Introduction
Vincent Scola
VINCENT SCOLA was born in 1911, the oldest son of Domenico and Maria C. Scola. At the time of the 1920 Census the Scolas were living at 347 Spruce Street, Domenico Scola then working as a construction laborer. By April of 1930 the Scola family lived at 839 South 4th Street, the corner of South 4th and Spruce Streets, where Domenico Scola owned and operated a candy store. Beside Vincent the family at that time included Tony, 14, Joseph, 13, Angeline, 12, and Edith, 10 years of age. Two doors down, at 835 South 4th Street lived the Tenerelli family. The Tenerelli boys, Michael and Frank, boxed professionally as Mickey Blair and Frankie Blair. Mickey Blair’s life outside the ring would follow a pattern similar to that of Vincent Scola.
Vincent Scola, also known as “Cheeno” and “China,” was first arrested in 1929.
By April of 1944 he had been arrested on nine separate occasions in Camden, on charges that included robbery, carrying concealed deadly weapons, suspicion for investigation, assault, possession of stolen goods, crap shooting, interfering with police officers, failure to carry a draft card, and possession of automobile tires, an offense during the World War II years. Apparently he evaded successful prosecutions in all of these cases.
Crime was paying off for Vincent Scola, and he had moved out of Camden, to a home at 5301 Sherwood Terrace in Pennsauken NJ with his wife Dorothy. He also owned and operated a restaurant at 1114 South 4th Street. Vincent Scola was suspected of being involved with the wartime counterfeit gasoline rationing stamp racket when he was gunned down while driving his Cadillac at 38th and Myrtle Streets in East Camden. Struck by a shotgun blast to the neck and head, his car went out of control, overturned and burst into flames.
The Scola case was front page news in Camden for two weeks. Various theories as to why he was murdered were put forth, including that he had been attempting to muscle in to gambling in Camden and Burlington counties, and he was killed in retaliation for the murder of Philadelphia gangster John P. Brennan, who had attempted a similar power grab in Camden several weeks earlier. It is worth noting that another former South Camden boxer, Rocco “Roxie Allen” Auletto, was working for Brennan as a bodyguard when he was gunned down.
Vincent Scola was buried at New Camden Cemetery on Haddon Avenue in Camden. He was survived by his wife, who joined him in 1966, his parents, and siblings.
Several suspects were questioned, and the cycle of gang-related violence did not end with Vincent Scola’s murder.
2 Held in Theft of Craps Winnings
Camden Courier-Post —
Money Won in Audubon Taken From East Camden Man, Cops Told
A second man was arrested last night and identified by David McMullen, 32, of 1015 North Thirty-fourth street, as a participant in a robbery in which winnings from an Audubon craps game were taken. Tony Scola, 45, of 347 Spruce street, was arrested at the corner of Fourth and Spruce streets, where he was selling ice cream, by Acting Captain George Clayton and Detective Clifford Del Rossi. He was taken to detective headquarters where McMullen told police he was one of three men who robbed him of $25 Wednesday night.
Joseph Proccell, 28, alias Joe Rizzo, of 229 East Atlantic avenue, Audubon, was arrested previously as the driver of the car in which the men escaped.
McMullen told police he won $10 in a craps game in the rear of a barber shop in Audubon Wednesday. He said he left the game shortly before 5 p. m. and at 10.45, two men came to his home and told his wife Margaret, they wanted “to see Dave.” When she went to the rear of the house to call her husband, the two at the door and another man forced their way into the house. One of them pointed a gun at McMullen and demanded the money he had won.
“Give us back the money you won from us,” they demanded.
McMullen was reluctant to turn over the money, and the man with the gun struck him over the bridge of the nose, inflicting a deep cut. McMullen then handed them his wallet and they took $25 from it and threw it back on a table, he said. The $15 additional was money his wife had given him to pay the building and loan, he said.
The men ran from the house and jumped into a car parked around the corner. It is alleged by police that Proccell was sitting at the driver’s wheel with the motor running. As they left the house, one of the men shouted to McMullen: “If you know what’s good for you, you better not report this to the police or they’ll find you in a lot.”
Proccell was arrested, Carpani said, from a description given by McMullen. He is being held to await possible identification.
Carpani said he notified the Audubon police of the attack and gave them the address at which McMullen said the craps game was held.
Audubon Fines Pair for Shooting Dice; 3 Held for Jury
Camden Courier-Post —
Borough Takes Winnings After Charge of Robbery Follows Game
DICE CALLED ‘FIXED’
The borough of Audubon gets the “craps” game winnings.
Recorder Jay Daniels, of Audubon, last night fined David McMullen, 32, of 1015 North Thirty-fourth street, Camden, and Anthony Scola, 21, of 347 Spruce street, each $25 and costs for engaging in a craps game.
Anthony and his father, Dominick, 45, were arrested by Camden detectives after McMullen told police he was the victim of a holdup. He said he won $10 in a game, played in the rear of an Audubon barber shop, and that after he returned home, three men appeared, hit him on the head with a revolver and took $25 from his wallet.
Held for Grand Jury
The two were held in $1000 bail each for the grand jury yesterday on robbery charges, while a second son, Vincent Scola, is being sought, Detective Joseph Carpani said.
Audubon is concerned only with the craps game, while robbery charges will be handled by Camden officials. Sergeant Dewey Parker, of Audubon, arrested McMullen and Scola.
Tony, according to Carpani, admitted being at McMullen’s home. He said in a written statement to Carpani that his brother accompanied him but denied his father was there.
Calls Dice Crooked
“We went there to get back some money he won from me with crooked dice,” Scola told Carpani. “During the past week I have lost $40 in the games we have had in my shop. We discovered on Wednesday that McMullen was using the phoney dice and when we accused him of it, he ran out of the store.
“We told McMullen at his house that we wanted the money back he had won from me and he handed us the $25. No one was struck and there was no gun used.
Joseph Procceli 28, of 229 East Atlantic avenue, Audubon, who was arrested yesterday as the man who allegedly drove a car in which the Scola’s left McMullen’s house, was released today when McMullen said he could not identify him.
Vincent Scola Killed Driving Car Near Home
Camden Courier-Post —
Police Suspect Link With Brennan; Black Market Angle Also Probed
DEATH AUTO NUMBER IS REPORTED TO COPS
The bitter gangland feud for control of South Jersey gambling and black market rackets broke out again early today with the shotgun slaying of Vincent Scola, 3[?], one-time petty racketeer grown big through illegal wartime operations.
Scola, known as “Cheeno” and “China,” was mowed down while driving his car at Thirty-eighth street and Myrtle avenue, only a few blocks from his home at 5[?]01 Sherwood terrace, Pennsauken township.
Seven slugs entered Scola’s body, four in the neck and three in the head. The left side of his face was almost shot away. The expensive car burst into flames after it overturned following the shooting.
Two Theories Studied
Camden detectives advanced three possible motives in the racketeer’s death:
1. That it was in retaliation for the gangland slaying several weeks ago of John P. Brennan, Philadelphia mobster who was rubbed out when he tried to muscle in on South Jersey gambling rackets.
2. That Scola was the South Jersey representative for a large North Jersey counterfeit ration stamp gang and was slain because he was infringing on the territory of local racketeers here.
3. That the killing may have been in some way connected with Scola’s declaring himself “in” on several legitimate businesses in Camden and vicinity recently.
The place where Scola was killed is in a residential section of East Camden near the Pennsauken borderline. A number of residents heard the shooting and saw the car burning.
Fred Dunajek, 64, of 50 North Thirty-third street, a night watchman in the section, heard the shots and then saw the murder car, which he described as “a big black sedan,” speed past him near Myrtle and Fremont avenues.
Several Witnesses Reported
It was authoritatively reported that there were several eyewitnesses to the shooting and that the police have been given the license number of the killer’s car. The machine bore New Jersey tags, it was said.
The shooting occurred between 12.30 and 12.45 p. m. The police believe Scola was on his way home from the 4 p. m. to midnight shift at the New York Shipbuilding Corp., where he was employed in the electrical department, when he realized he was being followed.
Detectives said they have learned that Scola stopped at a restaurant operated by his brother, Joseph, at Fourth and Walnut streets, before starting for his home. That he knew he was being followed was evidenced by the fact that he was driving in a direction away from his home instead of toward it when the killers caught up with him.
Gangster Is Slain in East Camden
Vincent Scola Mowed Down With Shotgun; Brennan Link Suspected
Investigators have advanced the theory that members of Brennan’s gang may have decided to erase Scola in the same manner as Brennan was wiped out--by waiting for him near his home and blasting him as he drove up.
Pursuit Suspected
However, it was believed Scola may have seen the murder car as he drew close to home and kept going with the slayers in pursuit.
The Scola car was going west on Myrtle avenue, away from the Scola home. At a point between the intersection of Highland avenue and Thirty-eighth street with Myrtle avenue, the car swerved to the north side of Myrtle avenue, jumped the curb about 20 feet and grazed a tree with the front fender.
Then it made a wide arc in the intersection, jumped the east curb of Thirty-eighth street and came to rest on the sidewalk facing south with its left side against a hedge.
The police believe the odd movements of the car either was caused by Scola attempting to evade the murder car or that he was killed instantly as the two cars were still moving, and the car went out of control.
By an odd coincidence, the murder scene was across the street from the home of City Solicitor Morrissey who recently represented Scola in chancery court. Morrissey lives at 3821 Myrtle avenue. Mrs. Morrissey heard the shots but said she thought it was a car backfiring.
Like Prohibition Days
Scola’s attempts to muscle in on legitimate businesses came to light March 6 when a suit against him was heard in Chancery Court in which he was charged with using strong-arm tactics reminiscent of the prohibition days.
The complaint, by Antonio Amato, of 326 Spruce street, and Antonio Farina, of 676 Fairview street, declared they put up $4200 to open the Victory Cafe, 417-419 Walnut street, on Nov. 10, and that Scola appeared a short time later, put up $400 and “declared himself in.”
After that, the two men charged, they received no profits from the business and Scola was in complete charge, even bringing in his own cashier. When they asked for return of their investment, Scola threatened them with bodily harm, it was alleged. Scola denied the charges. The case has not been decided.
Having encountered brushes with the law many times, Scola recently was suspected of participation in the sale of illegal gasoline coupons. On another occasion he was arrested for possession of automobile tires.
According to police, Scola is suspected of attempting to “muscle in” on the floating craps game racket run by Brennan in Camden and Burlington counties at the time of his death.
Lists 2 City Addresses
Scola had cards in his pocket bearing his name and addresses at 839 and 1114 South Fourth street, Camden. The city directory listed Dominick Scola as residing at 839 South Fourth street and the same man as having a restaurant at the other South Fourth street address.
Firemen were summoned to extinguish the burning car after Scola’s body was removed.
Scola’s record at the city identification bureau shows he has been arrested in this city nine times since 1929. The charges include: robbery and carrying concealed deadly weapons; on suspicion for investigation; assault; possession of stolen goods; crap shooting, interfering with officers and no draft card.
Fist Fight Reported
Detectives injected another angle into the shooting today when they learned that Scola and Alfred Gasperone, 30, under arrest as an armed black market gasoline and fuel oil operator, had a fist fight near Fifteenth and Federal streets two weeks ago.
The sleuths said they intended questioning Gasperone in an attempt to learn what the fight was about. They said they had reports the two men had an argument over the disposition of a quantity of gasoline ration stamps.
Atlantic City detectives last night arrested a former Collingswood woman as a suspected accomplice to Gasperone.
Makes Admissions
The woman, Mrs. Maude Jackson, 36, of 3 North Pennsylvania avenue, admitted to the detectives she had lived with Gasperone during the past month in the Presston apartments at that address, and that she had left Gasperone’s car in Collingswood while he was enroute to a Gloucester gasoline station where OPA agents had lured him last Friday.
When apprehended Gasperone had ration coupons on his person, valued at 100,000 gallons of gasoline and fuel oil, and coupons for 437 pairs of shoes.
Mrs. Jackson is charged with possession of untaxed liquor, harboring of a criminal and suspicion of complicity in the black market. She was being questioned by OPA agents today.
The former Collingswood woman is an attractive brunette, short and buxom, and was wearing a Persian lamb coat and neatly dressed when taken into custody by Detectives Arch Witham and William Rickert at Atlantic and North Carolina avenues.
Both detectives had been cooperating with OPA officials in investigation of the case. The charges against her stem from a raid made upon her apartment, where 50 bottles of untaxed liquor was found, as well as two automatic guns, watches and several rings. The apartment has not been tenanted since Gasperone was arrested.
Read of Arrest
Mrs. Jackson explained to police she had read of Gasperone’s arrest before returning to Atlantic City from Collingswood, and feared to return to the apartment. Instead, she returned here and lived with her mother on North Carolina avenue, a short distance from where she was apprehended.
She said she came to Atlantic City from Collingswood on February 29, and previously had worked in a Fairview taproom. While here she worked in a local taproom. She said she was “relieved” when arrested; and expected it “any day.” She said she had separated from her husband in Collingswood nine months ago.
Mrs. Jackson denied any complicity in black market activities.
Jersey Racketeer Slain By Gunmen
Gettysburg PA Times —
Camden, N. J., March 29 (AP)—Vincent (China) Scola, 34, who has a police record dating back to 1929, died today in a fusillade of shotgun slugs at the wheel of a car for which he paid $2,000 in cash yesterday.
Police said he was killed by gunmen who drew abreast in another car, discharged shotguns four times and drove off. Three weeks ago John P. Brennan, often a figure in Philadelphia police court, was similarly slain.
Detective Sergeant John Murphy said “Scola was a smalltime racketeer who suddenly grew bigger because of the war, and gasoline, tire and shoe rationing.”
Gas Racketeers Are Blamed In Death
New Castle PA News —
CAMDEN, N. J., March 30—(INS)—Office of Price Administration investigators today blamed gang rivalry over the spoils of the gasoline black market for the slaying of Vincent “China” Scola, 32, of Camden.
Scola, described by police as a racketeer and gambler, was killed in a hail of gunfire yesterday as he drove along a Camden street.
The O.P.A. agents said they have learned that Scola reportedly bought gasoline coupons from two rival black market factions in New Jersey, and that both had warned him to quit dealing with the other.
New Jersey police have sent fliers to eight states, asking for the arrest of John Malanga, 28, and Cherry Rosanilla, alias Cherry Hart, [?], “for questioning in connection with the murder.” Both are reputedly members of a black market ring in Newark.
Police Seek Second Man In Death Car With Scola
Camden Courier-Post —
Prosecutor Mariano revealed today he is searching for a second man who was in the automobile of Vincent Scola, 32, fake gasoline coupon racketeer, when he was murdered by gangland enemies at Thirty-eighth street and Myrtle avenue early yesterday.
Mariano said that while several of his detectives went to Newark on the investigation, he and other members of his staff reconstructed the killing last night.
“I am convinced there was another man in the car with Scola and that he was wounded by the bullets which killed Scola,” Mariano said. “We have a good idea who that man is and we are trying to pick him up.”
Detectives were reported today to be seriously concerned in the outbreak of the gang warfare here. Authoritative sources reported the police have been informed the Scola killing is soon to be followed by another and that a man identified only as “Spike” has been marked for a “ride.”
Other Developments
Other new developments in the murder which investigators have declared was the result of a gangland battle for control of the bogus gas stamp racket were:
1. Detectives have sent out an eight-state teletype message requesting the arrest of two Newark men they want to question in connection with the murder.
2. Camden police revealed the arrest of Billy Hart, former Camden pugilist, whose right name is Camillo Cincelli [?], for questioning in the case. He was booked at police headquarters as “held on suspicion for investigation.”
3. OPA agents, Camden city and county detectives were still in Newark today questioning two men, said to be henchmen of Scola, who were arrested there last Saturday night on charges of trying to pick up 6000 gasoline stamps.
The Newark men being sought in the investigation were identified in the teletype message as John Malanga, 38, five foot, six inches tall, brown eyes and dark brown hair, and Cherry Rosanelli [?], alias Hart, 26, five foot, seven inches tall, brown eyes and black hair, believed to be riding in a 1937 Cadillac sedan bearing New Jersey license, UZ93X [?].
Aides to Be Quizzed
The request was made by the Camden City detective bureau as Captain of Detectives Gus Koerner and Detective Joseph Mardino, accompanied by Detective Wilfred Dube [?], of the prosecutor’s office, left for Newark to interview the two men under arrest there.
Police here said they received information the men sought are connected with a bogus gasoline coupon ring in the upstate city with which they believed Scola did business. They said a search of Newark failed to reveal any trace of the men and the police flier was sent out in an effort to apprehend them “on the road.”
Search for the second man was begun after Prosecutor Mariano, Chief Doran and Captain Mulligan, of the county office reconstructed the motions of the car. They are of the opinion the course of the car, after striking the tree, was caused by the second passenger grabbing the wheel and swerving away from the assassins’ machine.
To further bolster their theory the sleuths point to two hats, one a cap known to have been worn by Scola and a felt hat which so far they have failed to identify as Scola’s, and the fact bloodstains were found on the steps of the home of Edward Krupo [?], of 3805 Myrtle avenue, indicating the second man escaped from the car and attempted to seek shelter. They believe the blood may have come from a wound suffered by the unidentified passenger.
Sent to Newark by Scola
The men being questioned in Newark are Charles Casale, 35, alias Charles Reynolds, and Harry C. Bolt, 19. They allegedly were sent to Newark by Scola to pick up a package of ration stamps for distribution in South Jersey. Newark police arrested them as they tried to board a train to return to Camden.
It was revealed today that Bolt’s mother, Mrs. Anna Bolt, 430 Royden street, reported him missing from home on March 25. She told Detective Robert Ashenfelter her son said he was “going for a ride with a man to Long Branch.” He was employed at the New York Shipyard as a pipefitter’s helper, she said.
Today she called the missing persons department and told them to cancel the report because she has been informed he is in jail in Newark.
Much Evidence Gleaned
The investigators have amassed a large amount of evidence on Scola’s black market activities in the initial stages of the investigation. They are following several lines in the search for his killers.
One of these is that there are two gangs operating in the state, the North Jersey and the South Jersey mobs, and fighting for control of illegal wartime rackets.
The other major theory is that there was a split in one of the gangs, possibly because Scola was trying to take control from his colleagues or that he had welched on the payment for fake stamps.
It was learned that Scola formerly bought coupons from the South Jersey ring and then began buying also from the rival outfit. The switching back and forth is reputed to have attracted the displeasure of both gangs and Scola was at a loss to know what to do.
Many Hated Scola
The police believe it was the Newark gang which backed up its threats to put him out of the picture. The centering of the investigation in Newark with local detectives and OPA men converging there yesterday and today tended to back up that theory.
Scola has long been known to Camden police as a petty criminal and “muscle man.”
“He preyed on illegal and shady operators,” said Detective Captain Samuel Johnson. “He muscled in wherever he could, took over shares of the profits or the whole business. Nobody would ever prosecute him.”
While accepting the black market theory of the killing as the most probable, Captain Johnson added that “there are any number of people who would have wanted to kill him.”
Another investigator remarked that there are at least “10 different and plausible motives” for murdering Scola.
Reclassified 1-A
Draft Board No. 9, Fifth and Chestnut street, revealed yesterday that Scola was registered there and gave his address as 1114 South Fourth street. He was given a deferment several months ago when he reported that he went to work on a farm but within the past few weeks, he was classified 1-A and ordered to await notice to take his final physical examination.
An official of the board said Scola made application for a second deferment when he took the job in the shipyard several months ago but it was refused.
Slot Machines Seized at Scola’s Restaurant
Camden Courier-Post —
—Courier-Post Photos
SLOT MACHINES and pinball devices confiscated in a raid on a building at 1114 South Fourth street owned by Vincent “China” Scola, slain gasoline coupon racketeer, are shown here being examined in the basement of City Hall by Commissioner Rhone and Chief Frost. Inset is photo of Prosecutor Mariano. All three participated in the seizure.
Scola Probers Seize Big Cache of Gas Stamps
Camden Courier-Post —
Good for 500,000 Gallons; Failure to Pay Seen as Murder Motive
TRAIL TURNS TO PHILA. WITH ARRESTS LIKELY
Seizure somewhere in South Jersey by detectives and OPA agents investigating the gangland murder of Vincent Scola of counterfeit and stolen gasoline ration stamps worth approximately 500,000 gallons, was reported here today.
The investigators would neither admit nor deny that the cache had been found, but it is known they are working on the theory that such a delivery was made and failure to pay for the stamps may have been the motive for Scola’s death.
Detectives and OPA agents, who have been centering their investigation of the killing in Newark for the past two days where two alleged Scola henchmen are under arrest, were said today to be working in Philadelphia as a result of information they had obtained from the men.
After Two Big Gangs
They are confident they can smash two large gangs in this area and North Jersey which have been flooding the whole state with fake gas stamps. The sleuths admit that most of the men connected with the rings have “packed up and moved out,” but hope to make arrests in Philadelphia, where they contend Scola had many underworld connections.
A new theory advanced by some investigators today was that Scola was killed at Thirty-eighth street and Myrtle avenue by North Jersey gangmen to whom he owed money for bogus stamps at the very time he was trying to get the money to them.
It was authoritatively reported that Scola sent the money to Newark Saturday with Charles Casale and Harry C. Bolt, who also were to get more stamps, but the pair were arrested before they could get to the Newark gang leaders.
The reports are that the Newark gang called Scola and asked about the money and that he told them it had been sent to them, but the men carrying the money had been arrested. The rival mobsters allegedly refused to believe Scola and sent the killers here to get him.
2 Theories on Killing
As to the actual details of the killing, the police are reported to be working on two theories, one [line cut at the seam] that killers were waiting for him near his home and chased him when he discovered them, and the other that he was ambushed.
Residents of Scola’s neighborhood are reported to have heard several cars racing about the vicinity shortly before the killing and believe this was when the chase started.
The ambush theory is that the killers knew Scola often used Myrtle avenue on his way into Camden and waited for him as he drove past. The possibility that there were two killer cars, one waiting near his home and the other along the Myrtle avenue route, also is being considered.
Hearing Scheduled
Casale and Bolt were scheduled for a hearing before a U. S. commissioner in Newark today on charges of possessing counterfeit stamps.
In Camden, detectives released a man identified only as “Spike,” whom they took into “protective custody” yesterday after receiving information he was marked for death by the same killers who erased Scola. The detectives did not explain the quick release of the man except to say he was not
Scola Probers Find Huge Coupon Cache
connected with the coupon racket and was legitimately employed.
Captain of Detectives Gus Koerner, upon his return from Newark yesterday, said today he would begin an investigation in Philadelphia with the hope of linking Scola to a fake gas stamp ring in that city.
Koerner has been substituting as commander of the Third District police, while Capt. Walter Welsh is on vacation. He is ordinarily attached to detective headquarters. The scene of the crime is in the Third district.
Swindle Reported
Koerner and Philadelphia police said they will investigate a story Scola swindled the Philadelphia ring by accepting money for fake stamps and failing to produce the stamps or return the money.
It has been reported Scola made a deal with a Philadelphian last November for $1600 worth of stamps. After accepting the money, police said, Scola returned in several hours and told the purchaser he had obtained the stamps but had been “clipped” by OPA agents while returning to the meeting place. Police said this happened in more than one instance.
Acting on information obtained in the Scola investigation, Prosecutor Mariano and city police yesterday raided a three-story building at 1114-16 South Fourth street, owned by Scola, and seized 96 slot machines, 34 pinball machines, a standing vending machine and an electric adding machine.
The South Fourth street building showed evidence of not being occupied for at least several days. Floors were dust covered and the slot machines and other devices, 10 of which were stored in a repair room on the second floor were old types, many of them broken. Entrance to the place is a double door, large enough to permit entry of a truck. A single door leads to the other half of the building. On the ground floor were 34 pinball machines, many in state of disrepair; two cigarette vending machines, a candy vender and one slot machine.
A hallway leading to stairs to the second floor held 12 slot machines. Thirty slot machines were stored in the second floor middle room and 43 in a front room. The adding machine was plugged into an electric circuit in the third floor front room. Other rooms, some containing bits of furniture, were in disarray and dust-laden.
The men questioned in Newark are Charles Casale, 35, alias Charles Reynolds, and Harry C. Bolt, 19. Koerner said both will be arraigned in Newark today on charges of possession of illegal gasoline ration stamps. He said a quantity of stamps were found in their possession when they were arrested at a Newark railway station.
Residents in the vicinity of the murder revealed how a soldier attending a wedding anniversary of his mother and father-in-law risked his life to drag Scola’s body from the blazing car a few minutes after the shooting.
The serviceman, who is attached to the Medical Corps, asked police not to divulge his name after he gave them the details of his experience. He said that when the shots rang out, he and his brother looked out the windows of the house where the anniversary celebration was being held, and saw the flames leaping from the car.
They ran to the scene, they said, and pulled Scola from behind the wheel as the flames spread from the front part of the car. They expected the car to blow up at any minute, they said.
The soldier and his brother laid the body on the ground after taking it from the car but there was no pulse action or other signs of life, they said. They did not see anyone else in the car or in the neighborhood until the police and firemen arrived, they said.
Slaying May Lead To Smashing Black Market In Gas
Clearfield PA Progress —
CAMDEN N J, Mar 31—AP—Two “black market” gasoline gangs in Northern and Southern New Jersey will be smashed with information obtained in an investigation of the gang slaying of Vincent (China) Scola, Camden police character, Det Capt Gustave Koerner said today.
Koerner asserted the groups have “flooded” both regions with counterfeit and stolen coupons. Stamps worth half a million gallons already have been recovered, he added. He declined to say where but declared that some were stolen in Reading, Pa and some in New York state.
The Camden County detective also said he knew who shot Scola as he drove his $2,000 limousine homeward here early Wednesday morning.
2 Killers Seen Loitering Near Home of Scola
Camden Courier-Post —
Police Hope to Identify Lurkers Noted 10 Hours Before Murder
NEWARK SUSPECTS HELD IN HIGH BAIL
Acting on information obtained during the investigation of the murder of Vincent Scola, city police today raided a building at 90[?] South Fourth street and seized 13 pinball machines.
The killers of Vincent Scola, 32, South Jersey kingpin in fake gasoline stamp rackets, were seen in the neighborhood of his home at 5301 Sherwood terrace, Pennsauken township, at 2 p. m. Tuesday, 10 hours before he was murdered at Thirty-eighth street and Myrtle avenue.
Detectives are reported to be working on that theory today in efforts to have two men they suspect as Scola’s executioners identified by residents in the vicinity of the Scola home, who are said to have seen the men.
The investigators learned that two strange men were seen near Sherwood and Lafayette avenues, a block from Scola’s home, between 2 and 3 p. m. Tuesday, a short time before Scola was to report on the 4 p. m. shift at the New York Shipbuilding Corp.
Circled Block Afoot
The men are said to have circled the block several times on foot, seemingly checking on the physical aspects of the neighborhood and the Scola home. The police theory is that they were “casing” the movements of Scola to determine whether he was to report for work and at the same time make themselves familiar with the neighborhood, so they could escape after the killing.
One resident is known to have seen both men and believed they were OPA agents checking on several stores in the neighborhood. There were no OPA men in that vicinity Tuesday, the local office reported. The men did not have an automobile, the police presum-ing they left their car some place remote from the neighborhood.
Cops Have Their Photos
Detectives are said to have police photographs of the two suspects and are seeking to have them identified as the men seen in the neighborhood Tuesday.
Newark police still are holding one of two men sought throughout eight states for questioning in the murder. He is reported to be Jerry Russoniello, alias Hart, 26, of Newark. Still being sought for questioning is John Malanga, 38, also of Newark.
Detectives would not say whether the photographs they are attempting to have identified are those of Russoniello and Malanga.
Yesterday, Camden and Philadelphia detectives took into custody Jose Codina, about 60, a chemist. Reported to be associated with Scola in his black market transactions with gasoline ration stamps, Codina was arrested in Philadelphia and came to Camden for questioning after consulting his lawyer.
Freed After Questioning
After several hours of questioning in Prosecutor Mariano’s office, Codina was released. Investigators said he had no connection with Scola’s black market activities and they were satisfied he knew nothing of the fatal shooting of the stamp racketeer.
Police said Codina had been friendly with Scola and recently was seen driving a car registered in the name of Scola’s wife, Dorothy. They said they believed at first he may have been riding with Scola when he was shot.
Codina was arrested by OPA agents and U. S. marshals in Topper’s Cafe, Chapel and Evergreen avenues, Delaware township, on Dec. 17 last year, when federal men conducted a series of raids aimed as smashing the heart of the gasoline and liquor black markets.
He was standing at the bar in the cafe and a search of his pockets revealed a quantity of loose fuel oil stamps and one for shoes. He was held in $1000 bail.
Cafe Owner Arrested
Also arrested at that time was William Rodman, proprietor of Roddy’s Cafe, 1501 Mickle street, where the agents allegedly found loose TT stamps good for 30,000 gallons of gas. While Rodman has not been arrested in the Scola investigation, it is known he has been questioned by both Camden detectives and the Pennsauken township police.
Rodman also operates a used car lot at Fifteenth and Federal streets where Scola and Alfred Gasperone, 30, one of his henchmen, fought reputedly because Gasperone held out on the payment for some illicit stamps. Rodman was said by the police to have made arrangements for the purchase by Scola of his $2500 Cadillac car.
Police Chief Thorpe, of Pennsauken, and Camden Detective Captain Koerner both talked with Rodman in the prosecutor’s office yesterday. Thorpe said he question Rodman “in another matter” than the Scola case. Koerner said Rodman knew nothing about the Scola case.
Cops Rush to Phila.
However, after talking to Rodman, Captain Koerner and the other investigators hurried to Philadelphia and Codina was arrested a few hours later in an apartment house near Broad and Buttonwood streets.
In searching the cafe where Codina was found drinking, the OPA agents found 2000 gasoline coupons. In a barn at the rear of the place, they also found 10 five-gallon cans of untaxed liquor. They arrested Frank Manfredi as the proprietor of the place.
At the time of the raids, Rodman’s home at 5413 Lexington avenue, Pennsauken township, also was searched but nothing found.
Another phase of the investigation is said to have developed in Long Branch where two men have been arrested by the FBI and OPA. This was the first inkling of the FBI being in on the case.
Two Held in Newark
In Newark yesterday, Charles Casale, alias Charles Reynolds, and Harry C. Bolt, Jr., 19, both of Camden, were held in bail by U. S. Commissioner Bartholomew on charges of illegal purchase, possession and transportation of fake gasoline stamps.
Casale, described as a Scola associate, was held in $5000 bail and Bolt in $3500. Both were committed to the Hudson county jail in default.
The men were arrested last Saturday when they went to Newark to pick up a package of 600[?] bogus stamps for Scola, according to the police. The stamps were found on a train beneath a seat Casale and Bolt had occupied.
It is understood both men have “sung” to detectives and given them information which may lead to the arrest of numerous South Jersey men who have been connected with black market gas rings here.
One of 2 Men Hunted in Scola Slaying Seized
Camden Courier-Post —
Sought in 8 States; Chemist Liberated After Quizzing
One of two men sought throughout eight states for questioning in the murder of Vincent “China” Scola, was arrested yesterday by Newark police.
Although the suspect is being held “on ice” by upstate police, it was authoritatively learned he is Jerry Russoniello, alias Hart, 26, of Newark.
The second man sought is John Malanga, 38, of Newark. The arrest of both was requested by Camden police in a message sent over state teletype systems of eight states.
Meanwhile Camden and Philadelphia detectives took into custody Jose Codina, about 60, a
One of Hunted Men Held in Scola Death
chemist. Reported to be associated with Scola in his black market transactions with gasoline ration stamps, Codina was arrested in Philadelphia and came to Camden for questioning after consulting his lawyer.
Freed After Questioning
After several hours of questioning in Prosecutor Mariano’s office, Codina was released. Investigators said he had no connection with Scola’s black market activities and they were satisfied he knew nothing of the fatal shooting of the stamp racketeer.
Codina ran afoul of the law last December when he was arrested in a Delaware township cafe with several thousand fuel oil stamps in his possession. According to OPA investigators he is now under $1000 bail on that charge. Police said Codina had been friendly with Scola and at one time was driving a car registered in the name of Scola’s wife, Dorothy.
It was reliably reported that while holding Russoniello for Camden authorities, Newark detectives also intended questioning him in connection with the death of a Newark taxi driver in Baltimore last January.
Sent to Baltimore
The driver, Christopher Cibelli, 31, is said to have been sent to Baltimore by Newark mobsters to collect for a large quantity of gas stamps sent there. It was said he was killed after the Baltimore gangsters learned the stamps were counterfeit. Cibelli’s taxi was found parked near the Newark railroad station and in it was a list of names and addresses. Three men are said to be under arrest in Baltimore in that case.
Another phase of the investigation is said to have developed in Long Branch where two men have been arrested by the FBI and OPA. This was the first inkling of the FBI being in on the case.
A new theory advanced by some investigators yesterday was that Scola was killed at Thirty-eighth street and Myrtle avenue by North Jersey gangmen to whom he owed money for bogus stamps at the very time he was trying to get the money to them.
It was authoritatively reported that Scola sent the money to Newark Saturday with Charles Casale and Harry C. Bolt, who also were to get more stamps, but the pair were arrested before they could get to the Newark gang leaders.
The reports are that the Newark gang called Scola and asked about the money and that he told them it had been sent to them, but the men carrying the money had been arrested. The rival mobsters allegedly refused to believe Scola and sent the killers here to get him.
Held at Arraignment
Casale and Bolt were arraigned yesterday before U. S. Commissioner Bartholomew at Newark. Casale was held in $5000 bail on a charge of illegal possession, sale and transportation of fake gasoline stamps. He was committed to Hudson county jail in default. Bolt was held in $3500 bail on charges of illegal possession and transportation of stamps.
On Monday night, the Newark police found the car to which Casale and Bolt had walked. They held the owner, “Jinx” Cardinale, 35, and on Tuesday his wife engaged a lawyer and he was taken to police court and discharged in the attorney’s custody. Later detectives took him to Common Pleas Judge Daniel Brennan. They announced afterward he was “no longer a prisoner.”
It has been reported Scola made a deal with a Philadelphian last November for $1600 worth of stamps. After accepting the money, police said, Scola returned in several hours and told the purchaser he had obtained the stamps but had been “clipped” by OPA agents while returning to the meeting place. Police said this happened in more than one instance.
Services for Scola will be held at 9 a. m. Monday in a funeral home at Fifth and Spruce streets. He is survived by his widow, Dorothy; a son, Dominic Vincent; his father, Domenico; mother, Mary; two brothers, Anthony, of Audubon, and Joseph, of Camden, and two sisters, Mrs. Angelina Nogano, of Camden, and Mrs. Edith Dolente, of Audubon.
Scola Buried as Police Push Killer Search
Camden Courier-Post —
Hunt on Also for Man Believed Wounded by Guns of Gang Slayers
WIDOW AND MOTHER PRESENT AT FUNERAL
With nearly 100 relatives and friends attending, Vincent “China” Scola, 32, South Jersey fake gas stamp kingpin, was buried today in New Camden cemetery as detectives continued their search for his killers.
The investigators not only were trying to find the murderers but also were seeking a man they believe was in the car with the racketeer when shotgun and revolver bullets blasted him into eternity at Thirty-eighth street and Myrtle avenue early last Wednesday.
It was reported today that the sleuths know the identity of the second man but have failed to find him in the extensive, five-day search since the crime. They believe he was injured badly either by bullets or in the crash of Scola’s car that followed but a minute check on hospitals and physicians’ offices has been fruitless.
Seek North Jersey Clue
The investigators are reported to have spent the weekend in North Jersey questioning one of two gangsters said to be under arrest there while others searched for a second man they believe “knows plenty.”
The Scola funeral procession started at 9:30 a. m. from the Denof Funeral home at Fifth and Spruce streets. The bronze casket was wheeled from the establishment and the procession of mourners, headed by Mrs. Mary Scola, the mother, filed past the latter’s home at Fifth and Spruce streets. Mrs. Scola was on the verge of collapse several times, and had to be supported by friends and relatives. Also in the procession was the widow, Dorothy.
When the line of mourners returned to the funeral establishment, the casket was placed in the funeral car and taken to the cemetery. There were no religious services. Approximately 600 persons viewed the body last night.
Two funeral cars containing more than 50 floral pieces accompanied the body to the cemetery. There were nine pallbearers. Detectives were in evidence among the crowd outside the undertaking establishment.
There were a number of reports in circulation today that police have uncovered a witness who saw Scola’s killers in a suburban taproom a short time before the shooting and order four drinks of liquor in succession and then hurry from the place.
The men were “jumpy and nervous,” the witness is reported to have told police and seemed anxious to get out of the place without any of the other patrons getting a good look at them.
Also said to have been interviewed over the weekend was a witness, who was turned up by a second man who told detectives he would take them to the man on condition his identity would not be revealed.
This witness is reported to have seen the shooting or arrived on the scene just as it had been completed. The identity of the second man is said to have been established by this witness.
Woman, Ex-Convict Quizzed In Racket Murder of Scola
Camden Courier-Post —
HELEN RADOGNA
Being held for questioning in the racket murder of Vincent “China” Scola. Detectives would not disclose what they are seeking to learn from her.
MICHAEL SPINOGATTI
Who was being questioned today in the fatal shooting of Vincent “China” Scola, fake gasoline stamp racketeer. He admitted he was riding with Scola a short time before he was murdered.
Man Tells of Death Car Ride on Night of Gun Slaying
GAS STAMP DEALS REPORTED BARED
An attractive woman and a former convict who admitted he was riding in the automobile of Vincent “China” Scola a short time before he was murdered early last Wednesday, are under arrest for questioning today.
Miss Helen Radogna, 26, who gave her address as 1035 Langham avenue, was arrested by Capt. Gus Koerner last night and ordered held without bail on a charge of “on suspicion for investigation in murder.”
Koerner questioned her briefly in detective headquarters and then ordered her kept in jail over night. He would not say what he is seeking to learn from her. It was learned, however, she is believed to have thrown considerable light on events leading up to the murder of Scola, who has been characterized as a “kingpin” in the South Jersey counterfeit gas stamp racket.
Has Prison Record
The ex-convict under arrest is Michael Spinogatti, 37, of 338 Division street, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in March, 1932, after pleading guilty in the holdup in December, 1931, of the Pennsauken Township National Bank, Inspector John V. Wilkie arrested Spinogatti.
Wilkie had received a “tip” that Spinogatti left a downtown restaurant with Scola shortly before the murder at Thirty-eighth street and Myrtle avenue between 12.30 and 12.45 a. m. last Wednesday. After questioning Spinogatti, Wilkie learned that he had been with Scola and the latter had driven him to a point near his home and told him he was to meet somebody after he left.
Spinogatti made the following statement:
“I went into a restaurant at Fourth and Walnut streets about 11.30 p. m. on the night Scola was murdered. I had a sandwich and a cup of coffee and was talking to the waitress about a puzzle in a newspaper. Scola came in the restaurant about 45 minutes after I entered the place. He did not approach me at the time. He greeted another person in the restaurant.
Left Restaurant Together
“When I was ready to leave I said, ‘I think I will go home’ and started out the door. Scola then said to me, ‘Where are you going?’ and I answered, ‘I’m going home.’ Scola said, ‘Come on I will take you home, I am going that way.’
“We left the restaurant together and entered Scola’s car with him driving. The car was parked on Walnut street facing west. He drove over Walnut street to Fourth street, turned on Fourth street to Division and let me off at the intersection. After I got
Police Question 2 in Scola Murder
Former Convict and Woman Under Arrest in Gang Vengeance Killing
out of Scola’s car I went to my home. Before I got out of the car Scola told me he had to go somewhere and pick up somebody. He did not tell me where he was going or whom he was to pick up.
“I got out of Scola’s car about 12.30 or 12.25 a. m. The next thing I learned was the following morning when I heard he had been shot. I have known Scola all my life. We grew up as boys together in the same neighborhood. His family lived at Fourth and Spruce streets, only a short distance from my home.”
Test Hat Found in Car
Wilkie said a hat found in Scola’s car and not belonging to him was of the same size worn by Spinogatti. The hat, Wilkie said, will be sent to the State Police laboratory in Trenton to determine whether it was worn previously by Spinogatti.
Spinogatti was taken to the scene of the murder last night where residents said they saw a second man, presumably riding with Scola when he was shot, attempting to gain entrance to several homes in the vicinity. One woman neighbor said she saw the man running away from the place where the shooting and crash occurred.
A trail of blood on doorsteps and door knobs led police to believe another man was in the car but had escaped the fusillade of shots only to be hurt in the smashup of Scola’s car after Scola slumped dead over the wheel.
Fail to Identify Man
Wilkie said one man failed to identify the suspect as the man he saw on the night of the slaying. He indicated, however, he would return to the neighborhood with Spinogatti today.
Miss Radogna gave her occupation as a dressmaker. However, it was understood she had been employed recently in a Camden restaurant.
Spinogatti was one of three men arrested for the Pennsauken holdup. Four men staged the job, police records reveal, but the fourth man was never found although known.
Spinogatti, Anthony Tate, and Charles “Jack” Kelly, eventually pleaded guilty to the charge and were sentenced to prison terms by Common Pleas Judge Shay. Spinogatti got 10 years, Tate, 15 years and Kelly, seven years. Spinogatti entered State’s Prison in March, 1932, and was released in January, 1939.
Woman Gives Police Tip
The holdup was solved on a tip given to the police by a woman witness who saw the bandits get into an ice and coal truck parked near her home about a mile away from the bank, and hide under a tarpaulin. The police found the truck and after being questioned several days, the driver admitted he had arranged with the holdup men to help in their escape.
Tate and Spinogatti were identified by several witnesses. The detectives found $1585 in Spinogatti’s room and about $1600 in a safe deposit box rented by Tate. Kelly was arrested in Bermuda where he had spent most of his share of the loot.
The Pennsauken bank again was held up in Dec. 1938, but that case was never solved.
Mariano Seeks Police Report In Hit, Run Case
Camden Courier-Post —
Will Ask Scarduzio About Injuries; Sgt. Whittaker to Be Questioned
FORMER GIRL FRIEND OF SLAIN MAN FREED
A South Camden man injured in a mysterious automobile accident two weeks ago and a Camden police sergeant were to be questioned today by Prosecutor Mariano in the investigation of the gangland murder March 29 of Vincent “China” Scola, bogus gas stamp racketeer.
Mariano said he would question Sgt. Stiles Whittaker and Andrew “Swifty” Scarduzio, 26, of 419 Winslow street, to ascertain how the latter suffered injuries which sent him to the West Jersey hospital for five days from March 25 to March 30.
The prosecutor said he has been informed the accident occurred while Scarduzio was being chased by someone who may have believed he was Scola and discovered the mistake after the crash. Mariano said he is anxious to learn if Scarduzio recognized the men who are reported to have run his car off the road near the Camden-Pennsauken township border line at Thirty-sixth and River avenue.
Girl Friend Set Free
Mariano last night ordered the release from custody of Helen Radogna, 26, of 1035 Langham avenue, whom he described as “Scola’s former girl friend.” He questioned the woman for two hours and announced she had shed some light on Scola’s activities in the gasoline black market but knew nothing of the murder details.
The Scarduzio accident has been shrouded in mystery and the only police report on it is what Whittaker was told when he was requested on March 25 by Scarduzio’s brother, James, to make arrangements to have Anthony admitted to the hospital.
Whittaker said today he was asked to make the hospital arrangements because he was a close friend of another of Anthony’s brothers, Thomas, a city policeman who has been inducted into the armed forces.
“On March 25, Jimmy called me and said his brother had been in a hit-run accident and believed his ribs were broken,” Whittaker said. “He told me he was busy and asked if I would get him to the hospital. I went down to the house on Winslow street and found the brother there.
Sent For Patrol Wagon
“He told me his side hurt him and that he couldn’t walk. I sent for the police patrol and while it was at the house, Jim arrived and told me he would be responsible for the hospital bill. The hospital doctors said he had possible fractures of the shoulder blade and ribs, and a severe bump on the head. They advised that he be admitted.
“I reported the case to the accident bureau, but I was told there had been no report made. I saw the man again a few days later and I asked him where the accident occurred. He told me he had been hit by a hit-run driver at Broadway and Benson street and that he lay there from 9 p. m. until 4 o’clock the next morning.
“I told Scarduzio I didn’t believe that story. I then began hearing
Cops to Quiz Man Fleeing Gangsters
Will Question Scarduzio About Auto Injury; Also Policeman
stories about the case and I went to see Jim. I asked him what his brother did for a living and he told me Anthony helped him in the real estate business.
Cop Didn’t Believe It
“That same day I met a young boy who told me he was a friend of Swifty’s and I told him the story. He smiled after I told him I didn’t believe the yarn. He said he believed Swifty was mixed up in some kind of gambling.
“I told his family all I had heard and they were very mad. They said they would attend to him, but I told them they should do nothing until the police had learned exactly what happened.”
From information given by Whittaker, Anthony’s car was found on a storage lot owned by Cooperson Brothers, on Arch street, near Third. A representative of the company said he had been requested by “Mrs. Scarduzio” to have it towed off the street on March 25. The company assigned the towing job to George Muchler, Highland avenue, Pennsauken, who took it to the Cooperson lot.
Front Wheel Missing
The right front wheel is missing from the car, the right front fender is badly smashed and is dented in such a manner as to indicate it turned over and came to rest against a pole. Dirt and grass are embedded beneath the bumper and on the left wheel, but two headlights and two running lights on the front are undamaged. The car is an Oldsmobile club coupe, the same body design as Scola’s expensive Cadillac. It is dark red in color, while Scola’s car was painted gunmetal.
Prosecutor Mariano questioned Miss Radogna in the office of Captain of Detectives Johnson yesterday afternoon. He said afterward she was a former “girl friend” of Scola’s and that Scola beat her in his brother’s restaurant at Fourth and Walnut streets several weeks ago.
After questioning the woman, Mariano said:
“I have just concluded a one-hour interview with Helen Radogna. She told us that she was a former girl friend of Scola’s but that she broke with him more than three weeks ago after he slapped her several times.
“She is not in good health and on March 27 she left Camden and went to Miami, Fla. Naturally, we could not find her. We did not know where she was located. We contacted her brother and learned she was in Miami. The brother agreed to send her a telegram and she returned to Camden and voluntarily came to police headquarters.
“Miss Radogna talked freely, but she did not tell us anything that we did not already know. We learned something of Scola’s activities but nothing that would lead us to solution of the murder.”
Ex-Convict Held
Police are still holding an ex-convict Michael Spinogatti, 37, of 338 Division street, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in March, 1932, after pleading guilty in the holdup in December, 1931, of the Pennsauken Township National Bank. Inspector John V. Wilkie arrested Spinogatti. He admitted riding in Scola’s car a short time before the murder.
Helen Radogna
Camden Courier-Post —
Helen Radogna
Two More Men To Be Quizzed In Scola Death
Camden Courier-Post —
Mariano Frees Woman Friend of Racketeer in Probe
Two more men will be questioned today in connection with the murder of Vincent “China” Scola, fake gasoline coupon racketeer.
Prosecutor Mariano last night said the men will be brought to his office today but refused to identify them or state what connection they may have with the murder.
At the same time Mariano announced he had released Helen Radogna, 26, of 1035 Langham avenue, a “very personal friend of Scola’s,” whom he had questioned for two hours yesterday. The prosecutor said the woman had shed some light on Scola’s activities in the gasoline black market but knew nothing of the murder details.
Meanwhile investigators are attempting to determine if an automobile accident which occurred five days before the murder had any connection with the Scola killing.
Man Hurt in Crash
Investigation of the accident was announced by Captain Koerner after he learned of the injury on March 24 of Anthony Scarduzio, 26, of 419 Winslow street. Scarduzio, who Koerner said is known as “Swifty,” was admitted to West Jersey hospital at 11.45 p. m. on that date suffering from a possible fractured skull and possible fractures of the shoulder blade and ribs.
Records at the hospital show Scarduzio was injured “as the result of an automobile accident” but they give no indication where it occurred or how. The case history at the hospital said he was “found unconscious by the police.”
Koerner was expected to question Scarduzio today to learn how he was injured. He said he has
2 Will Be Quizzed In Murder of Scola
received one version that Scarduzio was beaten up and another that his car overturned somewhere in Camden or Pennsauken township while someone was chasing him.
Mistaken Identity Seen
Police reports were that the investigators were attempting to learn if the men who murdered Scola mistook the Scarduzio car for that of Scola and realized they made a mistake only after the accident. There were no reports of the accident in either the records of Camden or Pennsauken police.
Scarduzio was one of six men fined $500 in October, last year, on charges of assisting in the operation of a bigtime gambling establishment at 1808 Broadway. The place was raided by the late Prosecutor Michel and resulted in a lengthy probe in which a number of policemen were called before the grand jury and asked to explain the disappearance of important evidence.
In 1940, Scarduzio was shot while he sat reading [?] in a poolroom at Third and Royden [?] streets. Detectives investigating the shooting arrested Scola and held him on suspicion but he later was released.
Discharged from Hospital
Scarduzio was discharged from the hospital at 8 p. m. on March 30. Scola was shot at 12.30 a. m. on March 29.
Prosecutor Mariano questioned Miss Radogna in the office of Captain of Detectives Johnson yesterday afternoon. He said afterward she was a former “girl friend” of Scola’s and that Scola beat her in his brother’s restaurant at Fourth and Walnut streets several weeks ago.
After questioning the woman, Mariano said:
“I have just concluded a one-hour interview with Helen Radogna. She told us that she was a former girl friend of Scola’s but that she broke with him more than three weeks ago after he slapped her several times.
“She is not in good health and on March 27 she left Camden and went to Miami, Fla. Naturally, we could not find her. We did not know where she was located. We contacted her brother and learned she was in Miami. The brother agreed to send her a telegram and she returned to Camden and voluntarily came to police headquarters.
“Miss Radogna talked freely, but she did not tell us anything that we did not already know. We learned something of Scola’s activities but nothing that would lead us to solution of the murder.”
Ex-Convict Held
An ex-convict under arrest is Michael Spinogatti, 37, of 338 Division street, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in March, 1932, after pleading guilty in the holdup in December, 1931, of the Pennsauken Township National Bank. Inspector John V. Wilkie arrested Spinogatti.
Spinogatti was taken to the scene of the murder Monday night where residents said they saw a second man, presumably riding with Scola when he was shot, attempting to gain entrance to several homes in the vicinity. One woman neighbor said she saw the man running away from the place where the shooting and crash occurred.
A trail of blood on doorsteps and door knobs led police to believe another man was in the car but had escaped the fusillade of shots only to be hurt in the smashup of Scola’s car after Scola slumped dead over the wheel.
Inspector Wilkie said one man failed to identify the suspect as the man he saw on the night of the slaying. He indicated, however, he would return to the neighborhood with Spinogatti.
Arrested for Holdup
Spinogatti was one of three men arrested for the Pennsauken holdup. Four men staged the job, police records reveal, but the fourth man was never found although known.
Spinogatti, Anthony Tate, and Charles “Jack” Kelly, eventually pleaded guilty to the charge and were sentenced to prison terms by Common Pleas Judge Shay. Spinogatti got 10 years, Tate, 15 years and Kelly, seven years. Spinogatti entered State’s Prison in March, 1932, and was released in January, 1939.
The holdup was solved on a tip given to the police by a woman witness who saw the bandits get into an ice and coal truck parked near her home about a mile away from the bank, and hide under a tarpaulin. The police found the truck and after being questioned several days, the driver admitted he had arranged with the holdup men to help in their escape.
Tate and Spinogatti were identified by several witnesses. The detectives found $1585 in Spinogatti’s room and about $1600 in a safe deposit box rented by Tate. Kelly was arrested in Bermuda where he had spent most of his share of the loot.
The Pennsauken bank again was held up in Dec., 1938, but that case was never solved.
OPA Confers with Police On Scola Murder Clues
Camden Courier-Post —
Following a conference yesterday between county and city police and a representative of the OPA, Prosecutor Mariano announced investigation of the murder of Vincent “China” Scola “will proceed with much more vigor.”
Mariano said a couple of new angles of the case were developed at the meeting and daily conferences would be held so long as the investigation is under way. The conference was called to effect closer cooperation between all police working on the case.
One new phase of the case will be a probe of injuries received by Anthony “Swifty” Scarduzio, 26, of 419 Winslow street, four days before the murder.
Scarduzio to Be Quizzed
Mariano said Scarduzio and Police Sgt. Stiles Whitaker, who arranged hospitalization for Scarduzio, will be questioned today.
The prosecutor said he received information the accident occurred while Scarduzio was being chased by gangsters who thought he was Scola and did not discover their mistake until after Scarduzio’s car was wrecked and he was injured at Thirty-sixth street and River road.
A check on black market gasoline by the Camden district office of the OPA yesterday revealed more than 100,000 gallons of gasoline had been dispensed in return for bogus tickets. A check of a period from February 15 to March 1 showed 38,000 gallons traded for fake tickets. Agents said the majority of these transactions were made with fake gas stamps circulated by Scola and his mob.
Police Heads at Parley
Attending the conference were Camden Police Chief Frost, Detective Captain Koerner and City Detectives Pfleiderer and Mardino; Detective Chief Doran, Captain Mulligan and Detective Dubie, of the county force, and OPA Investigator Falkenflick. Mariano issued the following statement:
“It was an interesting conference. This investigation will proceed with much more vigor. Everything that has been gone over will be rechecked. There will be daily conferences of the men working on the investigation and all the men will be assigned by the city police.
“They are going out now to check on two new angles which appear to be important. Every clue and lead we get will be run down to the nth degree. We outlined plans for the future and I think this conference will produce results. I am sure the county and city police will work hand in hand.”
The Scarduzio accident has been shrouded in mystery and the only police report on it is what Whittaker was told when he was requested on March 25 by Scarduzio’s brother, James, to make arrangements to have Anthony admitted to the hospital.
Hospital Arrangements
Whitaker said yesterday he was asked to make the hospital arrangements because he was a close friend of another of Anthony’s brothers, Thomas, a city policeman who has been inducted into the armed forces.
“On March 25, Jimmy called me and said his brother had been in a hit-run accident and believed his ribs were broken,” Whittaker said. “He told me he was busy and asked if I would get him to the hospital. I went down to the house on Winslow street and found the brother there.
“He told me his side hurt him and that he couldn’t walk. I sent for the police patrol and while it was at the house, Jim arrived and told me he would be responsible for the hospital bill. The hospital doctors said he had possible fractures of the shoulder blade and ribs and a severe bump on the head. They advised that he be admitted.
“I reported the case to the accident bureau, but I was told there had been no report made. I saw the man again a few days later and I asked him where the accident occurred. He told me he had been hit by a hit-run driver at Broadway and Benson street and that he lay there from 9 p. m. until 4 o’clock the next morning.
“I told Scarduzio I didn’t believe that story. I then began hearing stories about the case and I went to see Jim. I asked him what his brother did for a living and he told me Anthony helped him in the real estate business.
Cop Didn’t Believe It
“That same day I met a young boy who told me he was a friend of Swifty’s and I told him the story. He smiled after I told him I didn’t believe the yarn. He said he believed Swifty was mixed up in some kind of gambling.
“I told his family all I had heard and they were very mad. They said they would attend to him, but I told them they should do nothing until the police had learned exactly what happened.”
From information given by Whittaker, Anthony’s car was found on a storage lot owned by Cooperson Brothers, on Arch street near Third. A representative of the company said he had been requested by “Mrs. Scarduzio” to have it towed off the street on March 25. The company assigned the towing job to George Muchler, Highland avenue, Pennsauken, who took it to the Cooperson lot from River avenue between Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth street.
Front Wheel Missing
The right front wheel is missing from the car, the right front fender is badly smashed and is dented in such a manner as to indicate it turned over and came to rest against a pole. Dirt and grass are embedded beneath the bumper and on the left wheel, but two headlights and two running lights on the front are undamaged. The car is an Oldsmobile club coupe, the same body design as Scola’s expensive Cadillac. It is dark red in color, while Scola’s car was painted gunmetal.
It was revealed yesterday by George C. Helker, East Camden motor vehicle registration agent, that a 1944 tag was issued by him for Scola’s Cadillac the day before the murder. The registration was obtained by William Rodman, a used car dealer, from whom Scola purchased the car, Helker said. The tag was issued on a bill of sale and was not a renewal of a 1943 registration.
The State Motor Vehicle Department said Scola had no registration last year. The department revoked his registration privileges in 1942 after he was termed “a habitual violator” with at least five convictions for motor vehicle violations. The restriction was lifted when he filed proof of financial responsibility.
Police are still holding an ex-convict Michael Spinogatti, 37, of 338 Division street, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in March, 1932, after pleading guilty in the holdup in December, 1931, of the Pennsauken Township National Bank. Inspector John V. Wilkie arrested Spinogatti. He admitted riding in Scola’s car a short time before the murder.
Spinogatti was convicted of robbery Sept. 25, 1925, and given 2 1/2 to seven years. He was paroled Oct. 5, 1927. Following his release from state prison in January, 1939, after serving the sentence in the Pennsauken case, Spinogatti was arrested by federal agents on charges of possession and passing of counterfeit bills. He was released after being questioned for several days.
Checking on Spinogatti’s employment record at a Philadelphia defense plant yesterday police learned he had lost very little time in the past two and one-half years, but time records show he was absent on March 28 and 29. Scola was murdered about 12.30 a. m. March 29.
New Angles Found in Scola’s Murder
Camden Courier-Post —
Mariano Optimistic After Conference With Police and OPA Agent
Police investigators seeking the killers of Vincent “China” Scola, fake gas stamp racketeer, today are working on two entirely new angles which may result in a quick turn toward solution of the case.
Prosecutor Mariano announced the new phases of the case had been uncovered after a conference yesterday with city and county detectives and a representative of the Camden district OPA office. Mariano said he could not make the new angles public until they have been run out.
Meanwhile, OPA investigators said today Scola’s fake gas stamp activities resulted in approximately 100,000 gallons of black market gas being sold in the South Jersey area every month. A check of coupons turned in by station operators between Feb. 15 and March 1 revealed bogus coupons worth 40,000 gallons had been found.
Police Discord Reported
Prosecutor Mariano said after his conference with the other police officials that the Scola investigation “will proceed with much more vigor.” It was understood he was prompted to get the investigators to sit down with him by reports of dissension among several groups of city detectives who have been working on the case.
The prosecutor said he was convinced by the attitude of the men attending the conference that if there had been any differences of opinion, they have been ironed out and the activities of both city and county men in the investigation will be coordinated toward the same goal--the tracking down of Scola’s killers.
Police Heads at Parley
Attending the conference were Camden Police Chief Frost, Detective Captain Koerner and City Detectives Pfleiderer [?] and Mardino [?]; Detective Chief Doran, Captain Mulligan and Detective Dubie [?], of the county force, and OPA Investigator Falkenflick [?]. Mariano issued the following statement:
“It was an interesting conference. This investigation will proceed with much more vigor. Everything that has been gone over will be rechecked. There will be daily conferences of the men working on the investigation and all the men will be assigned by the city police.
“They are going out now to check on two new angles which appear to be important. Every clue and lead we get will be run down to the nth degree. We outlined plans for the future and I think this conference will produce results. I am sure the county and city police will work hand in hand.”
Police are still holding Michael Spinogatti, 37, of 338 Division street, who admitted riding in Scola’s car a short time before the murder.
Will Quiz Scarduzio
Mariano said he today would question Anthony “Swifty” Scarduzio, 26, of 419 Winslow street, who was injured four days before the Scola murder in a mysterious auto accident. The prosecutor declared he has been informed Scarduzio may have been chased by gangsters who mistook him for Scola.
Police Sergeant Stiles Whittaker, who arranged for Scarduzio’s hospitalization and who made the only police report of the accident also will be interviewed by Mariano. Scarduzio told Whittaker he was injured at Broadway and Benson street, but Whittaker said he later learned the accident occurred on River road near Thirty-sixth street.
The OPA check on bogus stamps included a survey of all banks where distributors deposit coupons after they receive them from station operators. The counterfeits were found glued to regular forms provided by OPA to station owners. They were among a number of valid coupons pasted on the forms.
As a result of the survey and information obtained in the Scola investigation, OPA predicted a widespread cleanup of black market activities “as soon as the men responsible come out of hiding.”
OPA investigators said the murder has caused most of the gas stamp racketeers to “pack up and run,” but declared they will return when they think the heat has been taken off.
Anthony “Swifty” Scarduzio
Camden Courier-Post —
Anthony “Swifty” Scarduzio, who surrendered yesterday for questioning by police in the Scola murder case.
New Group Grilled In Scola Murder
Camden Courier-Post —
Continuing their investigation of the murder of Vincent “China” Scola, fake gasoline stamp racketeer, with renewed vigor, police last night began questioning a number of persons in Prosecutor Mariano’s office.
While police refused to reveal names of the witnesses, it was learned they were persons first to arrive on the scene of the gang killing early in the morning of March 29 and others living in the neighborhood who heard the fatal shots.
Others were persons who frequented a restaurant where Scola stopped for a few minutes shortly before he met his death, and friends who seemingly knew something of his activities and associates.
Scarduzio Is Held
Following his surrender for questioning yesterday Anthony “Swifty” Scarduzio, 26, of 419 Winslow street, was held without bail on a charge of “on suspicion in a murder case.”
Injured four days before the murder when his car overturned in the vicinity of Thirty-sixth street and River road, Scarduzio last night complained of pains while in city jail. He was taken to Cooper hospital and quickly returned to his cell after an examination by physicians.
Michael J. Spinogatti, 37, of 338 Division street, who has admitted he was riding with Scola a few minutes before the latter was killed, was questioned by investigators yesterday for the first time. Spinogatti was arrested Monday by Inspector John V. Wilkie.
Police Efforts Spurred
Spurred by a request Wednesday by Prosecutor Mariano that the investigation be carried on with “much more vigor,” practically every police agency working on the case was busy checking and rechecking numerous clues and information which have not previously been run out.
Scarduzio is alleged to have told Police Sgt. Stiles Whittaker he was struck by a hit-run driver at Broadway and Benson street on March 23, but Whittaker learned his car overturned and hit a pole at Thirty-sixth street and River avenue.
Scarduzio was surrendered to the police by his attorney, Angelo Malandra, who said Scarduzio told him he had been drinking in a Pennsauken township tavern on River road and was on his way home, driving at high speed on River avenue, when the machine hit a bump in the road at Thirty-sixth street and he lost control. It overturned and struck the pole at Thirty-fifth street, Malandra said. He declared Scarduzio denies he was being chased.
According to Malandra, the next thing Scarduzio remembers is “waking up on a sofa in his home.” He was found in the wreckage by a friend who Malandra identified as “Paul D’Alessandro,” with whom he had been talking in the tavern earlier in the evening.
Taken to Hospital
He was taken to the West Jersey hospital the next day, Malandra said.
Spinogatti was taken from the city jail, where he has been held “on suspicion,” to the prosecutor’s office by Wilkie at the direction of Mariano. Taking part in the questioning was Mariano, City Detective Captain Koerner, City Detective Pfleiderer and County Detective Dubie. Wilkie was not asked to sit in on the query.
It was understood that the probers are attempting to ascertain if Spinogatti was riding in the Scola car when the shooting took place. He denied this, but a felt hat found in the car is said to be the same size as his. This hat and one of Spinogatti’s have been sent to the state police laboratory for comparison.
Spinogatti was questioned briefly by Mariano, who said the ex-convict declared he worked only an hour the Monday before the killing, did not report to work the next day because of illness and went to see a doctor on Wednesday, March 29, the day Scola was slain.
Mariano asked Wilkie to check the doctor story and then ordered Chief Doran to take a stenographic record of Spinogatti’s statement.
Police Review All Stories In Scola Murder
Camden Courier-Post —
A complete review of the stories given by witnesses in the investigation of the gangland murder of Vincent “China” Scola, bogus gas stamp racketeer, is being made today under the direction of Prosecutor Mariano.
Three additional city detectives, Joseph Carpani, Louis Schmidt and Clifford Carr, have been assigned to assist the investigating staff in compiling stenographic records of information thus far received verbally.
The investigators worked until midnight last night questioning a number of witnesses who arrived on the scene of the slaying within a few minutes of the crime early on March 29. They also took an official statement from Anthony “Swifty” Scarduzio, 26, of 419 Winslow street, who was injured four days before the killing in a mysterious auto accident at Thirty-fifth street and River road.
His Family Questioned
After taking Scarduzio’s statement, the sleuths are reported to have interviewed members of his family to check the details. Scarduzio, surrendered yesterday by his attorney, Angelo Malandra, was still being held without bail today “on suspicion.” He was taken to Cooper hospital last night after he complained of being in pain from the injuries he received in the accident.
In announcing that Carpani, Schmidt and Carr had been assigned to the investigation, Police Chief Frost said they would work with the men who have been seeking the killers for the past eight days.
“The prosecutor is anxious to get written statements from every witness who may have information which will help in solving this case,” Frost said. “There are a great number of such statements to take and it is our purpose to compare the testimony given so we can make a check on the statements of those witnesses we believe are not telling us all they know.
“We are satisfied that some of the men we have brought in have lied to us or are not giving us information we know they have. Several discrepancies already have been found in their stories and we will ask them to explain these conflicts after we get them down on paper.”
A stenographic record of the statement given to Mariano and County Detective Chief Doran yesterday by Michael J. Spinogatti, 37, of 338 Division street, an ex-convict, was being transcribed today.
Spinogatti admitted previously that he was in Scola’s car a short time before the gangster was blasted to death, but denies knowing anything about the killing. He was suspected by detectives of being in the car when the shots were fired, but he has steadfastly denied this. He said he met Scola in a restaurant at Fourth and Walnut streets and the latter offered to drive him a square and one-half to his home.
Various Stories Told
It was understood that several persons who were in the restaurant when Scola arrived there on his way home from work on the 4 p. m. to midnight shift at the New York shipyard the night he was killed, have told the police he did not enter the restaurant, even though his brother, Joseph, pleaded with him to stop for a short time.
Spinogatti is reported to have told the police he worked in a Philadelphia war plant only one hour the Monday before the murder, did not work at all because he was sick the following day, and stayed out to see a doctor on March 29, when Scola met his death.
Every detective and other police official working on the investigation has been busy checking the many details given them by witnesses since Prosecutor Mariano held a conference and announced the investigation would proceed “with much more vigor.”
Report Doctor Involved
New reports were in circulation today that the investigators are attempting to find a doctor who is said to have been in Scola’s company for several hours the afternoon preceding the murder.
Included in the review of the events leading up to and following the crime was a scrutiny of the case in which Scola was involved with two South Camden men in the operation of the Victory Cafe which later became the Club Araby. This case was heard in Chancery Court when the two men charged Scola with “muscling in” on the enterprise in which they had invested $4200. It has been referred to a special master.
Police Scour Phila. for Scola Witness
Camden Courier-Post —
Called ‘Very Important’; Garages are Searched for Murder Car
The investigation of the murder of Vincent “China” Scola, fake gas stamp racketeer, shifted to Philadelphia today with detectives seeking a man they term “a very important witness.”
Several county and city detectives who have been working night and day on the case since Scola was blasted to death at Thirty-eighth street and Myrtle avenue March 29, spent most of last night in that city searching for the witness without success. They returned there today.
Other investigators were making a systematic search of garages and parking lots in and around Camden hoping to turn up the black sedan used by the killers. City Detective Captain Koerner ordered this search, declaring he believed the gunmen abandoned the car shortly after the shooting.
Two ‘Discharged’
It was learned today that Charles Casale, alias Charles Reynolds, and Harry C. Bolt, Jr., 19, both of Camden, have been released from the Hudson county jail, Jersey City, where they were being held in default of bail on charges of possession of counterfeit gas stamps. Casale put up $3000 bond and Bolt $1500.
Mariano said that as far as he knows, no written statements have been taken from the two men and that he may order them rearrested here. Casale and Bolt were arrested in Newark on March 25, where they are said to have gone on a mission for Scola to pick up 6000 counterfeit stamps.
The OPA learned of the visit and Newark police were waiting for them when they left a train at the Newark station. They were followed to a car, where they picked up the stamps and then went back to the station. They were arrested on the train as it was about to leave for Philadelphia. At Elizabeth, railroad detectives found the stamps under the seat in which they had been sitting.
Gave Long Statement
The police have declared that Casale and Bolt gave OPA agents long statements in Newark concerning the ramifications of the Scola activities here, but the local investigators took no written statements. The Scola investigation at that time was under the supervision of local detectives. They are considered important witnesses to the Scola investigation inasmuch as they are alleged to have received the fake stamps from two Newark gangsters who have been sought for questioning in the Scola murder from the very day it happened.
City detectives last night returned Anthony “Swifty” Scarduzio, 26, of 419 Winslow street, to the West Jersey hospital after he complained of pains from injuries he received in a mysterious accident at Thirty-fifth street and River avenue on March 25.
Scarduzio is under arrest “on suspicion” in the Scola investigation and gave the investigators an official statement of the accident yesterday. Mariano said he did not take part in the entire questioning of Scarduzio and had not yet read the statement.
Collingswood Man Quizzed
Paul D’Alessandro, 30 [?], of Collingswood, who Scarduzio said found him and took him home following his accident, was brought to Mariano’s office yesterday by his attorney, Antonio Marino.
In a statement to county authorities it was learned D’Alessandro told of passing the scene of the accident and recognizing Scarduzio’s car. He said he was preparing to take the injured Scarduzio to the hospital when the latter moaned, “take me home,” and he complied. Mariano said D’Alessandro will be questioned further today. He was not arrested.
Scarduzio was accompanied to the hospital by a member of his family and a detective. He had previously been taken to Cooper hospital and returned to his cell after an examination.
Attaches at West Jersey hospital referred all inquiries concerning Scarduzio to Dr. Wesley H. Jack. Dr. Jack said Scarduzio was brought to the hospital and a member of his family requested he be admitted for further treatment of his injuries. Scarduzio, Dr. Jack said, suffered bruises of the head, neck and chest on the right side and a hemorrhage of the middle ear. He said his condition was favorable.
Prosecutor Mariano declared today he is “not satisfied” with the story given to him by Michael Spinogatti, 37, of 338 Division street, who was arrested several days ago by Inspector John V. Wilkie, who received a tip he was riding in the Scola car a short time before the murder.
Mariano said Spinogatti confirmed to him a statement he previously gave to Wilkie that Scola drove him from a restaurant at Fourth and Walnut streets to his home. He denied being with Scola when he was killed. The police have declared a second man was in the car but escaped.
Associate of Scola in Business Jailed by Murder Probers
Camden Courier-Post —
Restaurant Owner Charging ‘Muscling in’ Seized; Man Sought in Phila.
A central Camden restaurant owner and former business associate of Vincent “China” Scola, slain fake gas stamp racketeer, is the latest figure arrested for questioning in the gangland murder.
Antonio Amato, 59, of 326 Spruce street, was picked up late Saturday and taken to police headquarters for questioning by Detectives Louis Schmidt and Joseph Carpani. Amato remained in a city jail cell last night charged with “on suspicion of murder.” Earlier in the day Amato was allowed to go home--under guard--for Easter dinner.
Meanwhile the investigation of Scola’s slaying shifted over to Philadelphia where detectives said they were seeking a man they termed “a very important witness.”
Detectives in Phila.
Several county and city detectives, who have been working night and day on the case since Scola was shot to death at Thirty-eighth street and Myrtle avenue March 29, spent most of Friday night in that city and returned there Saturday. Result of their activities were not revealed yesterday.
Other investigators were making a systematic search of garages and parking lots in and around Camden hoping to turn up the black sedan used by the killers.
Prosecutor Mariano declared his investigators had questioned William Rodman, proprietor of a used car lot at Fifteenth and Federal streets, who made the arrangements for Scola in the purchase of his $2500 Cadillac.
“We had hoped this man might give us some information on Scola’s movements, but he wouldn’t talk,” Mariano said. “We have released him but he is subject to recall any time we think we may need him.”
Charged ‘Muscling In’
Amato, in a Chancery Court action early in March--only about three weeks before Scola was slain--charged Scola “muscled in” on his restaurant business, then forced him out and threatened to kill him.
Amato and Antonio Farina, of 676 Fairview avenue, opened the Club Arabia, a night club at 417-19 Walnut street, Nov. 10, 1943, with Amato putting up $3000 and Farina $1200. The two men charged Scola declared himself in, putting up $400. From that moment they declared, he took over the business completely, even hiring his own cashier. On Jan. 26, it was charged, he threw Amato out of the place and threatened to kill him if he interfered with Scola’s operation.
Advisory Master Woodruff appointed Julius Sklar, attorney, as receiver to sell the club and distribute the proceeds among the three “partners” in proportion to their investment. Amato and Farina then opened up their present spaghetti restaurant on Market street, between Third and Fourth streets. Meanwhile, Joseph Scola, brother of the slain man, had been running the night club.
Record of 8 Arrests
Amato has a police record extending back to 1916 which shows eight arrests on charges ranging from receiving stolen goods and illegal possession of liquor to breaking and entering, and larceny and passing worthless checks.
It was learned yesterday that Charles Casale, alias Charles Reynolds, and Harry C. Bolt, Jr., 19, both of Camden, have been released from the Hudson county jail, Jersey City, where they were being held in default of bail on charges of possession of counterfeit gas stamps. Casale put up $3000 bond and Bolt $1500. The bail was given by a bonding company and there was no police record of who arranged for it.
Mariano said that as far as he knows, no written statements have been taken from the two men by the Scola investigators and that he may order them rearrested here. Casale and Bolt were arrested in Newark on March 25, where they are said to have gone on a mission for Scola to pick up 6000 counterfeit stamps.
Gave Long Statement
The police have declared Casale and Bolt gave OPA agents long statements in Newark concerning the ramifications of the Scola activities here, but the local investigators took no written statements. The Scola investigation at that time was under the supervision of local detectives. They are considered important witnesses to the Scola investigation inasmuch as they are alleged to have received the fake stamps from two Newark gangsters who have been sought for questioning in the Scola murder from the very day it happened.
Casale is said to have told the Newark OPA agents that Scola was the South Jersey representative for a Newark ring of fake gas stamp racketeers. Bolt, according to Casale, had nothing to do with the racket. He said he met him in a poolroom and asked him to take a ride. Investigators said Casale paid Bolt’s train fare to Newark. The youth allegedly carried Casale’s topcoat in which police said they found a sheet of counterfeit stamps.
Prosecutor Mariano said he is “not satisfied” with the story given to him by Michael Spinogatti, 37, of 338 Division street, arrested several days ago by Inspector John V. Wilkie, who received a tip he was riding in the Scola car a short time before the murder.
Mariano said Spinogatti confirmed to him a statement he previously gave to Wilkie that Scola drove him from a restaurant at Fourth and Walnut streets to his home. He denied being with Scola when he was killed. The police have declared a second man was in the car but escaped.
Harry Passen
Camden Courier-Post —
Harry Passen, alias Andy Dorris, said by Philadelphia police to be a member of the “Nig” Rosen gang. Passen was murdered and his bound and blanket-wrapped body dumped in a wooded section along the Black Horse Pike near Williamstown.
Gang Guns End 3rd Life in Month
Camden Courier-Post —
The third underworld victim in a little over a month to be slain by blazing bullets was found yesterday trussed up and hooded in a wooded section near the Black pike, Williamstown, Gloucester county.
He was identified as Harry Passen, or Passon, alias Andy Harris, of 2329 South Eighth street, Philadelphia, said by police of that city to be known as a member of the Harry “Nig” Rosen gang. Rosen is the alleged head of a numbers syndicate in the Sixty-ninth street section.
Philadelphia and the New Jersey state police said the case was “wide open” with the possibility it may be linked with either the slaying of John P. Brennan, Philadelphia racketeer, or Vincent “China” Scola, fake gasoline stamp racketeer.
Brennan First to Die
Brennan was killed March 7 as he drove his car in front of his apartment on Rittenhouse street near Seventeenth street, Philadelphia. Scola was murdered while driving his car at Thirty-eighth and Myrtle avenue about 12.30 a. m. March 29.
Passen had a long record of arrests in Philadelphia, although the only prison term he ever served was 10 days for disorderly conduct in 1931. His picture hung in the detectives’ room there with orders to run him out of town any time he was seen.
Philadelphia Detective Inspector Richardson expressed the belief that he may have been slain in retaliation for a “shakedown attempt.”
Attempted Shakedown
“He was a drug addict and a notorious shakedown artist,” Richardson said. “As recently as two weeks ago he tried to shake down a certain party in the vicinity of Seventh and Porter streets. As a result of that, a request was made for his arrest.”
The identity of the “certain party” was not revealed.
The body of Passen was discovered about 2 p. m. by Elmer Vandegrift, 49, of 1022 Line street, a truck driver for the Pinsky Stores, Inc., 941 Broadway.
Sgt. Frank Ruggerio, Cpl. Frank De Winne, and Louis Bornmann, state police detectives, on arrival at the scene labeled the killing a gang murder. Dr. R. D. Zapf [?], Gloucester county coroner, ordered the body removed to the morgue of Albert D. Mathis, funeral director of Glassboro.
Passen’s widow, Reba, was summoned to the morgue today to identify the body.
Removing the improvised hood, made of a blue rainproof jacket and fastened with adhesive tape, police discovered the first wound, a bullet hole through the left temple. The shot passed through the head emerging at the back.
Body Trussed with Cord
Some time was consumed in unwrapping the body. Three kinds of cord, including a heavy sash cord had been wound tightly around the entire body after it had been placed in a bunched position, the legs drawn close to the body, with the knees near the chin.
After all clothing was removed, a second bullet wound through the side of the body six inches from the left armpit, was found. While
Police Are Baffled in Passen’s Murder
Camden Courier-Post —
Detectives investigating the murder of Harry Passen, Philadelphia underworld character, declared today they are “against a stone wall” in the case and have only a few, meagre clues to work on.
Lieut. H. A. Carlson, in charge of state police detectives working on the case, said investigators have been “running all over” South Jersey and Philadelphia following leads but have made little or no progress toward tracing the killers.
“This murder was a typical gangland killing and you don’t solve those cases easy,” Carlson said. “We’ve been running out leads and trying to trace this man’s movements, but even his own relatives don’t talk.
“There is no doubt in our minds that Passen was killed at some other place than where he was found, but trying to find that place is quite a task.”
Philadelphia investigators ind- [text not on the crops] Philadelphia and his body dumped in the woods along the Black Horse pike.
Philadelphia detectives said Passen had been shaking down Philadelphia racketeers and sporting figures at gunpoint for thousands of dollars within the last two months.
Police investigators indicated they are working on the theory Passen was killed Saturday night by a potential blackmail victim or by one who already had paid plenty.
Sgt. Frank Ruggerio, state police detective, said today the search for the killers is being concentrated in Philadelphia after probes of the South Jersey underworld turned up nothing.
Although search of Passen’s clothing revealed only 81 cents, his widow, Reba, 36, who identified the body yesterday at a Glassboro morgue, said he carried a large sum of money when she last saw him early Saturday morning as she was leaving their home to report for work at a Philadelphia defense plant.
Mrs. Passen said she had been married to the victim for 20 years and admitted he was a narcotics addict. She said during her entire married life she had been self-supporting and received no aid from her husband. She said she did not become alarmed when he failed to return home Saturday night or Sunday as he often stayed away, sometimes for days at a time.
She said he changed his clothes before leaving the house Saturday morning and left his wallet containing his social security and draft cards in another suit. She identified all the clothing found on and with the body as that of Passen’s except the blue rainproof jacket which had been used as an improvised hood. The body was released yesterday to a Philadelphia undertaker. Passen was 38 and lived at 2329 South Eighth street.
Paul Chille
Camden Courier-Post —
Paul Chille, arrested for questioning in the murder of Vincent “China” Scola. Chille, of Philadelphia, is said by police to have been “fleeced” of more than $1,000 by the slain black market gasoline operator. Chille once served a term for counterfeiting money.
Police Holding Ex-Convict In Scola Killing
Camden Courier-Post —
A Philadelphia man, who served a prison sentence for counterfeiting money, is being held without bail today for questioning in the gangland murder of Vincent “China” Scola, fake gas stamp racketeer.
Paul Chille, 39, of 1318 Girard avenue, was arrested yesterday outside his home by Camden and Philadelphia detectives. He came to Camden voluntarily and was questioned several hours.
The investigators said they received information Chille gave Scola $1000 for several thousand gas stamps but that Scola failed to produce them and kept the money. It is understood the police are attempting to learn whether Scola used Chille’s help in manufacturing bogus gas coupons.
Faces Further Questioning
There have been numerous reports throughout the Scola investigation that the murdered racketeer was blasted to death because he failed to make good on $25,000 worth of fake stamps sent to him here by a Newark mob.
Other police information has been to the effect that Scola was trying to break away from the North Jersey gang and set up his own gas coupon counterfeiting business here.
Detective Captain Koerner after talking with Chille said his investigators “now have a couple of good leads.” He would not elaborate on the statement, other than to say the suspect would be questioned further today.
1939 Arrest Here Revealed
Under preliminary questioning Chille said he did not know Scola and had never been in Camden before. Koerner then produced an arrest card here which showed Chille was arrested in 1939 by Detective Joseph Mardino as a “suspicious character.” Koerner then ordered Chille held without bail.
According to Philadelphia police, Chille, who said he was a foreman in a clothing factory, has a police record dating back to 1927. His most recent arrest was last January when he was picked up by the Philadelphia vice squad and charged with “disorderly conduct” and later released.
Faced Many Charges
In 1934 Chille was arrested in Baltimore, on a charge of counterfeiting money and when arraigned in U. S. District Court in Philadelphia was sentenced to 8 months [?].
Arrested in Philadelphia in 1930 on a drug charge, Chille was given six months. Other arrests against Chille include charges of passing worthless checks and obtaining money under false pretenses and using slugs in telephone coin boxes. He was held for “investigation” once in Washington.
Two other men questioned in the Scola case were released earlier on orders of Prosecutor Mariano.
One of those set free is Antonio Amato, who accused Scola in Chancery Court of “muscling in” on his restaurant business at Fourth and Walnut streets. Arrested Saturday, “on suspicion,” Amato was released in $500 bail as a material witness.
His attorney, former Prosecutor Orlando, obtained the release after he threatened to ask for a writ of habeas corpus. Amato’s wife, Amelia, signed the bail bond.
Second Not Identified
The second man released was discharged two hours after he was picked up. Prosecutor Mariano refused to disclose his identity. He previously had been termed “a suspect” in the case but after giving Mariano, and City Detectives Carpani and Schmidt a statement, he was permitted to leave.
State police detectives investigating the murder of Harry Passen, Philadelphia police character, yesterday made a minute check of the files of OPA offices in Camden and Philadelphia after they received reports Passen may have been involved in a bogus gasoline stamp ring.
They reported they found nothing which would indicate Passen ever had been suspected of black market operations.
OPA agents in the two cities reportedly told the police investigators they never heard of Passen in investigating gangsters believed responsible for flooding this area with counterfeit gasoline coupons.
The detectives were still working on the theory that Passen was slain sometime Saturday in Philadelphia and that his body, trussed and hooded, was taken to Williamstown, where it was dumped in a wooded section just off the Black Horse pike.
Photos
Vincent Scola, New Camden Cemetery.