The Sylvester Family of Plainview, Minnesota*

Edwin Sylvester taken to Stillwater Prison; other charges pending

February 12, 1926 - February 19, 1926

PAGE 212

February 12, 1926- Winona Republican-Herald

Sylvester May be Arraigned Again in May
Committee of Plainview Citizens Urge That Other Charges Be Brought Against Former Banker
Foley Ready to Meet Their Demands
Begins Serving Sentence Today
Wabasha Minn. Feb. 13 – Although the prison doors closed behind Edwin L. Sylvester at Stillwater this morning and the "old gray man from Plainview" is now only known by a number, he is not yet through with the criminal charges which resulted from his misdeeds at Plainview.
"They need not petition this county attorney to do his duty," County Attorney John R. Foley of Wabasha county said today when an Associated Press dispatch under a Plainview date line was read to him stating that a citizen’s committee of that place planned to petition that other charges be pressed against the former banker. "When the term of district court arrives Sylvester will be further arraigned if the public demands it," he said.
"Sylvester was arraigned at Rochester Thursday on only one charge," Mr. Foley added, "because that was all the counts on which his attorney would allow him to plead guilty to, and if he was arraigned at that time on all the charges, a delay would have been the result. As it is, he is already in Stillwater serving time and can be brought back here in May to face the other three counts."
Begins Sentence Today
Sylvester was taken from Rochester yesterday afternoon to Stillwater by Deputy Sheriff John Jacobs and lodged last evening in the Washington county jail to await commitment papers which arrived this morning. He was then taken at once to the state prison, where he began serving his sentence today.
There was no crowd at the Rochester station when the party left. Jacobs explained his separation from Sylvester at the railroad station in Rochester when they arrived the other noon as due to the fact that he turned the prisoner over to County Attorney Foley and went ahead to make a way through the milling mass of people to the waiting automobiles for the party.
Want Other Charges Pressed
The Plainview Dispatch follows: Plainview, Minn. Feb. 13 – (AP) – A committee of Plainview citizens has been formed to urge that Edwin L. Sylvester, former banker who began serving an indeterminate sentence in the state penitentiary last night, be re-arraigned on another charge.
Declaring that man widows and children in the vicinity of Plainview are penniless and virtually in want because of the misdeeds of Sylvester, the committee will petition the authorities to have the aged banker brought back to Wabasha county this spring to be arraigned on at least one more of the four counts against him.
February 19, 1926-
Seek Harsher Sentence for Ed. Sylvester
Plainview Citizens Believe He Should Serve More Time
Judge Callaghan Incites Ill Feeling by Decision in the Case
The population of Stillwater prison was increased by one Saturday when E. L. Sylvester took up his residence there following an indeterminate sentence from Judge Callaghan on Thursday when he plead guilty to the charge of embezzlement. Although Sylvester had stated that he would plead guilty to another charge, his attorney would allow but the one charge. As a consequence the other charges will be pressed at the May term of the district court.
Sentiment in Plainview has been outwardly very indifferent in Sylvester’s apprehension, but with the news that only one charge had been presented and that an indeterminate sentence of from one to ten years had been imposed, the underlying determination to make the Plainview bank officers suffer for their crimes came to the

Previous: Page 211.
Next: Page 213.
Initial: Table of Contents

* 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."