Behind a thick glass window at the Heinz History Center next to an aluminized bathing suit designed by Oscar de la Renta in 1967 is the infamous Biddle brothers’ getaway sleigh.
Duct tape is wrapped around a handle, with stuffing from the seat spilling out in places where the cloth has torn. Pieces from the floor paneling are missing, and the blades show visible signs of rusting. Tucked away in the Collections Management Area of the Special Collections Gallery is a piece of the story of the warden’s wife and the escaped prisoners that captured national attention.
Friday night the Travel Channel’s “Mysteries at the Museum” premiered its newest episode, “Porcelain Twins, The Warden’s Wife, Lost City of Atlantis,” in which the museum and the sleigh were highlighted. The sleigh will subsequently be on display for a week after the episode's premiere, museum spokesman Brady Smith said. Guests can view it in the Special Collections Gallery on the fourth floor of the center through Friday.
The episode recounts the story of Kate Soffel, the wife of a warden at Allegheny County Jail, and her love affair with a prisoner, Ed Biddle. Mrs. Soffel, who inspired a 1984 movie of the same title featuring Diane Keaton and Mel Gibson, helped Ed and his brother Jack, both of whom were convicted of murder, escape in January 1902.
The trio escaped to Perrysville along Route 19, where they spent the night. When one of the brothers visited a nearby inn to request food, a resident alerted police of their presence in the small village. A chase ensued, and the group stole a horse and getaway sleigh and drove north into Butler County.
Police apprehended them, and both brothers died from their wounds sustained in a subsequent gunfight. Mrs. Soffel was injured, but recovered and served prison time.
The episode will be rerun of the episode at 10 a.m. Sunday and various other times throughout the week.
Andy Masich, president and CEO of the Heinz History Center, was interviewed for show and called the Soffel story a “titillating” part of Pittsburgh history.
"It's something that captured the imagination of the public at the time,” Mr. Masich said. “It was such a big story in our region. Even today, the story sort of resonates with people. It’s truly amazing that a relic like this survived."
The museum acquired the piece in 2011 from the Pittsburgh Police Historical Collection, which in turn received it from the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation in the early 1990s. The PHLF secured the piece from the family of the original owners of the sleigh, Mr. Smith said.
The Travel Channel received word about the sleigh from a blog post written by a museum archivist titled “Mrs. Soffel and the Biddle Boys in the Archives” in January. The center has been featured in several "Mysteries at the Museum" episodes for its rare artifacts, including a vial scientist Jonas Salk used to hold his polio vaccine.
While the sleigh is not part of any of the museum's current exhibits, the center is looking to open a visible storage gallery by summer for guests to view some of its prized pieces. More than 80 percent of the museum's artifact collection isn't on display, meaning there would be ample new pieces for the public, Mr. Smith said.
"People want to see what they're not allowed to see," Mr. Masich said.
First Published: December 20, 2014, 5:00 a.m.