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was effected by circularizing the country and keeping a close watch on his family, living in Minneapolis," he said. "I wired the sheriff at Gulfport Friday to arrest a man we believed was Sylvester, and there is no doubt in my mind that it is Sylvester, for my wire states he is the Plainview man. "The search has cost Wabasha County $2,000." The county attorney also declined to state who would receive the reward, saying that it would be announced later. Mr. Foley promised to divulge, on his return, further details of the search that spread over the United States and into foreign countries. Mr. Foley admitted today that Mr. Sylvester had communicated with his family at various times and the inference is that it was through this communication that the county attorney was able to trace the elderly banker to Mississippi. It was revealed today that on January 2, Governor Theodore Christianson received a letter from G. W. Hoffstetter, of Biloxi, Miss., near Gulfport, in which Hoffstetter asked about further information concerning Sylvester. The letter reiterated that the writer thought he had seen Sylvester in that vicinity. The governor forwarded the letter to County Attorney Foley at Wabasha, but whether this played an important part in Sylvester’s capture is not known. After Sylvester’s disappearance, the state offered a reward of $500 for the banker’s apprehension and subsequently Wabasha county announced a similar reward. Governor Christianson announced that he will issue requisition papers to the Wabasha county attorney, John R. Foley, for the return of E. L. Sylvester. It is expected that the deputy and the county attorney will return with the prisoner the latter part of next week. The international search for Sylvester began in earnest four days after he disappeared last February, when the bank closed its doors voluntarily and banking department examiners started an investigation that disclosed shortages approximating $120,000. The county authorities, including Mrs. Edward Fitzgerald, Wabasha county’s sheriff, and county attorney, planned the search with the help of detective agencies, that eventually sent descriptive circulars and pictures to every city of size in America and Canada. Repeated reports were received of the death of some unidentified man, either at some point in Minnesota or in other parts of the Northwest and officials were sent out on "Wild Goose" chases. When an unidentified man was killed by a train near Lanesboro last March 13th, the report went out that it was E. L. Sylvester. Several Plainview citizens went to Lanesboro and viewed the body in the morgue. Some of them said it was the missing banker, while others insisted it was not. In general appearance the body resembled Sylvester, but certain identifying marks were lacking which convinced the authorities it was not the fugitive. Mrs. Sylvester continued to remain uninfluenced by reports of the death of her husband, insisted that she believed him to be alive. There were no circumstances, to warrant suspicion when the venerable Plainview Man – a leader in social, civic, and business affairs of the community – said goodbye to his family and took a train, presumably for the cities. But when a day or two went by and nothing was heard from him, and when it was learned that he had failed to appear at the home of his daughter in Minneapolis, whom he had intended to visit, his family became worried.
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* SOURCE: Manzow, Ron (compiler), "The Sylvester Family of Plainview, Minnesota - a collection of information taken from the Plainview News, other newspapers, letters, and diaries beginning in 1884": Plainview Area History Center, 40 4th St. S.W., Plainview, MN 55964. Compiled in 2001.
NOTE: from Ron Manzow, December 2001: "Feel free to reproduce the pages for anyone who wants a copy. It was
compiled to be shared... All I ask is that they consider sending a check to the [Plainview Area] History Center to help us out. That
should be enough."
Howder; © 1995-2011 All Rights Reserved. Last Updated February 14, 2011.