The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-01-31
HER LOVE WAS
LIFE TO FIENDS
-4-
Warden's Wife infatuated With
Handsome Murderers.
%
AMOUR CAUSES BL0ODSHED
ESCAPE OF PRISONERS FROM a
STRONG JAIL.

Pittsburg. Pa. Jan. 3o.-Edward and
/ John Biddle. awaiting execution in the
/ county Jail Tor the murder of Grocer
/ Thomas Khaney OF Mount Washing
/ ton, overpOwered the guards at o'clock
/ thls morning ana escaped.
Both prisoners had been provided win
saws, with which they cut the bars in
lneir cells The prisoners occupied adj
I Joining cells on the second range. Thev
/ evidently had assistance from the ONT
{ sue as Dotn were armed with rey0lvers.
shortly before O'Clock one of the Bid
| dies called James McCSeary- who had
charge OF the outside gates and asked
Tor some cTaInp medicine in hurry. saw
~ lnat ms ofoIher was dangerously
| SICK McEeary FASTENED 90 the cen with
inc medicine, when John Biddfe suraue-
through the opening of the cell and SEX
ing the guard around the waist hurled
MN nm over the railing to the stone floor
beneath, a distance of sixteen feet
Edward Biddle joined his brother i'm
Hedlately, and both, with drawn revOlv-
ets, hurried 10 the first floor. where they
met Guard Reynolds and shot him.
There were but three men on duty. and
| the third was on one of the upper ranges.
de was ordered down AT the point Of the
reVolvers, and the three guards were nut
1 IN the dungeon.
Keys Taken From Keeper.
The keys were taken from Keeper Nc
Geary and the two desperate prisoners
had clear field. The only persons VINO
witnessed the escape We're prisoner who
could not interfere or give an alarm. The
B1ddles went to the wardrobe where the
guards keep their clothing and each put
on 2 new suit. They then unlocked the
outside gates and passed out into Ross
street. The escape WAS not discovered
until the daylight guards came on duty
AZ O'Clock Iney were Informed by
prisoners where the night guards had
been put, and they were soon releases.
from the dungeon and sent 20 the homeo-
paJhic hospital
Warden Peter X. Solicit has authorized
publication of the allegation that his wife
Is responsible for the furnishing Of the
revOlvers and saws TO the Biddles which
enabled them 10 escape. In her fnfatua-
ton for the handsome desperate, Edward
Blddle, It IS alleged, she has left her hus-
band and her four children, and 1t Is SUP
posed is to meet the escaped convicts at
place agreed upon.
The story Of the matter IS brief Mrs.
Solicit was the only person admitted to
the Jail since last Sunday. Yesterday
afternoon she visited the Biddles during
the WarGen'S absence.
Last evening she retired at O'Clock
She told her husband that she was going
to visit a sister at Mcdonald. and that
she would retire early 50 that she could
get an early start. Warden Solicit Was
about the Jail until about u O'Clock. He
retired 10 his room. which IS separate
from AIRS SOftett - shortly hef0re
O'clock When nc ayoke this morning he
asked for hrs Solicit and was informed
tllat she was absent Later when the
details OF the escape became knoWn. he
telePhOned TO Mcdonald. and was n.-
formed that Mrs Solicit was not there.
Ruse Was a Clever One.
Warden Solicit Immediately made a
frank confession of his suspicious.
The TuSp fnl Ri0dInS WAS a clever
one, and was carried ont with great sue
cess They sawed out the bars of their
cells, John cutting out three I'm his; Ed
ward. being the larger man. found it
necessary 10 cut out four.
Nothing suspicious was noticed in the
actions OF the two prisoners, nor was any
thing wrong discovered when the day
guards went off duty yesterday after
noon. The murderers evidently sa wed the
bars during the night. using what ap-
pears to have been soap to deaden the
noise and reduce friction. The escape is
unparalleled. as is their record for crime
throughout the vicinity. The police all
through the country are searching for the
Biddles-
The two guards injured viii probably
recover. The bullet wound sustained By
Reynolds IS not regarded as dangerous.
The physicians have been unable 10 as
certain as yet the fun extent OF Nc
Greary's wounds. His head is badly con-
fused but there are no signs that his
fall.
For several months preceding the
khauey murder, daring burglaries were
of almost nightly occurrence The police
seemed pOwerless to prevent them, and
nervous citizens retired at night IN fear
and trembling. On the morning Of April
i last. Mrs. Khaney was awakened by
burglars and called 10 her husband q
cripple. who was sleeping in an adjoining
room with one Of the children. As he
entered the door of his Wife's room he
was shot dead The burglars then fled
A few hours later Detective Patrick
Fitzgerald and two officers surprised the
Biddle brothers at their home on Fulton
street. but before they were captured
Fitzgerald was killed and Edward Biddle,
who shot him, was dangerously wounded
Walter DOrman, another of the gang,
and two women 5essie BOdine and Jennie
Seebers. was also arrested DOrmsn
turned states evidence and the two
Biddles were convicted Of Khaney's muir
der and sentenced 10 be hanged. John on
the 18th of this month and Edward on
the 10th. but three days before the date
set for Johns execution they were
resDited until Feb. = and q by Governor
Stone. so that their cases could go bee
fore the pardon board at its coming meetF
ing. Dorman is still in jail awaitinr