in the side of the coat and ten in the right sleeve. The latter appear To have been made by small bullets. Jacks pistol was a cheap 32 caliber af- afr.
 Three of the six chambers of the gun hold empty cartridges. Both of rhe Riddles were talkatiVe this morn ing but both liselaimed ever having