Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1902-02-06
THE ESCAPE AND DEATH
OF THE BIDDLES.

pital floor of the Jail. while Mrs Soffel,
/ who had been wounded in her breast
was taken TO the Hospital.
Physicians were called who pronounc- /
| ed the recovery of the men impossible.
! Jack had been hit dozen times and
was shot through the bowels; while
| Ed had two wounds over his heart, and
some flesh wounds Both men had
attempted to finish themselves as they
Law in the snow, Ed by shooting him
self through the heart, and Jack by
shooting himself through the head.
Ed was unconscious almost from the
time of his arrival at the Jail, while
Jack had times when he was out OF pain
and tried to be cheerful; but at first
botE asked all who came near them to
''pray for us. " and both made confes-
sions to the priest.
Saturday morning they were both llv-
| ing. and during one of Eds conscious
spells Jack was carried into his cell,
when they took an affectionate leave of
each other, and expressed the hope to
meet each other in heaven.
Saturday evening word was passed
around that Jack was dead and late that
night Ed ceased his heavy breathing.
During the day some Pittsburg OIL
cials came to Butler to take the men to
the city, but when they found they
were dying they desisted. A bitter
dispute was on between the Butler and
Pittsburg officers over the division OF
the s., 900 reward; ana McGovern of
Pitfsburg acted so badly that Sheriff
Hoon threatened to lock him up. Mrs
| Dietrich of Allegheny, mother of Mrs.
Soffel, came to Butler, visited her
daughter at the hospital and carried
| back message to her husband. who
was known to feel very bitter towards
| her as he had been dismissed from office
On Sunday the boys were shayed,
| formal inquest was held, the doctors eX-
tracted all of the bullets, the bodies
were prepared for burial and that even
| ing large number of people went to the
| iail TO see them; and on the early train
| Monday morning they were taken to
Pittsburg and delivered to the Co. Com
| missioners. who receipted for them to
the Butler and Pittsburg men jointly,
the matter of the division of the money
| to be settled in the courts, and brother
| there claimed the bodies and buried
| them.
Deputy Sheriff HOon's story,
Frank Holiday, the Forest Oil Cos.
gauger at Glade Mills, came driving into
Butler about 10 o'clock Friday morning
and said the Biddles and Mrs. Soffel had
eaten breakfast at Snyder's Hotel at
Glade Mills, and had driven into Butler
and started east. They had black
horse and sleigh, which he thought
had been stolen in Allegheny county.
1--WE quickly got a posse together, con-
sisting of Holiday, Chief of Police Rob
ert Ray, Aaron Thompson, Constable
Brown and myself. We drove as far as
Delano station, 10 miles southeast of
Butler, found we were on wild goose
chase ond turned back home, arriving
in Butler shortly after two o'clock IN
the afternoon. We had scarcely got to
the court house till we were told that
two men and woman, resembling the
Biddles and Mrs. Soffel, and driving a
black horse, had driven into town on the
Pittsburg plank road, along Etna street
and the Pittsburg g. Western tracks,
to Centre avenue, where they stopped
at Bowman's Hotel for few minutes,
drove up Centre avenue to Lookout ave-
nue., turned north on Lookout avenue,
crossing the Pennsylvania tracks, turn
ing west on Clay street, which took
them across the northern part of town
and out the New Castle pike. An in
stant later telephone message came
from William Watson, at Mt. Chestnut
five miles northwest of Butler, that the
Biddles had passed through there a
short time before.
Thompson, Ray, Holiday and / soon
had another team and were after them.
At Mt. Chestnut we found that the two
| men and the woman had stopped at
| Stevenson's Hotel, got dinner about
noon and then started south toward
Eagles Mills to find the house of a Mr..
| Hetzels, who is said to be an uncle of
| the woman. She was to stop there
| They were unable to find HetZefs
! house and came back to Stevensons s
| Hotel, leaving their horse at the hostel
rvs barn. Hetzel had died and was
buried few days before.
In the hotel Jack stayed in the office,
reading an account of their own escape,
while Mrs. S. who complained of being
ILL., accompanied by Ed, went up stairs.
| They were passing at the hotel as man
| and wife While there we drove up.
sent our fruitless telephone messages to
| Shpperyrock and Prospect, and then
| started for the latter place, four miles
west of Mt Chestnut
James Snyder, driving his team and
| sled containing Detectives McGovern,
| Roach ard Swinehart, caught up with
us, at Mt. Chestnut'.and we drove to
| Prospect together. There was nothing
| to indicate that the Biddles were in the
Stevenson Hotel at Mt. Chestnut.
Arrived at Prospect, we received the
| message which started us east again,
| Snyders sled first and we close behind,
| Chief Ray driving. Midway between
the two towns, at John McLure's DAIRY
farm and the Kline and Robb farms. we
saw the Biddles coming. They craued
| their necks to see us and then stopped
short a hundred yards away Snyder
drove up tc within $50 feet of them aud
| McGovern jumped ont and began to run
| ahead The Biddles and Mrs. Soffel
rose up in their sleigh and began shoot
| ing with revolvers. Ed had shotgun,
| but their was evidently no load in it, as
| it would not act. McGovern fired first
with his shotgun, but Holiday and l ran
| right ahead shooting as we went The
Biddles fell from the sleigh and lay in
| heap on the snow. Their horse turned
and ran in a circle through field,
throwing Mrs Soffel out. Snyder and
| Thompson went after her and got her.
She already had the bullet wound in her
breast from small revolver, from
Which two shots had been hred, one at
us and one at herself.
Holiday and l reached the Biddles
first. The whole crowd of us had emp
tied our guns at them. l turned Ed
over. They both seemed to be about
dead then We handcuffed them to-
gether, put them into Snyder's sleigh
and Mrs. Soffel in ours and started for
Butler. Our sleigh was stopped by Ray
right behind Snyder's and we were all
in bunch when the shooting was being
done, McGovern not being more than
| FIVE feet ahead of the hindmost man
| McGovern did fire first from our side,
and the Biddles tumbled out, one on
each SIDE but other shots had been fired
by that time and you cannot tell whose
knocked them. / used a 3S-caliber
Colt revolver, with which | have hit
tin can with every lead at distance of
| 70 feet
Mrs. Soffers Story.
Mrs. Soffels statement was made in
the Hospital. Monday night, in the pres
ence of two correspondents. Dr. Bricker
and a nurse. She said: Il have never
| made n statement To anyone reoardinor