Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-02-03
THE RIDDLES DIE.
Pass Awayat 7,35 and Il P. N.
Saturday from Wounds.
Mrs. SoffeI Has Chance Of Recovery
Us Very Repentant.
Her Husband Says He Is Ocne With
Her Forever.

butieI, Ienn., rep. al tIc Siose
of a day of intense excitement and
many conflicting stories concerning the
chances for life of the wounded Blddle
brothers and Mrs. Kate Soffel, the I'M
expected has happened.
John Biddle, who until late Saturday
afternoon, was considered the more
likely of the brothers to escape present
death, succumbed at 1886 2. M.
His brother Ed, who had been I'M
conscious practically all day and who
was considered dying man, Friday
night, survived until IL o'clock, when
he, too, went over the great divide.
Mrs. Soffel developed symptoms of
pneumonia, Saturday afternoon, after
having come safely through an opera
ton for the extraction of the bullet.
She is the only one of the trio who
has any chance of living. The death
of Jack Biddle was caused by the bull
let wounds in his abdomen and blad-
der.
Early in the day the physicians
thought peritonitis was the principal
danger in his case, but, Saturday, in
ternal hemorrhage set in and the man
bled to death in a short time.
AS long as he was able. the young
man was extremely laxative, and was
at times bOastful. But as soon as the
shadow of death began to fall upon him
and he recognized it, he became re-
pentant.
Il know" said he, that my time here
is short, and you can say for me that
am a Christian and will die a sincere
believer in God and hope will have
strength enough to say SO at the last.
Il know / have taken part in many
wrong doings, but have never killed
any man. and was never implicated
with any one who did. l wish 1 could
see Mrs. Nahney. would tell her the
truth about the killing of her husband.
This life has been pretty tough to me.
and the end cannot come too quick,
and l don't care how"
A sister of the two brothers arrived
in town, Saturday evening, and was
admitted to the Jail, but Ed was I'M
able to recognize her.
The principal subject of conversation
on the streets has been whether the
Butler county authorities would per-
init the removal of the Biddles to AL
leghany county in the event of either
or both surviving their injuries. The
contention was raised that since the
Biddles were under arrest here for
felonious shooting, they could not be
removed.
Dist. Atty. John r. Henninger dis
PEELED any doubts on that point, last
evening. by stating that it was the in
tention to turn the men over to the
Allegheny authorities as soon as they
were in condition to be moved in safety
and the same action would be taken
with reference to Mrs. Soffel.
Dist. Atty. John c. Haymaker. Asst.
Detective Robert G. Robinson of Allie
ghney county. arrived here at noon,
Saturday, and at o'clock were in con-
ference with Dist. Atty. Henninger,
County Solicitor F. w. Lowry, ex-Dist.
Attys. A. M. Christie and J. NJ. Painter
and U. z. Murrin. when an under
standing was reached with reference
to the disposition of the prisoners.
After consultation at the hospital
in the case of Mrs. SoffeI. last evening.
Dist. Atty. Haymaker decided to allow
the woman to remain here, as her con-
ditiOn is such that the trip to Pittsburg
might be attended with fatal results.
Mrs. Soffel is suffering considerably
from her wound and the attending
physicians fear that ner removal now
would cause gangrene to set in.
Mrs. Dietrich, Mrs. Soffel's mother.
visited her, Saturday, and in response
to the question whether there was any
thing she wanted done, she replied:
There is nothing to do, nothing to
do" Tossing on her bed, she said:
''Oh. 1 do not know how could have
done it. l don't know; I don't know.
am wicked woman. but hope God
will spare my life for many years to
live down this thing"
Attorney Haymaker said there would
be no decision made of the prize money
until the claims of the Butler people
had been heard, and the latter will take
steps to notify the commissioners of
Allegheny county of their claims.
The excitement was undated and a
dense crowd of people hung about the
Jail doors all day, trying to get in to
see the two criminals.
The most persistent of the crowd
were women, many of whom expressed
the deepest sympathy and concern for
Edward Biddle and declared their be-
lief in his innocence.
This belief seemed to deepen when it
became known that Ed Biddle made a
deathbed confession to Rev. Father
Walsh of this place, Friday night, de-
claring his innocence of the crime Of
shooting Groceryman Kahney and De-
tective Fitzgerald. r
One of the sensational Developments
of the day, which the authorities have
tried to keep secret, was the finding on
the person of Mrs. Soffel, when
searched at the hospital, a long letter
from Ed Biddle, setting forth in de-
tail the plan for the escape of the
brothers from the Jail. naming their
destination, afterward, etc.