When the 1920 census taker visited the Edwards family on January 9th they were living at 709 E. Boulevard in a home which they owned free of mortgage. Charles’ father, Delmon, was 30 years old and worked as a coal loader in the mines. His mother, Myrtle, was 31 years old. Children present in the home were Velma 8, Bunice 5, Charles 4 and Donald, one month old. The Edwards had lost a baby girl in the last three years.
The families luck would not improve soon, shortly after the census was taken, they lost their baby son, Charles’s younger brother, Donald and then on May 4, 1923, Delmon passed away. Delmon had been working for the Slogo Coal Company as a miner and died in their home at 707 N. Washington St. at the young age of 33, leaving Charles and his two sisters orphans and his wife a widow.
When the 1930 census rolled around, the family was living a few houses away at 711 N. Washington Street. Charles was 14 years old and his widowed mother was working as a beautician out of their home to make ends meet. Charles’ sisters, Velma and Bunice, were then respectively 18 and 16 years old.
Edwards married Anna Verle Rider in Salem, Missouri on September 4, 1940.
He enlisted in his country’s service during WW II and served as a paratrooper overseas for six months. He participated in the Battle of the Bulge and was a prisoner of war in Germany.
After his discharge from the service, he became a deputy Sheriff for Williamson County under Lawrence Cannon who was Sheriff from 1946 to 1950. After Cannon, he served under Sheriff Ora Kirby until his term was completed. During Edwards’ service with the sheriff’s department he was kept active in the late 1940’s and into the 1950’s chasing illegal alcohol stills and illicit gambling located in the county.
Edwards was hired as Marion Police Chief in June 21, 1954. While serving as Marion Police Chief in the 1950’s and into the 1960’s, he continued to deal with illegal alcohol and gaming machines including pinball and slot machines which were controlled tightly by a syndicated operation called Buddy-Buddy Enterprises. A few raids were made inside the city of Marion by the Illinois State Police without any forewarning in which illegal gambling devices, mainly slot machines, were discovered at a number of fraternal clubs in the city.
His wife, Anna, died December 24, 1963 and he married Vivian Buford Courtney in Marion on July 6, 1966.
Edwards also was an investigator for the law firm of Harris, Holderbrook and Lambert in Marion.
Charles Edwards was fired by the Marion city council on May 8, 1967, and he was replaced by John Kelley, long time Marion night Chief. The release was based on the charges that he had not cooperated with other government agencies and failed to instruct officers properly, according to local papers.
On June 14, 1967, a mandamus suit seeking an order to reinstate Edwards as Chief was filed in Williamson County Court by Edwards. The suit asked the court to; find the Edwards discharge by the city council on May 8th as illegal and invalid, oust John Kelley as chief who had replaced him, restrain the city from interfering with Edward’s performance of duties, and enter a judgment against the city for any salary due Edwards from discharge to the date of judgment. The suit also asked a permanent injunction against Kelley exercising the powers and duties as chief and payment of court costs to be paid by the city. He basically alleged that he was under the merit board system and that the council had no power to fire him, so the real legal question was whether the council had the authority to discharge him.
A hearing was set for August 11th but was continued on Edward’s request. The next hearing was scheduled for September 22nd but didn’t actually occur until December 11th. The court upheld Edward’s dismissal, Judge C.E. Wright stating that Marion, under the Cities and Villages Act merit system, has a right to “fire the chief and all future chiefs” since it took advantage of an amendment retaining the right to appoint police and fire chiefs to the city council rather than the merit board. He said the police chief is “the officer that the city council must rely upon to carry out policies.
Edwards appealed the decision, but less than a year later, Edwards, 53, Chief of Police in Marion for 13 years, died at 6 p.m. Monday, October 21, 1968, in Marion Memorial Hospital. John Kelley retired from the police force two months later.
A ruling released on December 29, 1970 by the Fifth Appellate Court determined that Edwards had been “ineffectively” discharged. They found that Edwards had not been given the benefit of the merit system act by the council in not filing charges and holding a public hearing. Since the city did not comply, Edwards discharge was found to be ineffective and technically remained a member of the department until his death.
The ruling meant that the city had to pay Mrs. Vivian Edwards, as plaintiff and widow, back salary and that she would also be eligible for pension benefits.
Mr. Edwards was a member of Fellowship Masonic Lodge # 89, Theodore Roosevelt Order 14 of the Sword of Bunker Hill, Elks Lodge No. 800, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1301 and the Illinois Police Association. He was also a member of the Marion Third Baptist Church.
Three sisters and one brother preceded him in death.
Mr. Edwards was survived by his wife, Vivian; son, Tommy Edwards at home; stepchildren, Michelle Courtney at home and Mrs. Patricia Hankins of Pittsburgh, Pa.; a sister, Mrs. Velma Deaton of Marion; and one step granddaughter.
Services were held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Wilson Funeral Home of Marion. The Rev. Robert Howie officiated. Burial followed in Rose Hill Cemetery.
Sam’s Notes: I don’t have a clue where the nickname “Yobbie” came from but have seen it spelled numerous ways. “Yobbie” is how it appeared in his Southern Illinoisan obit, if anyone has any insight about this, please advise.
(Extracted from Southern Illinoisan articles and obituaries; Federal Census Records; Illinois Death Records; WWI Registration Records; Marion City Cemetery Records; compiled by Sam Lattuca on 01/19/2014)