Newspaper Page Text
THE NEWS AND FARMER.
• ’’ m-.
J. W. WHITE, Editor and Proprietor.
VOLUME XX.
SOLONS IN WRANGLE
Philippine Affairs Canies Pyro=
technic Debate In Senate.
MUD SLINGING WAS IN ORDER
Bitter and Sarcastic Words Are Spo
ken—Tillman’s Pitchfork Is
Brought Into Play Against
Spooner.
A Washington special says: A
Philippine storm was central in the
senate chamber Tuesday for nearly
three hours, but was void of definite
results. At times it looked very se
rious and the spectators who thronged
the galleries watched it with breath
less interest.
Acrimony in senate debates is not
infrequent, but old senators say it
has been years since there has been
such a hurricane of bitter viiupera-
Kon, of personal taunt, of ugly
larges and of unmodified criticism as
Its witnessed during Tuesday's ses-
Not since the discussion of the
resolutions leading up to the Hispp.no-
American war have any scenes occur
red in the senate chamber to this
occasion. Irritation was aroused
on both sides of the chamber and
once or twice personal encounters be
tween senators seemed imminent.
Once when Senator Teller taunted
the republican senators by declaring
they knew the statements made in a
recent dispatch from Manila in which
General Wheaton was represented as
criticising the opponents of the gov
ernment’s policy in the Philippines
were true a half dozen republicans
were on their feet in an instant. Sena
tor Lodge, at whom the taunt seemed
to be aimed particularly, hurriedly
crossed from his seat in the center of
the republican side to the main aisle
of the senate and, white to the lips,
passionately challenged the statement
of the Colorado senator and demand
ed that he withdraw it. Senator Teller
so modified the statement that further
hostilities at that time were averted.
One of the sharpest colloquies of
the session was between Senators
Spooner, of Wisconsin, and Tillman,
of South Carolina. The race problem,
involving the lynching of negroes, was
interjected into the controversy, and
much feeling was manifested by both
senators. In the course of the collo
quy Mr. Spooner declared that if the
same rule was to be applied to the
colored people in the Philippines as
Mr. Teller referred to in the south,
“then God help the colored man in the
Philippines.”
“God help him in the Philippines,”
shouted the South Carolina senator
passionately. “You have already
butchered in three years three times
as many as the Spaniards did in three
centuries.”
“It is one thing,” retorted Mr. Spoon
er, “to kill men with arms ip their
bands against the government and
against the flag. It is another to burn
them.”
“You burned them in Kansas,” re
torted Mr. Tillman.
Senators in their excitement seem
ed for the moment to have forgotten
the subject of the debate. The chair
(Mr. Frye) was able with difficulty to
maintain order. When the discussion
was finally ended for the day. the
chair felt called on seriously to ad
monish senators that the rules of the
body had not been observed, and af
ter reading the rule -which had been
violated he expressed the hope that in
the future senators would have a care
to observe it. Such an admonition has
not been made by the presiding officer
in the senate in many years.
Prior to the outbreak on the Phil
ippine question, the senate concluded
the consideration of the bill establish
ing a department of commerce and
passed it.
Roosevelt Congratulated Kaiser.
President Roosevelt, it is learned,
sent a cablegram of congratulation to
Emperor William, of Germany, on his
birthday, but its text is not made
public.
STRIKE WAS SHORT LIVED.
Tampa Cigarmakers Reach Agreement
With Officers of Company.
A conference between a committee
of the officers of the American Cigar
Company in Tampa, Fla., in whose
factories the recent cigarmakers’
strike was begun, was held Sunday.
An agreement was reached by which
the strike has been called off. The
strikers did not get their entire de
mands, it is said, but a compromise
for the present was reached. Ihe ex
act conditions of the agreement, how
ever, have not been given out for pub
lication.
HOWARD RECEIVES SENTENCE.
Judge Cantrell Overruled Motion For
a New Trial.
At Frankfort, Ky., Saturday after
noon, Judge Cantrell overruled the mo
tion for anew trial in the Jim Howard
case and sentenced him to imprison
ment for life for the murder of Goe
bel. An order was entered transfer
ring Howard to Georgetown for safe
keeping pending an appeal.
LEMLY AND HANNA HOWLINQ.
Caustically “Comment” on Schley's
Appeal, While the Admiral Is
Receiving Ovations Galore.
A Washington special says: The
appeal for the review of his case, filed
with the president by Admiral Schley,
has drawn out caustic comment from
Judge Advocate Lemly and Solicitor
Hanna.
The comment severely arraigns
Schley for his conduct of the battle
of Santiago and declares the investi
gation for the court of inquiry to
make was for the purpose of fixing
the blame rather than directing the
honor.
They say the chief features of the
case were “the retrograde movement,”
“disobedience of orders,” “inaccurate
and misleading official reports,” “fail
ure to destroy vessels of the enemy
lying within sight” and “injustice to
a brother officer. These matters are
ail grave.
The first was that the finest aggre
gation of American naval vessels un
der one command was, by Schley’s
direction, turned about and beaded
for Key West, more than 700 miles
distant, when within 22 miles of San
tiago ,where the enemy’s ships were.
The second was that Schley deliber
ately and knowingly disobeyed the
secretary’s order overtaking him in
liis retrograde movement.
The third was that Schley’s reason
offered officially, for the retrograde
movement and disobedience of orders,
i. e., “that the flying squadron was
short of coal,” was not true.
The fourth was that for three days
some of the Spanish ships lay within
reach of the flying squadron and no
sufficient effort was made to destroy
them.
The fifth involves the point of hon
or. The commentators say:
“Upon all the above named fea
tures, believed by us to he the most
important, if not the only important,
matter into which the court made in
quiry, the conduct of Admiral Schley
was condemned by that most distin
guished tribunal. Admiral Dewey and
Rear Admirals Benham and Ramsay
united in their findings and opinion
upon all of these several points.”
The commentators charge that Ad
miral Schley now ignores ail the
grave matters and bases his appeal
upon relatively unimportant matters
of the case.
WOULD-BE ROBBERS SWING.
Wade and Dalton Pay Penalty For
Murder of Morrow at Portland.
At Portland, Oregon, Friday, Joseph
Wade and B. H. Dalton were hanged
in the county jail yard for the murder
of James 15. Morrow, November 14
last.
Both men retained their nerve and
just before the rope was put around
Wade’s neck -he said: “You may
think I’m happy, but I’m not.”
Morrow had been calling on a young
lady and was on his way home about
midnight on November 14 when Wade
and Dalton stepped in front of him
and ordered him to throw up his
hands, intending to rob him. Morrow
made a move as if to, put his hand
in his pocket, when he was shot dead.
NASHVILLE WELCOMES SCHLEY.
Tennessee City Puts on Holiday Attire
For Hero of Santiago.
Admiral and Mrs. Schley became
the guests of Nashville Friday and the
city was in holiday attire in their
honor.
The train bearing them from Louis
ville over the Louisville and Nashville
road was met at Bowling Green, Ky.,
by a committee of Nashville’s citi
zens, who joined them on President
Smith’s private car for the remainder
of the journey. Both the admiral and
his wife appeared in the best of health
and spirits and expressed themselves
as highly delighted with their stay
in Louisville.
Nashville Gets Sum of $600,000.
The committee on public buildings
and grounds Friday authorized a fa
vorable report on the bill appropriat
ing $600,000 for an addition to the
Nashville, Tenn., public building.
SUSPECTED THE CHAMBERMAID.
Mrs. Shaw Used Old Shoe to Hide Dia
monds and Forgot.
Mrs. Shaw, the wife of former gov
ernor Shaw, missed some of her dia
monds at Des Moines, la., Tuesdray.
She suspected a chambermaid. The
former governor immediately had the
chambermaid searched, despite her
protests, but no diamonds were found.
In the meanwhile Mrs. Shaw recalled
that she had hidden the diamonds in
one of her old shoes.
Former Governor Shaw then apolo
gized to the chambermaid and gave
her $lO.
SYMPATHY FOR BIDDLES.
Fearful Fate of the Two Murderers
Widely Discussed.
The* terrible fate of the Biddles was
the sole topic of conversation at But
ler, Pa., Sunday, and a curious throng
of peontle defied the storm hanging
about me jail entrance in vain at
tempts-mo get in to see the bodies of
the dei-Sa murderers. A great deal of
sympathy for the boys is expressed on
all side#. ,
A Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Material and Intellectual Advancement of the County.
LOUISVILLE. GA„ THURSDAY, FEBRUARY C, 19(K.
FOOL WOMAN’S WORK
Jailer’s Wife Assists Two Mur*
derers to Make Escape.
SHE GOES ALONG WITH THEM
Blindly Infatuated With Man Under
Sentence of Death, Mrs. Soffel
Betrays Trusting
Husband.
.
Edward and John Biddle, awaiting
execution in the Pittsburg, Pa., jail
for the murder of Grocer Thomas D.
Kahney, of Mount Washington, whose
home they were burglarizing on the
morning of April 12, last, overpow
ered the guards at 4 o'clock Thursday
morning and escaped.
Both prisoners had been provided
with saws with which to cut the bars
in their cells and were ready at any
moment to make an opening suffi
ciently large to pass through.
The prisoners occupied adioining
cells on the second range.
They had evidently been prepar
ing for escape for some time, and had
assistance from the outside, as both
were armed with revolvers.
Shortly before 4 o’clock one of the
Biddles called to James McGeary, who
bad charge of the outside gates, and
asked for some cramp medicine in a
hurry, saying his brother was danger
ously sick.
McGeary hastened to the cell with
’he medicine, when John Biddle sprang
through the opening in the cell and,
seizing the guard around the waist,
hurled him over the railing to the
stone floor beneath, a distance of six
teen feet.
Edward Biddle joined his brother
immediately and both, with drawn re
volvers, hurried to 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. He was ordered down at the
point of the revolvers, and the three
guards were put in the dungeon.
The keys were taken from Keeper
McGeary and the two desperate pris
oners had a clear field. The only per
sons who witnessed the escape were
prisoners who could not interfere or
give an alarm.
The Biddles went to the wardrobe,
where the guards kept their clothing,
and each put on anew suit. They
then unlocked the outside gates and
passed out into Ross 'street.
The escape was not discovered un
til the daylight, guards went on duty
at 6 o'clock. They were informed by
prisoners where the night guards had
been put, and they were soon releas
ed from the dungeon and sent to the
homeopathic hospital.
Freed By Woman’s Love.
The escape of the Biddles has been
explained. Warden Peter K. Soifel has
authorized its publication.
It is the allegation that his wife is
responsible for the furnishing of the
revolvers and saws to the Biddles,
which enabled them to escape. In her
infatuation for the handsome desper
ado, Edward Biddle, it is alleged, that
she has left her husband and her four
children, and it is supposed is to meet
the convicts at a place agreed upon.
The warden made inquiries at the
homes of all of his wife’s relatives,
and was unable to find any trace of
her.
An investigation disclosed the fact
that she had taken all of her best
clothes with her. The warden’s over
coat is also missing.
It is reported that the Biddles took
a train at the Fourth Avenue station,
of the Pan Handle railroad, which is
within a block of the jail, and left farl
the west.
The county commissioners met in the
afternoon and offered a reward of $5,-
000 for the recapture of the murderers.
Freight Trains Go Together.
As the result of a head end collision
between two freight trains Thursday
morning, one mile west of Anniston,
Ala., on the Southern railway, ona
man was killed instantly and five oth
ers were injured.
TREASURER SKIPS WITH CASH.
Colored Fraternal Order Left In the
Lurch By Trusted Officer.
Lucius Jackson, the treasurer of the
Order of Jacob, a negro fraternal in
surange organization at Jackson, Miss.,
has defaulted, it is said, and left for
parts unknown, carrying with him
$7,830 of the order's money, of which
amount the order will be able to col
lect $2,000 on the bond of the miss
ing treasurer, leaving about $6,000
still short in the treasury.
DAMAGING SLEET STORMS.
Little Rock Business Men Mourn
Heavy Losses Caused By Elements.
The heaviest losses ever sustained
in Little Rock from a like cause is the
result of the terrible storm of sleet
and cold rain which prevailed there
the past week.
The business section of the city is
a scene of desolation, and business
men on every hand are mourning
heavy losses that cannot be recovered
by insurance. The estimated damage
will exceed $400,000,
CREAH OF NEWS
f+4 , +++++++'l"'4++4+M++++4++
$ Summary of the Most J
+ Important Daily *■
I Happenings Tersely Told. *
—Lieutenant Colonel Kyle is the
first of the officers of the Third Ala
bama regiment to tender his resigna
tion to Governor Jipiks. it is said the
others will follow-when it is known
the governor is in earnest.
—Admiral and Mrs. Schley were
made the recipients of a most gracious
welcome at the Bands of the people
o” Nashville
state that ten United States marines
have been lofet on the island of Samar
and are probably dead.
—By a dust explosion in the Hondo
mine, near Eagle Pass, Texas, scores
of miners were killed. Eighty-five dead
bodies were soon taken out.
—Civil Governor Taft, of the Phil
ippines, appeared before the senate
committee Saturday and discussed
conditions in the islands. Governor
Taft claims that the Christian Filipi
nos are making all the troubie.
—The two Biddle brothers, who es
caped from jail by the help of Mrs.
Soffel and were shot by a posse, are
dead. Mrs. Soffel may recover.
—Sunday Admiral and Mrs. Schley
visited the Hermitage, the Nome of An
drew Jackson. In the little brick
church where “Old Hickory” worship
ed. they heard a sermon preached by
one of Forrest’s men.
—The presence in the Norfolk har
bor of the wreck of the Norwegian
steamer Daggery, with cargo of dyna
mite. causes much uneasiness among
shipping firms of that city.
—Fire burned property at Water
bury, Conn., Sunday night to the
amount of $2,000,000. Fire depart
ments of other cities were called on
for aid in extinguishing the flames.
—Chinese boxers have crossed the
borders of Corea and the government
has been called on to send troops to
drive them back.
—Several arrests have been made of
men suspected of complicity in the re
cent robbery of a Southern railroad
train in South Carolina.
—Governor Jelks, of Alabama, says
conditions in the Third regiment were
so had that he determined to take
charge of the whole national guard of
the state.
—A woman in North Carolina, resist
ing vaccination, has barricaded her
house and threatens to shoot anyone
who attempts to vaccinate her.
—Judge Advocate Lemly and Solici
tor Hanna have replied to Admiral
Sc-brey’s appeal to the president. They
ifeny that Schley deserves any credit
for the victory off Santiago.
—Mr. Tillman, in discussing the
Philippine policy of the republicans,
treated the senate to a display of ver
bal pyrotechnics Thursday. He styled
the republican policy “money-grab
bing, miserable, canting and damna
ble.”
—A reign of terror is said to exist
in County Roscommon. Ireland. Mid
night raiders are visiting the tenants
and threatening them with death if
they pay their rent.
—General Chaffee reports that the
insurrection has been practically quell
ed in the Philippines, save on the is
land of Samar.
—The fifth interstate conference of
the King's Daughters, which has been
in progress in Savannah, Ga., was con
cluded Friday. Detroit was chosen as
the next place of meeting.
—Judge Mark H. Blandford, ex-jus
tice of the supreme court, member of
confederate congress and veteran of
Mexican and civil wars, died suddenly
Friday at his home in Columbus, Ga.
—Following a recent $250,000 fire in
Memphis, the insurance exchange
there has asked the mayor to dis
charge Fire Chief Carroll on grounds
of general incompetency.
—Elaborate preparations are being
made in Charleston for the reception
of President Roosevelt, who will visit
the exposition there on February 12th.
—The Pan-American congress at
Mexico City, has come to a close. Tho
members claim that much-good will
result from the congress.
—The Biddle brothers and Mrs. Sof
fel were overtaken by officers Friday
and shot down, in the fight which en
sued. Mrs. Soffen, pistol in each hand,
took part in the fight. •
—Mr. Morgan (of Alabama, address
ed the senate on the Philippine ques
tion Friday. He urged that the is
lands be not discriminated against in
the matter of tariff legislation.
—Rear Admiral Schley was enthusi
astically greeted when he arrived at
Nashville, Tenn., Friday. He was
driven to his hotel in a carriage drawn
by four white horses.
—Two hundred Japanese soldiers
were caught in a blizzard and frozen
to death.
—The freight bureau of Atlanta, Ga.,
was organized Wednesday’at a meet
ing at chamber of commerce, attend
ed by fifty leading business men.
—The senate has passed the Clay
bill appropriating $500,000 to improve
the Atlanta, Ga., federal building. Col
onel Livingston hopes to get the meas
ure through the house.
—The Dutch premier, Dr. Kuyper,
admits that Holland has made over
tures to Great Britain looking to peaco
in South Africa,
ANOTHER PITHORROR
Over a Hundred Men Lose Life
In Mexican Mine Explosion.
EIGHTY FIYE BODIES RECOVERED
All Told There Were One Hundred
and Sixty Workers In Death-
Trap and None
Escaped.
> special from Eagle Pass, Texas,
says: A dust explosion in the Hondo
nunc in Mexico Saturday caused a
terrible loss of life and great damage
to the mine.
Eighty-five dead bodies had been re
covered from the mine at last ac
counts and, as there were one hundred
and sixty miners at work in the mine,
the death roll may go far over one hun
dred.
The Hondo mine is located at the
terminus of a branch of the Mexican
International road, about one hundred
miles from Eagle Pass.
The latest information received in
San Antonio from the Hondo, Mexico,
mine explosion shows it to have been
fully as serious as at first reported.
There was a total of 106 miners at
work in the mine when the explosion
occurred and ail of them are dead. The
majority of the victims are Mexicans
and Chinamen, very few Americans
being at work in the mine.
Every mule in the nine was killed,
three dead ones being taken from the
debris Sunday. The work of clearing
away the wreck in order to get to the
bodies is being rushed as rapidly as
possible, but there is no hope that any
of the 106 men will be rescued alive.
The explosion occurred in mine No.
6 and was occasioned by striking a
gas pocket. The mine is the property
of the Coaquita Coal Company, R. M.
McKenney being the superintendent.
The names of the victims have not
yet been learned. The loss to the own
ers of the mine is very heavy."
GAGE IS OUT AND SHAW IS IN.
New Secretary of the Treasury Takes
Oath of Office—Tearful
Leavetaking.
At 10:30 o’clock Saturday, in tho
presence of the chief officials of the
treasury department, Senator Dolli
ver and nearly all of lowa's delega
tion in the lower house of congress,
and other friends, former Governor
Leslie M. Shaw, of lowa, took the pre
scribed oath of office as secretary of
the treasury, succeeding L. J. Gage.
The retiring secretary was among the
first to grasp his hand and as he did
so said:
“Mr. Secretary, I congratulate you
and wish for your administration the
highest possible degree of success.”
Secretary Shaw responded:
“I thank you, sir, most sincerely,
and if my success shall be anything
like that of my predecessor I shall be
fully satisfied.’”
The new and the retiring secreta
ries then received all of the officials
and clerks in the treasury building to
the number of over 2,000.
Secretary Gage has the love and
respect of the officials and clerks of
the department to a remarkable de
gree, as was shown in their leave-tak
ing. Many eyes were wet and voices
trembled as the chief they had known
and loved so well was grasped by the
hand probably for the last time.
Secretary Gage remained in confer
ence with his successor an hour or
more and then left the department.
He will go to Florida for a rest of
two or three months.
MEN DIED OF STARVATION.
General Chaffee Tells of Waller’s Dis
astrous Sarkar Fxpedition.
General Chaffee has cabled to the
war department a report of the march
of Major Waller and his marines
across Samar. It is the first full ac
count of the march, and tells a tale
of terrible suffering al Hardship.
The ten missing men, according to
the report, probably died of
tion. -
PEACE PROPOSALS REJECTED.
England Flouts Holland’s Plea to In
tercede for the Boers.
The British reply to the Dutch note
in regard to bringing about peace in
South Africa was dispatched to Tho
Hague. The contents of the note are
kept strictly secret, as the first pub
lication of the text is intended to be
made in parliament on Monday. The
Associated Press in London has rea
son to believe, however, that the pro
posals were practically rejected.
COMMITTEE FAVORS CABLE.
Uncle Sam May Have Line From San
Francisco to Philippines.
I By a vote of 8 to 7 the house ccta
mittee on commerce Tuesday decided
in favor of government construction,
operation and maintenance of a Pa
cific cable and ordered a favorable re
port on the bill of Representative Cor
liss, of Michigan, providing the details
of such government undertaking.
The cost is fixed at not to exceed
$10,000,000, of which $500,000 is made
Immediately available.
TO LOP ONEROUS WAR TAXES.
Chairman Payne Authorized to Report
Cut of All War Revenue Ex
cept on Mixed Flou-r-
A Washington special says: The I
house committee on ways and means
lias unanimously authorized Chairman j
Payne to report a bill repealing all the
Spanish war revenue taxes, except the j
tax on mixed flour.
The repeal is to take effect July 1,
1902, except the duty oil tea, which is
to take effect January 1, 19eJ. Chair
man Payne made a statement showing
that the total reduction would be $77,-
r-on,ooii o-nua’i'-. delay 4n the re
peal of the tax on tea is for the pur-'
pose of enabling those who .have
stocks on hand to dispose of them be
fore the repeal takes effect. Mr. j
Payne says the country will start :
upon the next fiscal year with $174,-
000,000 available cash.
An amendment was offered by Mr.
Newlands to except from the repeal
the tax on petroleum and sugar refin
eries, and by Mr. Richardson to repeal
tlie custom duties on trust made goods.
Both were defeated by party votes.
Mr. Newlands’ amendment also pro
vided for a tax of one-tenth of one per
cent, on the gross receipts of all cor
porations whose annual receipts ex
ceed $10,000,000.
NORTH STATE COTTON MILLS.
Statistics Give 2E3 Factories, Employ
ing 44,544 Operatives.
The cotton milling statistics which
the state labor commissioners of North
Carolina is carefully preparing are
the most accurate of all. Those mills
which failed to send in reports he
personally visited and thus secured
the desired information.
The principal figures have already
been given. He finds that there are
18,171 men operatives, an increase of
21 per cent during the year; 18,377
women operatives, an increase of 15
per cent, and 7.996 children under 14
years of age, an increase of 5 per cent.
In all 44,544 persons are employed in
the 283 mills.
The reports show that 82 per cent
of the adult operatives read and write,
but only 65 per cent of the children,
the latter showing a decline of 3 per
cent, as compared with the previous
year.
HEATHEN CHINEE A MENACE.
American Workingmen Cannot Com
pete With Rat-Eating Mongolian.
The hearings on Chinese exclusion
were continued Thursday before the
house committee on foreign affairs.
H. R. Fuller, in behalf of the Broth
erhood of Railroad Employes, spoke in
favor of a strict exclusion. He said
the objection to the Chinese, from the
labor standpoint, was that they come
into competition with American work
men, the Chinese having such habits
of cheap living that they work for
wages which respectable American
workmen could not afford to take.
Andrew Furusuth, of the Seamen's
Union, San Francisco, gave the extent
of Chinese labor on the Pacific coast,
showing that they practically monopo
lized the labor field in the salmon can
ning industry, and were competing
with American labor in cigar making,
tailoring, laboring and many other
branches. He said the Chinese work
er in these cases accepted wages so
much lower than the white man that
the former secured the work.
Mr. Furusuth said the labor organi
zations would not be satisiVd with any
bill which did not protect American
workmen from Chinese coming from
the Philippines as well as from China.
ROBBERS GONE GLIMMERING.
Effort to Capture Train Looters Seems
to Be Lagging.
There are no new developments
from Branchville, S. C., :n regard to
the express robbery which occurred
there Monday night. All efforts to
capture, the robbers seemed to have
ended with the express company re
covering their through safe from the
bottom of Edisto river.
Express officials are still reticeftt
about the actual contents of the re
covered safe. Special detectives are
reported to be working on the case.
SLEET KING REIGNS.
Enormous Damage Done In Tcnnessefcp
Arkansas and Mississippi.
A Memphis special says: The pecu
liar - weather which has prevailed in
this section during the past week has
played havoc in many of the large
towns and villages in the states of
Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi.
It Is difficult to estimate the amount
of damage. It is known that at Little
Rock alone the damage amounts to
$500,000, and the footings altogether
will, it is believed, run up several mil
lions.
EIGHTY MILLIONS CAPITAL.
Will Be Working Basis of Proposed
Gigantic Glucose Trust.
Consolidating the most important
glucose establishments of the country,
papers of incorporation will be filed,
according to The New York Times, in
New Jersey within a short time for the
largest industrial combination since
the United States steel corporation
was organized. The new trust will
have a capitalization of $80,000,000, di
vided into $30,000,000 preferred and
$50,000,000 common.
Subscription: $l.OO in Advance.
NUMB Kit 10.
WOMAN USED GUNS
Escaping Murderers Are Shot
Down By Pursuing Posse.
MRS. SOFFEL IN THICK OF FIGHT
Close of tlie Tragedy a Thrilling One.
Woman Received Bullet in Breast,
While the Biddles Were
Liberally Perforated.
; A Pittsburg, Pa., spiral fcayst fid
ward Biddle, in jail dying; John Bid
dle, riddled with buckshot and in a
precarious condition, and Mrs. Peter
K. Soffel, lying in the hospital with
a self-inflicted bullet wound in tho
breast, is the sequel of the sensation
al escape of the Biddles from the Alle
gheny jail, aided by Mrs. Soffel, the
wife of the jail warden, on Thursday
morning.
The story of the close of the Biddla
tragedy, which came at 5:45 o’clock
Friday afternoon, is a thrilling one.
The scene was a snow-covered road
two miles east of Prospect, Butler
county, near Mount Chestnut, and the
exact place was at McClure’s barn,
where two double team sleighs filled
with eight officers, overtook the Bid
dles in a one-horse sleigh, stolen at
Perryville, and at once opened fire on
the trio. The Biddles returned tho
fire after jumping out of the sleigh.
Mrs. Soffel's wound wa sthrough tho
breast. Edward Biddle was shot in
the. left arm, in the breast and in
one leg. John Biddle was riddled
with buckshot in the breast and head.
It was only a question of time when
the officers who set out on the chase
would catch up with the escaping
condemned murderers and their com
panion. The Biddles and Mrs. Soffel
ate dinner at J. J. Stevens, at Mquilt
Chestnut, five miles east of Butler.
The Pittsburg officers reached
Mount Chestnut not less than half an
hour after the Biddles and Mrs. Sof
fel. At this point fresh horses were
secured and the chase for life began.
The two sleighs, with the eight offi
cers aboard, s'arted westward and
met the Biddles and Mrs Soffel at Mc-
Clure’s barn, tw miles from Mount
Prospect. The Biddies, having learn
ed that they were almost overtaken
and taking what they considered the
only chance they had, drove eastward
and met their doom.
The Pittsburg and other officer's
were armed with winchester rifles and
revolvers of large calibre. They shot
to kill and their aim was perfect. The
Biddles tried to kill to the last of their
string, but not one of the eight offi
cers has a wound as the result of the
battle.
Woman Fired at Officers.
When the detectives got within six
ty yards of the fugitives they opened
fire. The Biddles promptly answered
with shotguns and revolvers. Mrs.
Soffel, too, stood up in the sleigh with
a revolver in each hand and blazed
away at her pursuers. When Ed Bid
die fell and she saw she was about
to be captured she firod a bullet into
her breast, it is claimed. An examine
tion by physicians shows that she will
recover, as the bullet was deflected
by her corset and the wound is com
paratively slight.
The escape of the officers is mirac
ulous. The Biddles have demonstra
ted on several occasions that they
are good marksmen and why they
should have failed on this occasion
to bring down their men is a mys
tery. After the Biddles fell to the
snow-covered ground the officers
picked up the apparently lifeless
bodies of Mrs. Soffel and the Biddles
and returned to Butler with the stolen
sleigh, patched up harness and worn-’
out horses that the trio had tried so
strenuously to get away with toward 1
Canada and liberty.
Mrs. Soffel made a statement after
her capture in which she said she be
came involved in the affair through her
sympathy for Ed Biddle. She said she
now realized her mistake and wished
she was dead. She said she did not
shoot herself, but was the first one
shot by the detectives.
OFFICERS SAVE NEGRO. I
Angry Citizens of Chester, Pa., Thirst
-per Murderer’s Blood.
At Chesterr _Saturday night.
Policeman Mark AllelK.lSiai^_&ll•^-^ , ” •
killed by Albert West, a negro, whom
he had arrested for quarreling in the
street with a colored woman.
West escaped, but was captured
Sunday seven miles from the city. The
news of the capture preceded the ar
rival of the officers with their prison
er and when they reached the city hall
a crowd of two thousand persons met
them with cries of “Lynch him!”
“Kill him!” The officers had hard
work in saving the prisoner.
TERRELL IS PRIVATE CITIZEN.
Georgia Attorney General Lays Aside
His Official Harness.
Attorney General Terrell served his
last day in office Friday as a state
official, and is now only a private citi
zen. His resignation, submitted to
Governor Candler several days ago,
took effect on the Ist Inst., and Hon.
Boykin Wright, of Augusta, succeeded
felm.