The Saint Paul globe., 1902-02-02
BOTH ARE DEAD
JOHN AND ED BIDDLE PAY THE
PENALTY FOR THEIR
CRIMES IL
MRS. s0FFEL WILL RECOVER
One of The Brothers Makes a State
ment in which He Denies
Having Committed
Murder
PLANS OF THE FUGITIvEs

PLANS OF THE FUGITIVES
BUTLER, Pa, Feb. 1.-At the close of
a day of intense excitement and many
conflicting stories concerning the chances
for life of the wounded Biddle brothers
and Mrs Kate Soffel, the unexpected has
happened. John Biddle, who until late
this afternoon was considered the more
likely of the brothers to escape present
! death, succumbed first, and died at 1855
p m. His brother Ed, who has been un-
| conscious practically all day. and who
I was considered a dying man last night,
survived until II o'clock, when he, too,
died.
Both men died without any apparent
suffering at the close. Mrs. Soffel, who
| developed symptoms of pneumonia this
afternoon. has chance for life, and
unless some unforeseen complication sets
in viii recover.
As long as he was able Jack was ex-
tremeIy talkative, and at times boastful,
but as soon as the shadow of death be-
gan to fall upon him, and he recognized
it, he became repentant.
Denies Doing Murder,
Il know" said he, that my time here
is short, and you can say for me that
I am a Christian, and will die a sincere
believer in God, and hope [ will have
I strength enough to say SO to the last
[ know [ have taken part in many wrong
deeds, but I have never killed any man,
and was never implicated with one who
did. l wish 1 could see Mrs. kahpey.
[ would tell her the truth about the kill
ing of her husband. This life has been
pretty tough to me, and the end cannot
come too quick, and [ don't care how"
After consultation at the hospital in
the case of Mrs. Soffel this evening, Dis
trict Attorney Haymaker decided to al
low the woman to remain here as her
condition is such that a trip to Pittsburg
tonight might be attended with fatal re-
suits Mrs Soffel is suffering consld-
siderably from her wound, and the at
tending physicians fear that her removal
now would cause gangrene to set in.
Attorney Haymaker said there would
be no disposition made Of the prize money
until the claims of the Butler people had
been heard, and the latter will take steps
to notify the commissioners Of Allegheny
county of their claim.
Ed BiddIe Wrote Hot Stuff.
one of the sensational developments of
the day which the authorities have tried
to keep secret was the finding on the
person of Mrs. Soffel when searched at
the hospital a long letter from Ed Blddle
1t shows that it was originally agreed
that Mrs Soffel was to leave the city
for Canada on the eve of the boys es-
cape The letter in part follows:
MY precious little darling: I guess L
never will be able to kiss you good bye.
Oh, God, pet, don't think that the blow
is all on you. 1 love you, dearest paDy
more today than ever before. Each
minute today has been like an hour to
ne. You are dearer to me than my
very life. | viii own up and tell you
the truth When l first started writing
10 T Now | have
learned to love you better than my very
life. What L want TO say is this:
I'VE were searched pretty closely to-
day, and these fellows would swear on
a. stack of Bibles ten feet high that we
could not have had this stuff on US since
Saturday. So that you nearly clear
yourself of all suspicion. Without the
fellow where you bought the saws would
come to the surface they never could
convict you, but some people might sus-
pect you. That would cut 10 figure
They never could prove 1t to save theif
would Re Safer at Home.
cit would be, of course darling, safer
for YOU to stay at home until l could
come and get you. OF course, 1t would
be risking my freedom and life again TO
do So but | would risk more than that
for you, if possible. You must not think
don't love you. If you have any rea,
son, as I know you have, you must NOT
fail to see that l have risked all that
y
to screen and protect you.
Il know l have ScOlded you these last
few days, but it is only natural that
should feel bad to know that another
mans hands are on you after the way
| love you. Good God, pet, if you love
ne as much as | do you you had better
go along and take the chance OF every
thing coming out all right. IL you nave
S75 I'll not stop one moment for money,
but fly to you as quick as can.
1T would be much easier for us to get
away if you stayed at home on account
of the warden, you know. In case you
should not want to go, go to the poStoI-
1ice at Homestead about March IL and
call for mail under the name OF Mrs.
| Charles w. Mcdonald. You will get
letter telling you where I am and how
am to get you. | want you to suit your
self in this matter, my own darling, but
I would rather so tomorrow, just as
| have directed.
Watch the papers close, and if you
see they have traced us any part of the
Wav leave Toronto on the quiet and go
to Montreal. Leave letter IN the toronto
oftfce for me- and as soon as you get set
tied IN Montreal write me a letter to the
poAtoffice there, all in signs, where you
are
Desperate Was Jealous.
Biddle then accuses her of running
around with another man to the theater,
and other places, and tells her that this
conduct is breaking his heart, but adds:
I y y
The writer takes occasion to reiterate
his instructions, because she seemed not
to fully understand. He says:
cit don't do to have too much red tape
| about it. You must think some your
| self 1t will be easy for you to go to
/ I!uffalo, then to Niagara. From there take
! Il bus and cross over the suspension
! bridge into Canada. You will meet Gus
! tom house officers when you reach the
! Canadian side. Go to a bank, get your
! American money changed tC Canadian
! money, then ask some boy where the
/ Grand Trunk railway station is. Get
/ ticket for Toronto.
much caution is that they viii try to trace
/ YOU to find me. They viii say ri;;at
away, as soon as they come to realiza-
! ton that YOU and I are together: Fird
/ her and YOU will get tic bidd,e boys.
II they can't trace. y9u 10 Buffalo, you
/ are lost to them forever. may be with
| YOU in three or fOu- days; can't tell. Tie
j reason | said a week or two was that [
i am not sure. love and YOU would be wor-
| Tying yourself to death, thinking that I
was lost. I'll come as quick as / can, my
! darling baby.
She Had Poison Concealed.
''Hide your morphine IN the lining of
/ searched mono coulG fiji d it, And in case
the worst comes to worst, wait until you
! are alone. because if anyone knew yoI
/ took it the doctors would puma it out
/ with a stomach puTnp.
''NoW, pet. If YOU go Monday. let ne
/ know as early as You can. Come close
to the windows and say. 7 will go for