Introduction
Frank Spinogatti was born on January 8, 1899. The 1910 Census shows him living with his parents, Giuseppe and Maria Spinogatti, and brother Michael at 422 Spruce Street in Camden NJ. His father then worked as a fireman at the Otto Coke plant for many years. A sister, Mildred, was born shortly thereafter. His parents had moved to 338 Division Street, near Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, by April of 1917. The 1920 Census states that Frank Spinogatti was serving in the United States Army at the time.
Frank Spinogatti does not appear in the 1924 or 1929 Camden City Directories, but he was in town in 1933. He had been attracted to politics, and was commander of the Camden unit of the Khaki Shirts of America, a short-lived radical political organization of the day. His association with the Khaki Shirts brought him into contact with its leader, Arthur J. Smith, who was based in Philadelphia, and the somewhat notorious Raymond J. Healey, who was arrested in Camden in August of 1933.
Brother Michael Spinogatti was an associate of and was driving with Camden organized crime figure Vincent Scola shortly before the latter was “rubbed out” in the early morning hours of March 29, 1944.
Last a resident of Beverly NJ, Frank Spinogatti passed away in December of 1972.
Photos
Frank Spinogatti
Khaki Shirts to Meet
Camden Courier-Post —
A special meeting of the Camden unit, Khaki Shirts of America, has been called for tonight by Commander Frank Spinogatti. The affair will be staged at 415 Chestnut Street. All members are requested to attend because business of importance to the unit will be taken up, Spinogatti said.
Camden Khaki Shirts Will Parade Sunday
Camden Courier-Post —
The local unit of the Khaki Shirts of America will stage their first parade on Sunday which will be followed by a mass meeting to be held at Fourth and Spruce Streets.
The parade will form at Fourth and Cooper Streets and proceed down Cooper to Third, south on Third to Mechanic, east on Mechanic to Fourth and north on Fourth Street to Spruce.
The procession will be headed by Commander-in-chief Arthur J. Smith and Brigadier-General Frank Spinogatti, commander of the local unit.
Speakers at the rally will include Brigadier-General Royd E. Morrison, Lieutenant-General John Glover and General Dominic Sianno,
Organizations wishing to take part of the proceedings are requested to report at Fourth and Cooper streets at 4 p.m., starting time of the parade.
Camden Khaki Shirts Will Parade Sunday
Camden Courier-Post —
Same article as June 7, 1933 edition.
The local unit of the Khaki Shirts of America will stage their first parade on Sunday which will be followed by a mass meeting to be held at Fourth and Spruce Streets.
The parade will form at Fourth and Cooper Streets and proceed down Cooper to Third, south on Third to Mechanic, east on Mechanic to Fourth and north on Fourth Street to Spruce.
The procession will be headed by Commander-in-chief Arthur J. Smith and Brigadier-General Frank Spinogatti, commander of the local unit.
Speakers at the rally will include Brigadier-General Royd E. Morrison, Lieutenant-General John Glover and General Dominic Sianno,
Organizations wishing to take part of the proceedings are requested to report at Fourth and Cooper streets at 4 p.m., starting time of the parade.
Khaki Shirts Parade in Camden
Camden Courier-Post —
Members From Other Towns Join in First Demonstration Here
More than 300 members of the Khaki Shirts of America, including 80 from Baltimore and a mounted detachment from Philadelphia, yesterday marched in their first Camden parade. More than 3000 paraded in Philadelphia.
The group, wearing their uniforms and helmets, was headed by Commander-in-chief Arthur J. Smith. His staff included Lieutenant General John Glover, Major General W. D. Thornton, Brigadier General Royd E. Morrison, Brigadier General Frank Spinogatti and Brigadier General Harry Ralley.
They marched from Fifth and Linden Streets to Fourth and Spruce Streets and assembled at Sons of Italy Hall. Camden police escorted the marchers.
Residents Are Warned of ‘Khaki Imposters’
Camden Courier-Post —
Warning to residents of Camden to refrain from giving funds to men representing themselves as members of the Khaki Shirts was made yesterday by Brigadier General Frank Spinogatti, commander of the South Jersey Division of the organization.
Spinogatti reported to police that impostors using the name of the Khaki Shirts have sought funds to aid unemployed. No requests for funds have been authorized Spinogatti said.
Khaki Shirts Here Ask Smith’s Scalp
Camden Courier-Post —
KHAKI SHIRTS HERE ASK SMITH’S SCALP
Members Decree Death as ’General’ Flees Philadelphia Police; Cash Gone, Too
By CHARLES L. HUMES
“Death to the Rats of the General Staff!”
“We want a Blackshirt for a leader!”
“Death to the double-crossers!”
Idle threats? Maybe! But they cover the walls of a small store and dwelling at 1116 South Fourth street, headquarters of the Camden Khaki Shirts.
And the reason? Well—
“Chief ’Commanding General’” Art J. Smith is accused of double-crossing his Khaki Shirts of America—and deserting with some $25,000 of the outfit’s funds.
Camden Man Missing
With him in his flight, is a Camden man—one of the “General Staff”. He is Angelo Daccia, 21, of 629 White street. Followers of the “American Fascist” are unable to tell whether Daccia is an accomplice or unwilling
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companion of their fallen idol—“General” Smith.
Camden members of the Khaki Shirts, some 900 strong, are puzzled. They know their leader has deserted them but aside from that they apparently know nothing.
They can’t even find their own commander, “Brigadier General” Frank Spinogatti. As late as last midnight, “General” Spinogatti also was among the missing but without any cash.
Desertion of the “general staff” came late Wednesday night, with a few waiting until dawn to take to their collective heels.
Were to ’Seize’ U. S.
It came on the eve of the “march on Washington,” where the Khaki Shirts were to seize the government
and turn it over to President Roosevelt. F. R. was to be their “dictator.”
They assembled at “general headquarters,” 4420 North Broad street, Philadelphia, about 1000 strong—which is quite some Khaki Shirts away from the 10,000,000 Smith said would march on the capital.
Among the group were quite a few of Smith’s Camden followers. They were eager for the march. In fact two car loads of them went right on to the capital without word from their commander, and arrived there yesterday to be escorted out of town—after being told of the flight of their leader.
And Smith? He took the easiest way out—a nearby window—when Philadelphia police moved in on him Wednesday night.
Turns Up Missing!
FRANK SPINOGATTI
Police arrived right after Smith had asked for volunteers, police say, to blow up the dynamos of the Philadelphia Electric Company. Following this he was to lead his “army” on the Philadelphia city hall. No mention was made, however, concerning Camden’s stately municipal building.
’Stall’ Is Suspected
All this was to precede the “march” on the capital. Police believe Smith was stalling, that he deliberately asked his “comrades” to perform a duty they didn’t relish in order to give him time to get out of time with their money.
They say he had no idea of leading the trek to the capital.
In fact, his wife was seen to leave Philadelphia headquarters a short time before police arrived—with bag and baggage. She seated herself in the “General’s” high-priced automobile and waited. At the wheel was Daccia.
Smith, upstairs with his followers, suddenly was confronted by the police. No one knows who summoned them. The commander took the officials, they included Acting Superintendent Joseph Le Strange, into a side room for a conference.
“You are a cheap racketeer,” Le Strange said he told Smith. “Now we want you to go through with this march. In fact, we want you to start right now. And lead your men to the city limits—quick.”
Smith was in a spot. He knew it. For months he had been whipping his followers into a frenzy with his promises of leading them on to the capital. But every time the march was scheduled, something else would turn up and it would be postponed.
Wednesday night he thought of the bright idea of “capturing” Philadelphia, knowing full well he wouldn’t get any volunteers.
Does Own ’March’
At any rate he agreed to go ahead with the march. He started back to the room filled with impatient Khaki Shirts. Before he reached it he had to pass a window in the hallway. That’s as far as he got—diving through the window headfirst, in what police described as his most courageous move since organizing the Fascist group more than a year ago.
Then the hunt was on. Besides the funds, police said Smith made a large sum from the sale of “khaki shirts”—at $2 each—to members. They were made to purchase the garment from
him upon their agreeing to join the organization.
The family of the Camden man believed to be with Smith is distracted. Weeping, they crowd around the South Fourth street headquarters, asking for news. Until a late hour none was forthcoming.
There was a brief flurry of excitement when two telegrams arrived from “Patsy” Paresi, a “big shot” of the Camden Khaki Shirts, who actually believed Smith and went to Washington yesterday.
The first, in English, read: “Win Washington. Everything O. K. Be home soon.”
The second, in Italian, and filed only two minutes later, bore the cryptic message:
“Smith double-crossed us.”
It is believed that an error was made in the first wire and that instead of “Win Washington,” Paresi had meant, “In Washington.”
But Paresi was not in Washington. He and 40 companions were turned back at the city limits by police and U. S. Secret Service men. They were on their way home last night.
Most of Smith’s Khaki Shirts are unemployed men from whom he received money for the organization, and feeling is running high against him. They obviously have been bilked by his thinly veiled racket and it is freely and emphatically declared by South Camden residents that he can escape with his life only by fleeing to another country.
Meanwhile, a warrant was sworn out for his arrest yesterday afternoon by “Colonel” James Laskey, 622 North Tenth street, Philadelphia, charging the former “chief general” with fraud. Laskey, self-styled “chiseler of food” for the Khaki Shirts, told Magistrate Coward that Smith had absconded with between $20,000 and $25,000.
‘Chief Khaki’ Hunted; Other Shirts Unable to Sew Up Tatters
Camden Morning Post —
The Khaki Shirts of America remained leaderless last night while police of Eastern cities were searching for their erstwhile “Commanding General” Art J. Smith, who fled through a window of their Philadelphia headquarters Wednesday night.
Attempts to reorganize them by members of the “General Staff” who did not desert, met with disapproval. They, apparently, “had had enough.”
In Camden “Brigadier General” Frank Spinogatti returned to deny he “had vanished.” “I was in Washington,” he said.. [sic] “The only man who has vanished is Art Smith.” Spinogatti intimated he would continue as “Brigadier General” of the Camden unit, which has headquarters at 1116 South Fourth street.
Art Smith to Give Up Today, Camden Khaki Shirt Declares
Camden Morning Post —
L.A. Montello