The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-02-01
CAPTURED AFTER
 DESPERATE FIGHT The Riddle Brothers, the Escaped Murderers, and Mrs. Sofe|, Taken
 Yesterday PM.
ED. RIDDLE NORMALLY SHOT

JOHN, RIDDLED WITH BULLETS, "A
 PRECARTOUS CONDITJON.
 Mrs. soneI, When She Saw the Man fol
 Whom She Gave Up All Fall Fatally
 Wounded, Attempted Suicide by
 Shooting Herself in the Breast-Fight
 Took Place on a Highway i'm the Open
 Country-B Both sides Shot to XIII from
 Pittsburg, Jan. sSi.-A telegram from
 Butler at 9:30 D. pi. says: Edward Bid with bullets, and in precarious condi-
 tion, and Mrs Peter K. Soffel, lying in the hospital with a self-inflicted bullet wound in the breast, is the sequel of the sensa tional escape of the Riddle brothers from the Alleghany county jail, aided by Mrs. Soffel, the wife of the jail warden on Thursday morning.
  x dle tragedy which came at 5:45 this afternoon, is a thrilling one. The scene was snow-covered road two miles east of Prospect, Butler county, near Mount Chestnut, and the exact place was at McClure's barn, where two double team sleighs, filled with eight of- f1cers, three of them Pittsburg detec- lives. John Roach, Albert Swinehart +ytro Riddles in one horse sleigh, stolen at Parrysville, and at once opened fire on the trio.
 The Riddles returned the fire, after jumping out of the sleigh. Mrs. Soffels wound was through the breast. Ed ward Riddle was shot in the left arm, in the breast and in one leg. John Riddle was riddled with buckshot in the breast and head.
 The Pittsburg officers were met at Butler this afternoon by Deputy Sher- ifs Rainey and Hoon and Officers Frank Holiday and Aaron Thompson, the latter under command of Chief of Police Robert Ray of Butler
 The officers were certain that they were on the right track, It was only a question of time when they would catch up to the escaping condemned murderers and their guilty companion.
 The Riddles and Mrs. Soffel ate din- ner at J. J. Stephens, at Mount Chest nut, five miles east of Butler. They had made detour of the town of But Ter, and after going several miles east, turned north and then west. The Pitts burg 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 telegraphng ahead for fresh horses.
 They reached Mount Chestnut not less than half an hour after the Riddles and Mrs. Soffel. At this point William Watson, storekeeper, had fresh horses waiting them, and the chase for life | began anew.
 The two sIeighs with the eight off cers aboard started westward, and met I the Riddles and Mrs Soffel at Me Clure's barn, two miles from Mount Prospect The Riddles 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 officers were armed with Winchester rifles and re- volvers of large calibre. They shot to kill and their aim was perfect. The Riddles tried to kill, to the last of their string, but not one of the eight officers has wound as the result of the battle.
 When the detectives got within about sixty yards of the fugitives, they open ed fire. The Riddles promptly answer ed with shotgun and revolvers. Mrs. Soffel when Ed Riddle fell, and she saw she was about to be captured, fired a 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 { slight. Ed Riddle got a bullet in the breast, 7 which penetrated his right lung and | will probably end his life before morn- ! ing. John Riddle may recover, his f though numerous, failing to reach a vital spot The escape of the ! officers is miraculous. The Riddles f have demonstrated on several occasions that they are good marksmen, and why !, they should have failed to-day to d bring down their men is mystery. q After the Riddles fell to the snow | covered ground, the officers picked up c he apparently lifeless bodies of Mrs. t soffel and the Riddles and came back b Q Butler, bringing the stolen sleigh, patched up harness and worn out horse r hat the trio had tried so strenuously E Q get away with toward Canada and Il iberty. C
 Detectiyes, Story of the Fight.
  The story of the fight as told by one n if the detectives is as follows The Bid r Hes were sitting on the right side of d he cutter Mrs. Soffel was on the left W tide. Hold up your hands and surren- e' Ter" cried Detective McGovern. Ed. 3iddle jumped up from his seat, and. Il aising 0 shotgun, fired it at McGov- f|c rn. He aimed badly and the shot scat II
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