The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-02-06
Both Men Lie In a Nest Horrible
Manner.
CROWDS STOOD AROUND TIE JAIL
coroner's Inquest Develops the Fact
That Both the Bidd,es Attempted
Suicide,

lous throngs Of people have been det!-
@ng the storm, hanging about the jail
entrance in vain attempts to get IN TO
Bee the bodies of the dead murderers.
q great deal Of sympathy for the boys
is expressed on s,l sides, and not few
Df the female portion of the crowd eX-
Sressed.-a desire to see what manner
of man Ed. Biddle was, that he could
Exert such wonderful influence over the
woman. The Jail doors were closed all
.Say and no one got in but the doctors
who attended the autopsy, and the
soroner's jury. The newspaper report
4rs were excluded from the inquest,
which was held in the jail, and nothing
concerning the deliberations could be
learned until late in the afternoon. The
testimony Of all the officers concerned
In the capture was taken except Rob
Ray, the Butler policeman. who is sick.
The testimony of DR.. r. B. Greer, who
was one of the doctors who attended
the Biddles, and Of Sheriff Thomas r.
doon, was also taken.
The verdict said that Ed. Biddle
came to his death by revolver shot
ired from a 3S-calbre revolver by him
Self, and that Jack Biddle met his
Heath from a gun-shot wound inflicted
by the officers in the discharge of their
awful duty. Under the instructions OF
Coroner John l.. Jones, an autopsy was
held on both the Blddles Sunday morn
Ing. The evidence secured by the au-
tops- bears out the statements that tho
N, v.ntended to kill themselves rather
than be taken alive and that Ed. sue
seeded in his attempt, while Jack fail
I'd. though his life was forfeit
I'd. Dr. Bricker gave the following
statement after the autopsy: Jack
Bfd6ls-w -wat lie worst shot Of the two
men, although he was in better eondi-
tion than Ed. when the men were
brought to the Jail on Friday night.
He had two gun-shot wounds on the
right side in the region OF the liver,
the bullets passing up and around the
body and doing no damage. These were
removed on Saturday. A bullet wound
was found in the roof Of the mouth.
but 1t was slight and would not have
dicted by himself with tho evident in
lention Of killing himself. His right
arm was shattered by five bullet
wounds. The wound that caused his
death was made by 4l.75 calibre bull
let that passed through the crest Of the
fllium, on the right side, and passed
back through the kidney"
In all Jack suffered from nine
wounds but excepting the one that
penetrated the kidney, none Of them
would have been fatal Eds suffering
from his wounds was intense. One
wound was made by Ed himself, tho
powder marks being visible on the
skin. Death was caused by hemorrh-
ige, and the man suffered untold agon-
les to the last breath. In the opinion
6 the doctors who held the autopsy,
there is 40 doubt that he killed him
self
The pastors in nearly all Of the
churches in Butler took occasion Sun
day to refer to the sensational capture
Friday Of Mrs. Kate Soffel and John
and Ed. Biddle, who died in the county
Jail, Saturday night. Rev. Father Walsh,
rector Of St Paul's Roman Catholic
church. who ministered to the Biddles
In their dying hours, spoke touching
iy Of them to the members Of his par
ish, in both masses. He touched brief
@y on their statements given out and
said it was for every person to decide
Tor themselves as to the innocence or
guilt of the men. When seen at his
residence in the afternoon, Fathec
Walsh said: Besides the statements
given cut by the Biddle boys to the
newspapers and officers Of Butler coun-
ty, both Ed and Jack Biddle made con-
LESSONS to me. Their confessions were
full and complete In every particular
and they will never be revealed. The
poor boys died like dogs, literally rid
died with bullets and some one should
be held responsible for inhuman ac-
tions in shooting them when entirely
helpless, unarmed and unable to make
the slightest defense or resistance"
rev. Samuel Cronin Welt, of St.
siark's Evangelical Lutheran church,
criticised severely the woman whom he
held responsible for the whole affair.
He said: The Biddles and Mrs Soffel
made vain fight from justice and
retribuiions swiftly came upon them.
The blindness and infatuation Of this
woman in leaving her beloved husband
and helpless little children for gang
of despeTaa0es Is the worst criminal
act thus far in the history of the twer
Itch century" l."@5
Deal with the faults OF the hungry