The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-09

dlss alone, but shs went on Sundays and
holidays and In broad daylight. Sofel.
the husband, had not the remotest sus-
picion that there was anything back OF
It all save the natural sympathy OF a prop
erly organized woman for friendless human
beings about TO die q dreadful death.
He raised not the slightest objection
to her visits or TO her taking fruit and deli
cacies to the prisoners. How was 1t pos
sible for him TO be suspicious' How was
II possible for n human being to con-
ceive such a nightmare Of treachery as
that which was working out before his
very eyes?
IL must be borne In mind before condemn
ing Soffel's blindness that no such a thing
as this woman planned and executed In
that prison was ever done before In the
world. There we're no precedents TO
shed a warning light.
SofYel went the routine OF his duties,
probably not sorry to sec In his wife That
sympathy for the afflicted and the suffer-
ing which Is 30 lovable N attribute In all
womankind.
THE ~FLIRTATIoN KNOWN.
But things meantime were moving swiftly
In the relations between Mrs. Sohe and
Edward Biddle. They had TO move swiftly
II the murderer was to reap any advantage
from his conquest.
The woman very soon increased the num-
Der Of her visits from once a week to once
a day-or rather once a night. Her nus
band knew nothing OF these nightly visits
II 90 happened that 1t was easy for Mrs
Sofel TO have things pretty much her own
way In the prison after the night GUARDS
came on, for her father, William Dietrich
was one Of them. The father, moreover,
was more or less sodden with drink at times
and this facilitated matters. He became,
for one thing, the medium through which
notes were exchanged between Edward
Biddle and his daughter.
It became matter Of common notoriety
with the other keepers that the warden's
wife was smitten with the murderer. No
one, however, felt like taking 1t upon HIM
self to warn the warden OF the nocturnal
visits of his wife to the Biddle cell. lone
loved his wife, and there was risk In hint
ing to him Of indlscretions on her part.
Besides, what harm could come Of III
The Biddles both would be hanged by the
neck In a few weeks until they were dead,
and that would be an end Of them and OF
the silly Irritation. 1t was far better In
the opinion Of the judioious keepers to say
nothing and keep their Jobs rather than
do the warden a good turn and take the GER
tainty of his wife's hatred and the proba-
bility Of being kicked out for their pains.
The parent, Dietrich, did on one occasion
demonstrate with mis- daughter, but she
iouted him TO his face. so he said no more
and did his errands to m from the prison
as he was told.
II was In November that the filtration
between Mrs. SoTel and Edward Biddle
began. By December he seems TO have
had the woman completely In his power
The communications between the two
were by no means confined TO the visits
Of Mrs. Sofel and the exchange OF notes
CODES OF IoNAL
An elaborate system Of signals was ar
ranged between Edwards cell window and
the sitting room window in the Warden's
house, where Mrs. Sofel sat when the bale
full light Of the murderer's eyes first fell
upon her. By day the signals were with
handkerchiefs; by night with burning
matches.
The guards did not know Of this for a
time and marvelled at Biddle's enormous
consumption OF matches. They soon dis
covered the key to the mystery and again
felt Il the part Of wisdom to shut their eyes
to things and say nothing.
But the matches and the handkerchief
we're not the only near OF signalling.
As Mrs. Sofel stood at her sitting room
window her person was revealed from her
hips upward. Edward drew two figures
representing a woman 80 standing. DIFF
ferent parts Of her body he designated by
letters. For instance, the forehead was A:
the two eyes, B and c; the nose. d; the
mouth, f; the chin, +; the ears, G and II:
the throat, i: the shoulders, j and X, and
80 on until some parts OF the figure repre-
sented all the letters Of the alphabet. Hold
ing the hands clasped together In front
meant a period. OF the end OF a sentence.
One OF these figure charts he gave to
Mrs. Sohel TO practise with and the other
he kept himself for the same purpose. In
a short time the two standing at their re-
epective windows, by touching the different
parts OF their person indicated by the let
ters could spell out messages to each other.
Thus, in one way and another, the commu-
CdliO bttWcch blt WV "oo P'VNNy wa
slant during all their waking hours.
1t was not uni. the unhappy woman
and the two Biddles lay riddled with bullets
after the fierce battle On the highway that
this code of signalling by touching different
parts of the face aad body was discovered.
The drawing which Edward had furnished
Mrs. Sohel as a key was found torn into
bits and lying behind a curtain in her roon.
where probably she had hastily thrown il
on the night Of her mad fight with the
criminals.
PLANS FOR THE ESCAPE.
In a bureau drawer in the same room.
and hidden under the newspaper with
which the bottom Of the drawer was COW
cred, there was found a sheet Of paper
written on both sides in microscopic char
acters-a long letter, in a word from Ed
ward Biddle TO Mrs. Sorel. In tone IL was
similar to the letter found on Biddle's person
after he was shot and which also was in
tended for Mrs. Soffel. Its very imperative
ring, Notwithstanding it's digressions into
vehement protestations OF love, shows the
complete mastery the man felt that he
had over the woman,