Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-01
CONNC|S SHOT down
Thrilling Capture OF the Biddles
Who Escaped From Pittsburg
Penitentiary.
Warden's Wife Who Helped Them
Break Jail Attempts to
Kill Herself.
She Was With the Convicts and
Tried to Shoot the
Officers.

| In Jail dying, John Biddle, rlddied With
tuckshot and in precarious condition,
and Mrs. Peter Soffel lying in the hos
rital with self-infiicted bullet wound
in the breast, is the sequel of the sen
sational escape of the Biddle brothers
from the Allegheny county jail, aided
by Mrs. Soffel, the wife of the jail war
den. on Thursday morning.
The story of the close of the Biddle
tragedy, which came late Friday after
noon, is thrilling one. The scene was
a snow-covered road two miles east OF
Prospect, Butler county, near Mount
Chester. and the exact place was ,at
McClure's barn, where two doable-
team sleighs, filed with eight officers,
three of them Pittsburg detectives.
John Roach, Albert Swinehart and
Charles McGovern, met the two Biddles
end Mrs. Soffel in one-horse sleigh,
stolen at Perrysville, and at once
opened fire on the trio. The Biddles
returned the fire, after jumping out of
the sleigh. Mrs. Soffel's wound was
thru the breast. Edward Biddle was
shot in the left arm. in the breast and
in one leg. John Biddle was riddled
with buckshot in the breast and head.
The Pittsburg officers were met at
Butler by Deputy Sheriffs Rainey ana
Hook. and officers Frank Holiday and
Aaron Thompson. the latter under
command of Chief of Police Robert
Ray, of Butler. The officers were GER
tain that they were on the right trail.
1t was n question of time when they
would catch up to the escaped con-
aemned murderers and their guilty
companion.
The Biddles and Mrs. Soffel ate din
ner at j. j. Stephens at Mount CHEST
nut five miles east OF. Butler. They
had made a 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 ahead for fresh horses.
They reached Mount Chestnut not less
than half an hour after the Biddles and
Mrs. Soffel.
At this point William Watson. a
storekeeper, had fresh horses awaiting
then, and the chase for life began anew.
The two sleighs with the eight officers
aboard started westward and met the
Bfddles and Mrs. Soffel at McClure'ss
barn. two miles from Mount Prospect.
the Biddles having learned that they
were almost overtaken, and taking
Il ~, 1lNy t1n 1re
they had, drove eastward and met their
doom.
The officers were armed with Win
chesters and revolvers of large caliber.
They shot to kill and their aim was
perfect The Biddles tried to kill. to
the last of their string, but not one of
the eight officers has a wound as a re-
suit of the battle.
When the detectives came to within
about sixty yards of the fugitives they
opened fire. The Biddles promptly an
swered with shotgun and revolvers
Mrs. Soffel, too, stood up in the sleigh
with a revolver in each hand and
blazed away at her pursuers. When Ed
Biddle fell and she saw she was about
to be captured. she fired bullet into
her breast An examination by physi-
clans shows that she will recover, as
the bullet was DETECTED by her corset
and the wound is comparatively slight.
Ed Biddle received a bullet In the
breast which penetrated his right lung
and probably will end his life before
long. John Biddle may recover his
wounds, tho numerous, falling to reach
a vital spot.
~f nh {S Af,.sfe
lous. The Biddles have demonstrated
on several occasions that they are
good marksmen, and why they should
have failed yesterday to bring down
their men is u mystery.
After the Biddles fell to the snow
covered ground, the officers picked up
the apparently lifeless bodies of Mrs.
Scffel and the Biddles and came back
to Butler bringing the stolen sleigh,
patched-up harness and worn out horse
that the trio had tried so strenuously
to get away with toward Canada and
liberty.
The story of the fight as told by the
detectives. is as follows:
The Biddles were sitting on the right
side of the cutter, Mrs. Soffel on the
left. Hold up your hands and surren-
der" cried Detective McGovern, Ed
Biddle jumped up from his seat and
raising a shotgun, fired at McGovern.
He aimed badly and the shot scattered
on the road alongside of McGovern.
Detectives McGovern and Roach dis
charged their Winchesters at Ed Bid
die. Both shots took effect. Jack Bid
die raised from his seat and discharg-
ed his revolver at the three officers. De-
fired his 45-Colts revolver at Jack The |
ball took effect in Jacks arm. Then
the detectives opened fire on the men in |
rapid succession. The shots knocked |
them out of the sleigh. Ed fell sprawl |
ing on the snow and Jack fell on top of |
him Their firearms fell alongside of |
them. The Biddles' horse then became
frightened and ran away across field. |
1t was at this time that Mrs. Soffel was
seen to collapse in the sleigh. The de-
tectives approached the wounded men
and Detective Swinehart was rushing
in on them when Detective McGovern
called on him to stay where he was,
Detective Roach saw Ed Biddle reach |
in his coat pocket as tho for gun and |
the detective shot him again. Then De-
tective McGovern ran up within five |
feet of the men and emptied his Win |
chester into them. The Biddles then
yielded.
After the Biddles yielded, Detectives