The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-02-07
DIDDLES SUCCUMB
TO Their WOUNDS
Both OF the Brothers Die Of
injuries Inflicted by
Detectives.
S ALLEGED
Officers Charged With Shooting and
Striking the Fusitivcs While ,
Lying Wounded and Helpless
Inquest Is Held.
is ALLEGED

of the Biddles, both of them dying of
their wounds Saturday night, was the
sole topic of conversation here Sunday,
and a curious throng Of people have
been defying the storm, hanging about
the Jail entrance in vain attempts to
get in to see the bodies of the dead
murderers. A great deal of sympathy
for the boys is expressed on all sides.
and not a few of the female portion
of the crowd expressed a desire to see
what II of man Ed Biddle was,
that he should exert such a wonderful
influence over men, II particularly
women The Jail doors We're closed all
day, and no one got in but the doc
tors, who attended the autopsy, and
the c%oroner's jury. Even newspaper
men were excluded from the inquest,
which was held in the Jail. and nothing
concerning their deliberations could be
learned until late in the afternoon.
Coroner John l.. Jones conducted the
inquest. The testimony of all the CT
ticerS concerned in the capture was
taken. except that of Rob Ray. the
Butler policeman, who is i'll. The testi-
mony of DR.. r. B. Greer. who was one
of the doctors who attended the Bid
dies, and of Sheriff Thomas r. Eoon,
was also taken.
The verdict of the jury is that Ed.
Biddle came to his death by a revolver
shot fred by himself, and thai Jack
Biddle me mis- death from a gunshot
u inflicted by the officers in dis
charge of their lawful duty.
Under tx Instructions of Coroner
Jones an autopsy was held on both
the Biddles.
The evidence secured bears out the
statements that the Biddles intended
to Kill themselves rather than be tax
en- alive, and that Ed succeeded in his
attempt while Jack failed, though his
life was forfeited.
DR.. Bricker rave out the following
statement after the autopsy:
Jack Biddle had two gunshot
wounds on the right side in the region
OF the liver, the bullets passing up and
around the body and doing no damage.
Ihey were removed on Saturday. A
bullet wound was found in the roof of
the mouth but it was slight and would
not have caused death. = This wound
was inflicted by himself with the evil
dent intention of committing suicide,
s. Ills right arm was shattered by five
bullet wounds, and the radius was
broken in the PIPER third. The wound
that caused his death was made by a
bullet that passed through the crest Of
the iliuln on the right side, and passed
pack through, the kidneys, causing
h~emorrhage. "
ra6 Mine Wounds.
in all Jack was suffering from nine
wounds. but excepting the one that
penetrated the kidney none of them
would nave been fatal. Eds terrible
suHerlngs We're caused by a bullet that
struck him in the left breast, about an
men Inc a half to the right of the
nipple, and passed down between the
fourth and fifth ribs to the left of the
heart and through the lung. This
wound was mad by Ed himself. the
powder marks being visible on the skin,
Death was caused by he~morrhages,
and the man suffered untold agony 10
the last breath. Another wound found
on his body was on the Same side
about an inch from the left nipple, but
the bullet struck the fourth rib, passed
under the skin n did no damage.
Both bullets found in Ed were thirty
two caliber, and in the opinion of the
doctors who held the autopsy there Is
no oub that he killed himself"
AFTER the autopsy the bodies of the
Slddles We're taken in charge by an
undertaken, who prepared them for
burial. - -
The testimony taken at the inquest
was quite sensational.
The testimony given by Deputy Sher-
III, Rainey Hoon reflected severely on
McGovern, Of the Pittsburg detec-
tives. 0-eSe
Deputy Hoon, after describing tba
hunt for the fugitives and the fsht IN
which they We're wounded, was asked
to describe the approaching of the Bid
die boys. He said:
"McGoyern and / walked up rs than
They We're both lying on their faces.
walked up first and McGovern swore
at me for it. I had a loaded revolver
IN my hand. McGovern walked IN and
hit Jack on the back of the head with
the butt end of his Winchester when he
was on his face. He then stepped back
and shot Jack again after he was on
the ground. I turned Ed over and he
said:
For Gods sake don't shoot again
.let me de-
Were the slugs that entered h
arms and side of Jack Biddle from the
shot fired by McGovern after, he WAS
lying face downward on the snow ct
close ranger"
Yes, sir; I am sure OF that"
de you think the striking OF Jack
on the head with a gun had anything
to do with the Fastening of his death?"
speak"
did he strike with considerable
force?"
He hit him a good hard bif with
the butt Of the gum"
Letter TO Mrs. Soffel.
The letter which Ed Biddle wrote to
Mrs. Soffel is in part as follows:
My precious little darling. I guess / will
never be able TO kiss you goodby. OH,
God, don't think that the blow is all on
you. Il love you, dearest baby, more to-
day a ever before. Each minute; today
has been Ike an. Q to me. You are
dearer to me than my very life. I viii
own up and tell you the truth.
When i first started to writing to you
y did not love YOU. Now I have learned
What l want to say is this;
We We're searched pretty close today
ana these fellows who swear on a stack