August Pfleiderer

Introduction

August Gustav “Gus” Pfleiderer was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 5, 1889. He served as a detective with the Camden Police Department for many years.

August Pfleiderer served for three years in the United States Army, reaching the rank of Corporal prior to his discharge. Enlisting in 1910, he spent a year in the Philippines, then two patrolling the Mexican border during a time when bandits often made cross border raids. After coming out of the army he found his way to Camden. August Pfleiderer was living at 1026 Spruce Street and working as a shipping clerk in Philadelphia when he registered for the draft on June 5, 1917. By 1920 he had married Regina McCann and was living with her family at 918 Pine Street. August Pfleiderer was then working as a crane runner at one of Camden’s shipyards. He was appointed to the Camden Police Department in July of 1922. He and his wife were still living at 918 Pine Street. Son William was born in November of 1924. The Pfleiderers were then living at 1323 Chase Street. From 1927 through at least the spring of 1942 the family lived at 1385 Kenwood Avenue. By the spring of 1954 the Pfleiderers had moved to 1643 Marylind Street.

August Pfleiderer served with distinction for over three decades, retiring in the spring of 1954. He died on December 7, 1969 and was buried at New Camden Cemetery. He was survived by his wife and son, William.

World War I Draft Card

August Pfleiderer World War I draft registration card, front — World War I draft registration card for August Pfleiderer

August Pfleiderer World War I draft registration card, back — World War I draft registration card for August Pfleiderer

New Policemen Named to City Wards

Camden Daily Courier — July 6, 1922

New Policeman on Job

Camden Daily Courier — July 20, 1922

Cops and Firemen in First Practice

Camden Post-Telegram — August 19, 1925

Cops and Firemen in First Practice article, part 2 — Charles Younger – Y.M.C.A. – Lewis H. Stehr Jr. – Joseph Connell – John W. Golden – Charles T. Humes – Archie Riess – Walter A. Mertz – Engine Company 1

Everett Joslin – Joseph McDonald – Vernon Jones – Frank Nelson – William Rogers – Harold Dunnit – John Bright – Edwin Callahan – Walter Larson – August Pfleiderer – Clarence Phifer – Thomas Welch – Stanley Wirtz – Charles Naylor – George Rothwell – Richard Donnelly – Lester Gleason – Joseph Keefe

Fred Schucker – Harry Wagner – Chris Moll – Harry Layton – Edgar Ellender – August Haverkamp – Frank Kuda – Harry Kleinfelder – William Foehl – Thomas Shanahan – Harrison Pike – Lester Anderson – William Wood – George Townsend – Allen Palmer – William Swartz – Nelson Till – William Mountney – John A. Strauss – Frank Obermann – Edward Menzies – John Mulligan – Frank Kates – Clifford Lane – Nelson Andrews – Harry Leigh

John Lennox – William Merrigan – Howard Walker – Harry Greenan – Peter Laird

Smith – could be David, George, Roy, or Spencer William Rudd?

Camden Motorcycle Sporting Club – Joseph Bernart – Frank DeViney – Carl Preisendanz – Edward Paul – Charles Ellis – George Gummel – Bennett Arnold – Clayton Albertson

Man Ties Rocks to His Arm and Jumps in River

Camden Evening Courier — July 13, 1926

Man Ties Rocks to His Arm and Jumps in River article, part 2 — Named: John Blachniak, Harold Hibbs, Frank Whipple, Harry Whipple, Niles Whipple, William Carillo, Joseph Darrio, Walter Blachniak, Joseph Murray, August Pfleiderer, Liberty Street, Royden Street, Beckett Street, and Whitman Avenue.

Parolee Seized in Stolen Auto by Camden Cop

Camden Courier-Post — 1938

Parolee Seized in Stolen Auto by Camden Cop article, part 2 — PAROLEE SEIZED IN STOLEN AUTO BY CAMDEN COP

Sadowski Was Freed by Judge in 20-Year Term for Bank Holdup

ARRESTED AT WHEEL OF ELUSIVE MACHINE

Mitchell Sadowski, 21-year-old paroled convict, who was given a “break” five months ago in Federal Court by Judge Philip Forman, was under arrest again last night after being found at the wheel of a stolen Pennsylvania automobile.

Sadowski was arrested yesterday by Detective August Pfleiderer after Camden police searched the city for the elusive car since Monday when it was stolen in Philadelphia.

The car was sighted Wednesday by a Parkside resident who called police but the machine disappeared again before detectives arrived. The car, a 1938 Packard coupe, is owned by John Holdstein, of 7614 Brewer avenue, Philadelphia.

Sadowski’s last escapade with the police occurred when he was given a sentence of 20 years in State’s prison which was suspended by Judge Forman on the gunman’s plea he “had a job.”

Judge Forman placed the youth on probation for five years after a jury found him guilty as the getaway driver in the $4119 robbery of the First National Bank of Marlton.

At that time Sadowski had just finished a two-year term in the state prison for holdup near Atlantic City. He was convicted on two indictments in the bank holdup and sentenced to 20 years on each count. Judge Forman ruled the sentences would run concurrently and ordered probation in each instance.

The machine in which Sadowski was arrested was first reported in front of 1310 Park boulevard by Calvin Hunsingur, who called police giving them the license number. Detectives Clifford and William Casler told Hunsingur to watch the car until they could send a tow wagon out for it. A few minutes later Hunsingur saw

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a young man get into the machine and drive it away.

Detectives Stand Watch

The next time it was reported seen in Camden was at 4 p. m. yesterday when George Mayo, of 812 Kaighn avenue, called and said the car was in front of 824 Kaighn avenue and had been there since 6 a. m. Pfleiderer with Detectives Carr and Joseph Mardino and Detective Sergeant Thomas Murphy went to the address and tore out a wire from the distributor to prevent the machine from being started. They then took stands to watch for anyone entering the machine. At 5:30 p. m., when no one appeared Sgt. Murphy, Carr and Mardino returned to the Detective Bureau leaving Pfleiderer standing at Ninth street and Kaighn avenue.

At 6:30 p. m., Pfleiderer said, he noticed someone get into the machine and try to start it. The detective with gun drawn approached the driver and told him he was under arrest. Pfleiderer immediately recognized the man as Sadowski.

When the detective accosted Sadowski, the youth is alleged to have pleaded with Pfleiderer to shoot him and kill him instead of returning him to state prison.

“Go ahead and shoot me,” cried Sadowski, according to Pfleiderer. “I would rather be shot than go back to prison.”

Pleads Innocence

Last night while Sadowski was in the detention cell in Detective Bureau he paced the floor constantly, pleading with detectives he was innocent and not to send him back to prison.

The gunman’s criminal career began in January, of 1933, when he was arrested for stealing an automobile in Camden and attempting to rob a Mantua chain store.

In 1934 Sadowski was arrested with five others for the holdup of the Public Service bus garage at Fifteenth and Mickle streets and robbery of the cashier of more than $300. He was found guilty of participation and sentenced from seven to 10 years in prison and released on parole in July, last year after serving less than four years.

On his release Sadowski was arrested again for the Marlton bank robbery in which he and three others escaped with $4000. The others were Stanley Krause, Stanley Geda and John Lenkowsky. The four bandits were the same quartet which robbed the Public Service Garage. Each was arrested as he was released from prison. Krause and Geda both drew suspended sentences on March 21, before Judge Frank A. Hendrickson after entering pleas of non volt on the bank holdup charges.

At the time when the four pleaded guilty to the garage holdup, they also admitted robberies of the Genova Cafe, Third and Arch streets, and of the Mantua chain store.

Detectives last night were attempting to link Sadowski with the holdup last Tuesday afternoon of the Dublin National Bank, at Dublin, Pa. Three bandits, all armed and two of them masked, cowed a woman employe and a customer into a corner and forced the cashier, Henry Schanbacker, to hand over $3500 in cash from the cashier’s cage.

Phila. Bound Passenger Charged With Fraud Here and in 2 Towns

Camden Courier-Post — February 28, 1938

Arrested on a Philadelphia-bound bus Saturday night, William Epstein, 35, of 1021 Clinton Street, Philadelphia, is being held by local police for passing worthless checks in Camden, Collingswood and Bridgeton.

Bridgeton police notified City Detective Gus Pfleiderer that Epstein boarded a bus for Philadelphia after giving a worthless check for $25 to Mrs. Martha Bowen, a storekeeper, of 80 Commerce Street, Bridgeton. Pfleiderer met the bus at Broadway and Market Street at 7:30 p.m. and arrested Epstein.

Later Epstein was identified by Miss Eleanor Jaeckel, florist, of 3702 Westfield Avenue, as a man for whom she cashed a worthless check for $16.50 on February 19. Nathan Bushman, 201 Broadway, told police Epstein gave him one for $13.50 last week. Collingswood police notified Pfleiderer that Epstein passed a bad check for $10 last week on Arnold Weiss, merchant, of 700 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood.

City Detective Harry Kyler said Epstein has served three years in the Eastern Penitentiary, Philadelphia, for the same offense.

Pfleiderer said Epstein admitted passing bad checks here.

Police Photo Aids in Holdup Arrest

Camden Courier-Post — October 29, 1940

Police Photo Aids in Holdup Arrest article, part 2 — Named: Stanley Geda, Gene R. Mariano, John Miller, August Pfleiderer, Joseph Mardino, Frank Crawford, Albert Brager, Whitman Avenue, and Clinton Street.

Camden Man Hooked By Fish-Box Bait

Philadelphia Inquirer — July 16, 1942

Philadelphia Inquirer article, July 16, 1942 — Tackled Out of $1700

By JAMES R. GEORGE

There is nothing basically wrong with people carrying fishing-tackle boxes. They may be going fishing and it would be intolerant to start shooting at them from windows.

But when they start showing up in teams, as they did at the home of John Prus in Norris st., Camden, one might begin thinking about coincidence. As a matter of fact, Prus did, but he was a little late in starting.

Mr. Prus, a 64-year-old widower, had let it be known that he wanted a couple to keep house for him, and he had hardly uttered these lines when a couple arrived — a rather nice, ingratiating man and his wife, who had a tin fishing-tackle box as their sole piece of baggage.

Shortly afterward — that was last Monday — a friend of theirs arrived and he, too, had a tin fishing-tackle box, just to make things look more fishy.

From there on, the story assumes that weird tone that such things always have.

The three fugitives from a tackle shop began talking about big money in some “sure-fire” real estate and suggested using the boxes as “depositories” for the money to buy it, and one of them produced what Prus described as a “big roll.”

Prus went down to the bank and took out $1500 which he deposited along with theirs and another $200 of his own in one of the boxes.

Prus told City Detective Gus Pfleiderer yesterday that the woman was shaking out a cloth as he put his money in the box and “everything got blurred.”

When he woke up he waited for them to come back and then, becoming worried, opened one of the boxes and found what might have been expected — that the “big roll” was stage money. His own $1700 was gone.

Detective Pfleiderer sighed deeply, having heard things like this before, and started out on the trail.

Father Shot, Son Tries to Shield Mother

Camden Courier-Post — October 9, 1944

Father Shot, Son Tries to Shield Mother article, part 2 — Ex-Fireman Wounded in Arm; Woman Takes Blame

The son of a former city fireman made a fruitless attempt last night to save his mother from arrest by asserting he fired a shot that hit his estranged father in the arm while the latter was threatening the mother and trying to break into their East Camden home.

While Tennie Hutchinson, Jr., 25, was insisting to city detectives it was he who fired the shot and wounded his father, Tennie Hutchinson, Sr., 47, in the left arm, the mother, Veronica, 48, walked into the detective bureau and admitted her guilt.

Detective Capt. Gus Koerner, with Detectives Pfleiderer, Trout and Ellis, were questioning the son, when Pfleiderer received an anonymous telephone call the mother was enroute to the bureau and she had fired the shot.

Mother Admits Shooting

A few minutes later, the mother entered the room. “Did you shoot your husband?” Pfleiderer asked Mrs. Hutchinson. He received an affirmative reply.

Mrs. Hutchinson, who lives at 49 South Twenty-second street, told the detectives she was home alone about 6 p. m. yesterday when her husband rapped on the front door demanding entrance. She refused to let him in, she said. As he was trying to break in the door, the son approached the house, coming home from bowling with his sister, Mrs. Eleanor Knighton, 22, of the same address. When the father saw the son, Mrs. Hutchinson, the parent ran around to the back door and tried to get into the house, meanwhile threatening to kill her.

While the former fireman was standing on the back step, the wife said, she grabbed a .32 calibre revolver and fired one shot through the window of the door.

Son Takes Blame

A few seconds later the son entered the front door, took the gun from his mother, and told her: “No matter what happens, mother, I fired the shot. Even if dad dies, I did it.”

The shot attracted neighbors, including Rev. Newton C. Conant, of 52 North Twenty-second street, who took the gun away from the son when he emerged from the Hutchinson home. When police arrived, the son said he did the shooting. The father was taken to Cooper hospital for treatment, and the son to the detective bureau for questioning.

The son told Koerner his mother and father had been separated for several months and his father had threatened his mother for the past several weeks.

Hutchinson, Koerner said, tried to end his life Wednesday night by slashing his throat with a razor, when he was unable to gain entrance to the Twenty-second street home. He was taken to Cooper hospital for treatment and later placed in the rest room for observation. When nurses and physicians began tending other patients, Hutchinson fled the hospital, Koerner said.

Driver for Fire Chief

Hutchinson was a driver for former Fire Chief Carter before he left the department in 1938. Police said he has been living in Salem county lately and working for duPont’s at Gibbstown. The couple have two other children, Kenneth, six, and Douglas, 13, who were out playing when the shooting occurred.

After detectives took statements from the mother and son, the former was released in $1000 bail on a charge of atrocious assault and battery to await a hearing in Police Court tomorrow morning. The son was released in his own recognizance as a material witness. The bail bond was offered by the elder Hutchinson’s brother, George H. Hutchinson, of 619 Clinton street.

Youth Robs Suite in Apartment House

Camden Courier-Post — August 15, 1945

A youthful thief with a penchant for women’s silk undies is being sought by police for the robbery of a suite in the Helene Apartments, Third and Cooper Streets.

The youth was seen by other occupants of the apartment house going down the Third Street fire escape but they did not realize he was a robber until Mrs. Jesse Farrow arrived home to find the apartment ransacked.

She told City Detective Pfleiderer yesterday that the thief took a light cowhide suitcase in which he packed women’s clothing, six pairs of new nylon stockings, three nightgowns and a pair of pajamas.