ROMANCE OF CRIME

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 375, 26 March 1902, Page 3

ROMANCE OF CRIME

WOMAN HELPS MURDERERS TO ESCAPE. FUGITIVES OVERTAKEN AND SHOT. , A sensational story of the escape, recapture, and death of "two murderers comes from America. John and Edward Biddle, two brothers, were awaiting execution in the county gaol, Pittsburg, for murder in the perpetration of a robbery at Mount Washington. Perhaps in all the romances that have been woven around the career of celebrated criminals no more remarkable character was ever pourtrayed than that of Edward Biddle, who planned the escape. JTe had been tho scourge of three States, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and he possesses an extraordinary degree of influence over women. Whenever he needed an

accomplice he never - failed to find some woman who would place herself at his command. In this case the woman was Mrs Soffel, wife of the warden of the gaol, and she accompanied the Biddles in their flight. Jack Biddle was to have been hangod on January 14, and his brother two days later. Mr Wm. A. Stone, Governor of Pennsylvania, had been prevailed upon, through a visit paid him by a mysterious woman, to reprieve them for 40 days, and this gave them time to mature their plans for escape. On the morning of the escape the Biddles, on the pretext that one of them was ill, called a guard named McGarry. McGarry had only just passed into the cellroom when he was struck down by the two Biddles, who, after taking his keys from him, threw the gallery railing to the stone floor' belowi' a distance of about 15 feet. McGarry struck on his head and shouiders and remained senseless where he fell. Attracted"by the noise of' the struggle

Kosslow and Reynolds, two otber guards, rushed into the cellrooin. Edward Biddle grappled with Reynolds, while Jack Biddle gave his attention to Kosslow. Reynolds was more than a match for his adversary, and Jack Biddle, seeing this, broke away from Kosslow and shot Reynolds. " You have done for me,” cried Reynolds. The Biddles then sprang upon Kosslow. who was soon overpowered and beaten into unconsciousness. Using the keys taken from McGarry Edward Biddle then opened two of the cells in the tier below those they themselves had occupied, and thrust McGarry, Reynolds, and Kosslow into them. While this encounter was going on the other occupants of the prison went almost wild with excitement. They shook

the doors 01 their cells, and snouted to attract the attention of the other guards, but without success. It is said that Mrs Soffel followed Bosslo.v and Reynolds to the cellrooiu, and stood in the door watching the struggle between them and the murderers. After the keepers had been locked up in the cells she took the Biddles to the general office of the prison, where the men found two suits of clothes that had been abstracted from the wardrobe of the keepers. They discarded their prison attire, and donned the ordinary ciothing, including overcoats, which belonged to the warden, Mr Soffel. Mrs Soffel led the way from the office to the hallway of the gaol, opening the heavy oak door with one of the keys taken from McGarry. An attempt was apparently made to open the steel door that gives on to the street, but this failing, Mrs Soffel, it is believed, guided the pair out through the warden’s residence. It is difficult to explain the

inlluence which Edward Biddlo has over women. Ever since his arrest he has been visited in gaol by females, young and old, including some members of highly respectable families of Pittsburg. The two Biddles and their companion succeeded in reaching the open country, where, securing a sleigh, they drove over the snow-covered ground at their highest speed, in the hope of reaching a haven of safety. The detectives, however, were quickly on their track, and a tremendous raco ensued, the

police, with their superior cattle, gradually overhauling the fugitives. Seeing that they could not hope to escape by flight the Puddles prepared for fight, and returned the fire of the police whilst ammunition lasted. Reuter’s correspondent gives a thrilling account of the manner in which the fugitives were overtaken. When the pursuers neared the fleeing sleigh the Biddles were ordered to surrender. Edwarl Biddle, rising in the sleigh, fired with a shotgun at the pursuing officers, but without effect. Two of the officers then shot Edward with their rifles. John Biddle fired his revolver at the officers, one of whom replied with his revolver, shooting his man. Both men fell out of the sleigh, the horse attached

to which ran away. Mrs Soffel was seen to collapse, and also fall out. The detectives advanced and emptied their Winchesters, whereupon the Biddles yielded. Death later intervened to save the 13iddles from the hangman, as both succumbed to their wounds, each protesting his innocence of the murder for which they wore convicted. Mrs Kate Soffel, after undergoing a successful operation for the extraction of the bullet, developed pneumonia. Mrs Soffel, during the fight which ended in the capture of herself and the Biddles, was shot four times. One of the wounds was self-inflicted. The two men each had seven bullet wounds. Repeatedly Mrs Soffel has expressed remorse, and in the same breath has asserted that she had done nothing more than she would gladly repeat were the opportunity again hers. She has declared that Christian motives actuated her, and that, she always believed, and still believes, that the Biddles were innocent. The deluded woman began by taking a Bible to each of the murderers, and on one of her visits to the cellroom she carried some religious tracts to the Biddles. One very remarkable development that took place after the capture was the discovery on the person of Mrs Soffel ol a long letter from Edward Biddle, setting forth in detail the plan for the escape of the brothers. This letter clearly shows the risks run bv the infatuated woman to secure the escape of the Biddles. Ever since December 2, 1001, they had been making preparations for flight. The letter tells how Mrs Soffel carried saws to the cells of the two men, and it proves the wonderful influence which Edward Biddle had over her. It appears that Mrs Soffel fell in love with Edward Biddle in November. The burglar soon realised his power over her, and it was not long before bo started to write love-letters to her. About the early part of December ho proposed to her a plan of escape, to which she consented, During the fight more than thirty shots were fired. Mrs Soffel, grasping a revolver in each hand, did all she could to drive off the representatives of the law, and her courage did not fail her until she saw Edward Biddle receive a mortal wound. She threw her arms around him, and tried to shield him from the rain of lead. He threw her off y/ith a curse, and though wounded in half a dozen placee Renewed the battle. After this Mrs Soffel implored Biddle to shoot her, but he refused, and she then turned her weapon upon herself. Jack Biddle also tried to commit suicide b.y shooting himself through the mouth when he saw he was unable to injure the pursuers. In a statement made to a preist before he died Edward Biddle said : “ I am filled with gratitude for the woman who sacrificed herself that we might have a chance of escape. She merely did it out of sympathy.” One of the lovo-letters from Edward Biddle to the woman, found on the latter, began as follows: “My precious little darling,—l guess I never will be able to kiss you good-bye. Oh, God! pot, don't think the blow is all on you. I love you, dearest baby, more today than ever before. Each minute to day has been like an hour to me. You arc dearer to mo than my very life.” Another letter contained the following : “If you were to let me go aheafj and then get me caught I would kill every keeper in the place, and the doorman with them, and then myself. Next I’ll tell you, I’m not to be betrayed. I don’t say, my dear, that you would try to do me wrong, but you are a woman, and so as changeable as

one, and so I thought I would remind you, knowing that a woman don't look verydeep into things. Let a woman know you love her and the jig is up.” According to the story told by the sheriff who headed the party which captured the convicts the brothers' Biddle got out of their sleigh as soon as they recognised that further flight was impossible, leaving Mrs Soffel bolding the reins. They opened fire on the ap proaching officers, and the latter re sponded with rifles and revolvers. Edward Biddle was the first to fall. As he did so Mrs Scoffel dropped the reins, sprang out of the sleigh, and threw herself upon the prostrate form. She then stood up with a revolver and fired several shots, calling out to John Biddle, “Kill ’em Jack!” Then the woman turned the revolver on herself. Warden Soffel declares that his wife .chloroformed him so that he should sleep heavily on the night of the escape. He accuses tho woman's father, Dietrich, who was employed in the gaol, of assisting his daughter to carry ou the correspondence with Biddle. Mrs Soffel is in hospital at Butler. SI e was hy-sterieal at times. “ Oh, God, if I could die; if I could die!” she moaned now and again. Then, referring to McGovern, the detective, she exclaimed, “It was McGovern who shot that poor boy (Edward Biddle) when he was handcuffed, lying on the ground, with the blood streaming from him. It was McGovern who hit him over the head in the sleigh.” At another time she said, “ I heard the men who were bringing me into the town say, ‘ There they go ; they're not through with their fireworks yet.’ Fireworks! Oh, God ! I can see it yet. I will never, never get it out of uiy sight, those fifteen men opening fire upon two boys and a women. Edward Biddle did not fire first. They gave him no chance. It was an army of men against those two. All the shots those poor boys fired were aimed at themselves and me.” Startling descriptions are given of the morbid curiosity over the Biddle brothers. Ten thousand men and women are said to have visited the under taker’s establishment in which the bodies of the convicts were lying pending the funeral ; tho women carrying flowers for

the coffins. A stroug force of police was required to keep the crowd in order, and lines were formed of people standing for hours in the streets, with the thermometer at zero, to await their turn to enter,