Camden Courier-Post — February 13, 1967
Camden Courier-Post —
Camden to Promote Three to Sergeants
Three Camden patrolmen will be promoted to the rank of sergeant at 10 a.m. tomorrow, by Director of Public Safety Keith Kauffman during ceremonies at City Hall.
The three will fill out the department’s quota of 36 sergeants, replacing three retired members.
Promoted were John Giletto, 33, of 203 N. 41st Street; Virgil Ferrari, 36, of 3045 Carman Street, and Thomas Ewanichak, 50, of 320 Garden Avenue.
Giletto and Ferrari have been members of the force since 1960, and Ewanichak joined the department in 1948.
Bar Owner Murdered In Robbery
Camden Courier-Post —
The owner of a Camden tavern was discovered shot in the back of the head and stabbed “six or seven times,” shortly after he opened the bar at 939 Market Street today.
Morris (Marty) Baskow, 53, of 315 Monmouth Drive, Cherry Hill, was dead on arrival at Cooper Hospital.
Photo on Page 11
According to police a customer, Louis Robinson, 21, of 1038 Penn Street, discovered Baskow’s body in a pool of blood about 12 feet inside the entrance. He told police he had spoken briefly with Baskow about 15 minutes prior when the victim arrived to open for business.
Robinson said he went to a nearby restaurant for coffee and returned to the tavern. Police reported three other men were standing on the corner and Robinson spoke with them before entering the 939 Bar.
Ironically, police received Robinson’s call at 9:39 a.m.
According to Det. Joseph Valeriano, the victim’s watch, an empty money clip, some coins and two pens were found in the pool of blood. He revealed the watch was stopped at 9:13.
Wife Notified
First on the scene were Police Lt. William Kelly and Sgts. Raymond Paradise and Thomas Ewanachek.
A barmaid, who reported to work just after police arrived, was taken to Baskow’s Cherry Hill address to notify his wife, Ella. Mrs. Baskow identified the body in the hospital.
Mrs. Baskow said her husband had been trying to transfer his liquor license to 1206 Haddon Avenue, but was denied when local residents protested. The 939 Bar was the only property presently in use in the area which be demolished for the North-South Freeway extension.
Had ‘At Least $200’
Mrs. Baskow also revealed that her husband had to be carrying “at least $200 to pay for supplies which were to be delivered.”
She said her husband purchased the tavern about six years ago, formerly operating a taxicab and vending business.
City Murder Victim Was in Poor Health
Camden Courier-Post —
‘Violence Unnecessary’
“My husband had been sick … he lost 110 pounds … he was down to 135 pounds … anyone could have taken whatever he had without resorting to violence, let alone killing him.”
These were the words of the widow of a 53-year-old Camden tavern owner who was found early yesterday stabbed and bludgeoned to death, lying in a pool of blood in his bar at 939 Market Street.
Coroner Joseph Myrtetus said Morris (Marty) Baskow of 315 Monmouth Drive, Cherry Hill, died of eight stab wounds of the back and a fractured skull inflicted by a blunt instrument.
‘One of Most Brutal’
Police earlier said they believed the head wound was caused by a gunshot. Veteran detectives described the killer they are seeking as “one of the most brutal” they have ever had to deal with.
According to Det. Joseph Valeriano, the victim’s watch, an empty money clip, some coins and two pens were found on the blood-soaked floor by the body.
Mrs. Ella Baskow said her husband had been carrying “at least $200 to pay for supplies which were to be delivered.”
Police said a customer, Louis Robinson, 21, of 1038 Penn Street, discovered Baskow’s body some 12 feet inside the entrance of the bar.
He told police he spoke with Baskow some 15 minutes earlier when the victim opened for business, then went to a nearby restaurant for coffee before returning.
The first report of the robbery-murder at the 939 Bar was telephoned to the police communications board—at exactly 9:39 a.m.
First on the scene were Lt. William Kelly, Sgts. Raymond Paradise and Thomas Ewanachek.
Mrs. Baskow said her husband had been trying to transfer his liquor license to 1206 Haddon Avenue, but was denied when area residents protested. The tavern is the only business property presently in use in the area, which will be demolished for the North-South Freeway Extension.
Rites Tomorrow
Baskow is survived by his wife, a daughter, Jacqueline, 16; a son, Bruce, 11; his mother, Mrs. Rose Baskow and a sister.
Funeral services will be tomorrow at 2:15 p.m. at Goldstein’s Funeral Home, 6410 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia. Burial will be in Montefiore Cemetery, Philadelphia.
About the Baskow Murder
Martin W. Baskow owned and operated the Nine-Thirty-Nine Bar at 939 Market Street in Camden NJ in the 1960s. He was brutally murdered in his bar on the morning of July 14, 1967. This case remains unsolved.