The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-09-26
LEGAL BATTLE
FAILS TO keep
EDWARDS FREE
Effort to Prevent ExtraditiOn Fails
and Jail Breaker Returned
to Serve Sentence.

Sterling, Ill, Sept. 26.-After one
of the most bitter and iercely
contested legal battles ever held in
Minnesota in connection with the
extradition of prisoner from
that state to another. Frank Ed
4 wards, who escaped from the
Whiteside county Jail Dec. 9, 1919,
is once again behind the bars OF
the county Jail in Morrison. having
been brought back from st. Paul,
Mimi. where he was captured on
Sunday, Sept. Is, after thrilling
chase by a motorcycle cop and
deputy sheriff. Edwards. who is
wanted here in connection with the
| robbery of the Burchell store in
Erie. was returned here by Deputy
/ Sheriff H. T. Berry of Morrison,
Deputy Albert Byam of Erie, and
States Attorney r. W. Besse, who
went to St Paul armed with reQui-
siuon papers to get the prisoner
! States Attorney Besse and the
deputies presented the application
/ to Governor Preus of Minnesota for
an eXtradition warrant, which was
( granted When the warrant for his
return TO Illinois was read to him.
Edwards claimed his right under
the law OF "a hours stay of proceed
ings and in the meantime obtained
the best legal counsel available to
fight his extradition back to White
side county.
Id counsel made 1nnilf9-
ton to Governor Preus for a re
hearing which was granted, at
! which States Attorney Besse with
County Attorney Z. d. O'Brien of
St Paul. appeared in protest
against recall of the extradition
warrant. After the evid ence in the
case was taken the chief executive
refused 10 recall the warrant.
Then d writ of habeas corpus
was issued from the district court
and the case was heard before
Judge H. d Hantz The testimony
was taken by the petitioner under
the namc of Frank Brown, dis
claiming that he was Frank Ed
wards or ever was known by thar
name. Deputy Berry produced
several pictures he had obtained
from penal institutions of Frank
Edwards, who had been known at
different times as John Simcox, AL
bert Wilson, George Rice and
Frank Brown After hearing the
testimony and examining the pic
lures the court dismissed the pro
ceeGIngS and ordered Edwards
turned over u the officials from
NhiteSide In an effort to prove a
case of mistaken identity, Edwards
produced two women and one man
as Witnesses, all OF whom swore
they had seen him during the time
he was supposed to be in the
county jail a Morrison. The man
gave his name as Guy Oily, u
member CT the state legislature of
Minnesota. After the proceedings
were dismissed Judge Hantz repri-
maEded the witnesses of Edwards !.
and recommended that the county
attorney take immediate steps to
prosecute them for perjury. Ad- /
dressing them Judge Hantz said. !
Prom the evidence you gave you
are either awfuily mistaken or are
the most deliberate liars that ever
took an oath to tell the truth
An attempt to stick up an oil sta
ton at the outskirts of St Paul on !
Sunday. Sept is, while in an in
tO1lCated condition. was indirectly
responsible for the capture of Ed
wards Caught in the act, he
jumped into his automobile and
driving at a terrific pace, outdis-
tarced q motorcycle cop, but Dep
uty Sheriff Erickson saw the man
coming down the road at such a
speed that he placed his car across
the road. Edwards attempted 70
turn a corner and his car over
turned in the ditch. He then ran
into nearby woods. In a minute
or so the motorcycle cop came up
and with the Ceputy went into the
woods and after desperate battle
landed Edwards or Brown as he
gave his name at that time. The
deputy recognized Edwards as
man he had seen a notice for and
he looked it up and then notified
the local authorities.
Edwards had been arrested last
June as shUplifter and vas SEN
fenced to 80 days in the work
house, but after serving 80 days ne
t. capped by digging his way ou..
SolLCe Dreaming JAN aL MORRISON he
said he had been in California,
Mexico, Canada, but for the most
part made ST. Paul his headquar-
-ers- He served time in Sioux City
in 1912 for robbery. a
term in st. Cloud, Mimi, reform
atory in 1915 for robbery. a term in
Fort Leayenworth in 1917 for inter ,
state box car TObbing. .
The $500 reward was split be- I
.ween Deputy Erickson and the
motorcycle cop. Edwards has been
indicted At Morrison and Will be :
as soon as court sets. He
Will receive net less than FIVE years
cor more than 20 years at joliet.