Lewis H. Stehr Jr.

Lewis Herman Stehr Jr. was born around 1876 in Camden, New Jersey. His father, Lewis Stehr Sr., also served on the Camden Police Department, and his grandfather, Harmon Stehr, was a Civil War veteran and City Assessor of Camden.

Lewis Jr. joined the Camden Police Department and had risen to the rank of Captain by May 1918, commanding the 2nd District. He was promoted to Inspector by late 1927. On March 2, 1928, Mayor Winfield S. Price selected him to serve as Acting Chief of Police, succeeding James Tatem. He served as Chief of Police until his death on December 10, 1930. He was survived by his wife, Anna, who died in October 1967.

Police Inspector Lewis H. Stehr Jr. has announced that he will personally conduct the investigation into the fire that destroyed several buildings on Kaighn Avenue, causing an estimated $200,000 in damage.

Director of Public Safety David S. Rhone delayed issuing permits for soft drink establishments as Acting Chief of Police Lewis H. Stehr Jr. and police conducted investigations into approximately 150 applications pending before the city.

Photograph from the $225,000 fire that destroyed five uptown plants in the Erie-Varoma block, Camden, February 22, 1928.

With the owners and the police attributing jealousy of business success as the only plausible motive for the bombing last night of the plant of the Sanitary Milk Dairies Company, at 311 Division Street, search was started today for a tall, heavyset man with a mixed blue suit as the bomber.

City detectives mingled among the throngs of men, women and children who today viewed the damage caused by the bomb — a crude, home-made time device — which, in exploding, rocked the neighborhood, shattered window panes, doors, fences and the exteriors of nearby properties. Machinery in the Coccia plant was damaged by the concussion and by parts of bomb shrapnel, which pierced or bent it.

Mrs. Angelina Coccia, mother of the Coccia brothers, her daughter Theresa Coccia, 14, and Mrs. Mary De Luzzio, 59, of 317 Division Street, were in the kitchen of the Coccia home when the bomb exploded. The dairy is at the rear of the home of Primo Coccia, one of the owners. His brothers — partners in the business — are Paul Coccia, 242 Pine Street; Adam Coccia, 346 Cherry Street, and Matthew Coccia, 941 South Third Street.

Saw Mysterious Stranger

Mrs. Coccia cannot speak English, but through her son Matthew Coccia, it was learned today that, before the explosion, she had seen a man passing the kitchen window.

“The man walked down the alley at the side of the house,” Mrs. Coccia told her son in Italian. “He was a heavy-set man and tall; I thought he was a customer who had come for milk. People often come at night to buy milk, and I did not think it strange about the man.

“But then I waited for him to knock at the back door, as customers usually do,” she continued. “When he did not knock, I wondered what he might be up to, and I was just ready to leave the kitchen to see where he went when I heard the explosion. I did not know what happened after that, I was so nervous, I didn’t even see the man leave the way he came. But he was the one who set the bomb. Of that I am sure.”

Dog Vainly Warns

The Coccias have a big Italian Bulldog chained to a gasoline tank at the rear of their home. The dog barked continually last night to warn the Coccias; they were so used to his barks, they said today, that they thought he had been growling at a customer, as he sometimes does late at night.

Mrs. Coccia said she was unable to give a detailed description of the man she saw last night because an electric bulb in the alleyway was not lit. It was the first time the alley was in darkness at night, Matthew Coccia said, and this the bomber apparently took into consideration in seeking to go about his diabolical tasks without possible detection.

Coccia said boys living in the neighborhood saw the man enter an automobile, with lights out, immediately after the explosion shook the neighborhood. The car, they said, had been parked near the Coccia home with its front and rear lights out.

Detective Fiore Troncone, who is investigating the bombing, informed Coccia today that he had received a description of the automobile from Coccia’s neighbors. They said they had seen the driver put on the lights at Fourth and Division Street as he turned the corner to go north in his escape.

Rev. John S. Hackett, pastor of the Wiley M.E. Church, Third and Berkley Streets, who was among those viewing the damage done by the bomb, said he saw the man acting nervously at Third and Pine Street last night, immediately after the explosion. His description of the man tallied with that given by Mrs. Coccia.

“I was waiting for the first edition of the Morning Post to arrive at the store at that corner,” Mr. Hackett said today, “when my attention was attracted to this man. He seemed to be very nervous about something. He was fairly tall and heavy-set and wore a mixed blue suit, with light coloring. When the papers arrived and I bought a copy, he seemed to be very anxious to see what was on the front page. I did not know about the bomb until I read the paper, but it occurred to me later that perhaps this man was acting suspiciously and was eager to see what damage had been caused. I’m sorry now I didn’t question him. But I can give police a good description of him.”

The Coccias said the only reason they could see for the bombing was jealousy of their business success by a person with a deranged mind. “We had no enemies,” Matthew Coccia said, “and we never fought with anybody. I cannot understand it. It must have been jealousy at the way we were getting along.” Coccia said no threatening letters had been received. He insisted that there was no reason why the “Blackhand” should desire to ruin Primo Coccia’s home or their business.

Neighbors Called Police and Firemen

Detectives found a firemen’s shovel near where the stone steps to the dairy had been. They believed it had been used to dig a trench under the steps in which to insert the bomb.

Primo Coccia, who had been to the theatre, came home five minutes after the explosion. He found a throng in front and dazedly pushed through until his mother hysterically screamed the news to him.

The bomb burst in the dairy door and sprayed big pieces of the iron pipe along the side of the house and into the room, where it caused most of the damage to the machinery. Fifteen windows of the Coccia house were shattered and police believe the foundations at the rear may have been weakened.

The worst damage to neighboring buildings was to the rear of the Seven Brothers Bakery, owned by the Canzanese Brothers, 318–22 Pine Street, which backs against the dairy. Twenty windows of the bakery were crushed in, the door was riddled with small pieces of the pipe and the rear was peppered with the “shrapnel.”

Joseph Scotthouse, 317 Division Street, ran to the yard at the rear of his home to find the fence had been peppered with tiny pieces of the pipe, some of which had torn into his kitchen through windows and doors. Six windows of the home of Sabatino Di Paolo, 321 Division Street, were broken.

A police cordon was thrown around the neighborhood by Chief of Police Stehr, who took personal charge of the investigation. Police from every district in the city were rushed to the scene and patrols were dispatched to be prepared for any eventuality.

The neighborhood was searched carefully and every resident was questioned, but no one was able to give any clue which might lead police to the bombers. Squads of detectives and police patrolled the neighborhood for hours after the explosion, seeking objects which might have been dropped by the bombers.

Contract for new police uniforms was awarded yesterday to the Hurley store by the city commission, which heretofore had contracted with a Philadelphia firm.

Changes in the uniforms of several of the police departments are planned by Chief Lewis H. Stehr and Captain Arthur Colsey. Because many bus companies have adopted uniforms similar to those of the police for their drivers, the new uniforms for the mounted police will include blue coat, blue hat and khaki breeches. Police attached to the ambulance patrol will wear dark gray whipcord uniforms. Traffic police and others will wear the regular blue uniform now in use.

Uniform inspection will be held Monday to ascertain the department’s needs.

More than 300 state officers and delegates representing 78 New Jersey police departments were present yesterday at a meeting of the State Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association at Tenth Street and Kaighn Avenue.

All state officers were present at the afternoon meeting, including State President Dennis Byrne, of New Brunswick; First Vice President Henry Miller, of Rahway; Second Vice President August Harasdzira, of Garfield; Recording Secretary Michael McKeever, of Trenton; Financial Secretary Thomas Higgins, of West Orange, and State Treasurer William Mallon, of West New York.

Police work used in various cities was discussed. Plans were made for the state convention in Wildwood September 14, 15 and 16. Everett Joslin, Herbert Bott and George Weber were named local delegates to represent the local union, No. 35, at the Wildwood convention.

Chief of Police Lewis H. Stehr welcomed the delegates. A telegram of welcome was read from Director of Public Safety David S. Rhone, who is in Washington. The committee in charge of yesterday’s meeting consisted of Clifford Flenard, president of Local No. 35; Stanley Wirtz, Edward Cahill, Frank Wilmot, John McTaggart, James McTaggart and Howard Henery.

Three boys are being held and two others are sought in the investigation of the $45,000 fire which today destroyed the warehouse of Sitley & Son, wholesale hardware, roofing material and grain dealers at Sixth and Bulson streets.

The three boys were ordered held by Police Judge Pancoast after authorities expressed belief that the three-alarm fire was caused either by thieves or boys smoking cigarettes on the premises. Two of the youths admitted they stole coal from the plant’s siding last night, while the third confessed that he and two other boys were in the plant last evening. He said his two companions were smoking.

One fireman was slightly hurt when he ran a nail into his foot, while other firefighters narrowly escaped injury when the roof of the blazing building collapsed. A dense fog, rain, great clouds of thick smoke and intense heat hampered the firemen, and rendered them practically helpless for more than three hours. When the blaze was finally under control at 8:00 a.m., only the blackened and buckled walls remained standing.

Discovery of three rolls of wire fencing on nearby railroad tracks and the presence of two men near the premises when the blaze was discovered led Fire Chief Thomas Nicholas to believe thieves had thrown a cigarette near some flammable material.

Horses Rescued

While fire apparatus sped to the scene, Frederick Baum, 431 Winslow Street; Patrolman Frank Del Rossi and Police Sergeant Edward Carroll heard the shrill screams of horses in the stable, which had quickly become an inferno. The four rushed into the stable, broke down the door, and led out the two horses, which several times attempted to run back into the flames. The men also drove three trucks out of the place before they were driven away by the dense smoke.

Commissioner Frank B. Hanna arrived and increased the water pressure five points at the pumping stations to keep a water supply to feed the hose lines. Chief of Police Lewis H. Stehr also sped to the fire.

All three boys were arraigned before Judge Pancoast in police court this morning and held without bail pending investigation.