The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-02-05
MRS. SOFFEL'S PITEOUS PLEA
TEARFULLY PRAPS FOR 4 CHANCE
 OF VENUE.
Declares to the Asststant District Att torney I'm the Hospital at Butler That She Wishes to Savo Her Husband Further HumiIiation-R n-Resigned to Meet Any Fate-UnknOwn Woman Sends Flowers for the Riddle Biers.

Butler, Pa, Feb. 4.-Realizing that
 she has ruined her husband Mrs. Soffel
 does not wish to bring further disgrace and humiliation upon him. She now
 desires a change of venue when she
 faces justice. In tears and with piteous
 pleading she made this request to As
 sistant District Attorney John S. Robb, 1 Jr., of Allegheny county in the hospital
 here to-day. She said she would go anywhere to have the punishment
 meted out to her for her disgraceful
 crime. She is willing to meet any fate
 the law may place upon her but does
 not want the punishment administered in the court house across the street from her old home. She begged and
 pleaded with MT. Robb for almost two hours to grant her this much She
 begged in the name of her husband,
 who is Mir. Robb's friend, and told him
 that her husband was in no way to
 blame for her shameful conduct
 Mrs. Soffel told the attorney that she
 was not bad woman. She said that
 while she knew that she had been
 charged with a crime against the state, she had never sinned. She pleaded that her act was brought about through
 her sympathy for the Riddles and not
 her passion
 MT. Robb told her he was friend of her husband and would like to tighten the burden of his sorrow and disgrace, but could not make any definite prom ise to her at this time. Mr Robb was with Mrs Soffel for almost two hours. When she had finished her pleadings MT. Robb spoke to her about her case, but she Was reticent and disinclined to talk about her flight with the Biddles. While he questioned her with reference to the place where they took refuge in their flight, she listened but refused to make any reply that would incriminate those who were connected with the plot She then told MT. Robb that she would not talk any more until she had con- suited with an attorney.
 Pittsburg, Feb. 1.-The case against Mrs. Soffel may not be acted on by the present grand jury. She has not yet been put under arrest formally and will not until she is strong enough to be moved to Pittsburg jail. There is much uncertainty as to when she will be brought to Pittsburg. She will not be moved from the Butler hospital as long as that would be in any way liable 1, to endanger her, life. |
 Pittsburg, Feb. 4.--From to 12 o'clock to-day the bodies of John and Edward Riddle were exposed to public . view at an undertaking establishment and several thousand persons passed before the collins As early as o'clock crowds began to gather about the place It numbered probably as many women as men. The bodies were in black cas- kets and the heads of the boys were turned so that the crowd could see them at a place. The police kept the crowd moving constantly.
 In the caskets of the Riddles were sprigs of fern and white carnations sent for the purpose by some woman whose identity is unknown. The flow ars were sent to Undertaken Beinhauer with the request that they be placed Ipon the caskets, and that it be known hat they were the gift ot a woman.
 The mob about the Beinhauer under aking establishment became so great hat the doors were closed by the police m account of the crush. Thousands of people, mostly women, were unable to ;ain admittance to view the bodies and i or several hours after the closing of he doors hundreds fingered about the ,lace, hoping that the doors would be pened again. Many women carried lowers for the dead, while they left with the undertaken to be placed on the rave tomorrow. The burial will take place tomorrow in one large grave in Calvary l !'