Introduction
Phil Cohen
Jasper Street originally ran east from the Delaware River to Broadway. By 1947 the only houses on Jasper Street were in the 400 block.
For many years there existed a shanty town known as Liney Ditch, after the creek, since buried over, that once ran from east of Broadway to its mouth at the foot of Jasper Street. In September of 1932, Courier-Post reporter E. Allen Hughes wrote a two part series of articles about the Liney Ditch community.
Liney Ditch at the Foot of Jasper Street
Liney Ditch at the foot of Jasper Street — Camden Courier-Post, September 1932
Foot of Jasper Street
Philadelphia Inquirer —
Former Policeman Thomas Pooley, of 1800 Fillmore street, Camden, was saved from drowning yesterday off the Jasper street wharf by Isaac Sidman. Pooley essayed to throw an anchor from a yacht. He lost his balance and as he fell the line was wrapped about his feet. This hauled him beneath the surface. Sidman jumped overboard with a knife and cut Pooley loose.
Unit Block of Jasper Street
Unit Block of Jasper Street
8 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1931 | John Tominies |
9 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| (no info) |
10 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| (no info) |
11 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| (no info) |
12 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| (no info) |
13 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| (no info) |
14 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| (no info) |
15 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| (no info) |
47 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1933 | Martha Kuchinski |
51 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1936 | Friend Cross |
106 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1940 | Edward Chase |
317 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1940 | Dave Pronchik |
Police Asked to Seek 2 South Jersey Men
Camden Courier-Post —
The police have been asked to aid in locating two men.
Mrs. Bertha Taylor, of 142 Broadway, Westville, reported she has not heard from her husband, Charles, 33, since July 8 when he left for South America to seek work.
John Tominies, 40, a junk dealer, of 8 Jasper Street, disappeared Saturday morning, members of his family notified the police.
Woman Accuses Two of Assault in Home
Camden Courier-Post —
Andrew Scarduzio, 35, of 1804 South Fourth street, and Edward McCloy, 29, of 50 Yale road, Audubon, are being held without bail pending a hearing in police court today on charges of atrocious assault and battery preferred by Martha Kuchinski, of 47 Jasper Street.
The woman told police they broke down the door of her home at 3 a.m. Saturday and assaulted her.
Neighbors Find Man Dead at Liney Ditch
Camden Courier-Post —
Friend Cross, 69, of 51 Jasper street, Liney Ditch, was found dead early last night by neighbors. They notified police. Detectives Thomas Murphy and Frank Crawford found Cross apparently had died of a stroke. The body was taken to Cooper Hospital morgue. Coroner Frank J. Leonard will perform an autopsy today. Cross had lived at Liney Ditch for 15 years. He is survived by a brother, Harry, who lives at 119 North Sixth street, Darby, Pa.
Hospital Cases
Camden Courier-Post —
HOSPITAL CASES
WEST JERSEY
George Rice, 65, of 1143 North Fawn street, Philadelphia, contusion of abdomen. Joe Brancho, 12, of 334 Sycamore street, fracture of arm. Jennie Falgnoli, 31, of 601 North Third street, fishbone in throat. Harry Goff, 40, of 1229 Sheridan street, cut of arm. Edward Chase, 8, of 106 Jasper street, cut of scalp. Carmen J. Ante, 18, of 410 Spruce street, crushing contusion of toe. Ruth Whiteman, 43, of 218 York street, cut of lip. Clifton Fublman, 40, of 1017 Bulson street, cut of arm. Dave Pronchick, 27, of 317 Jasper street, cut of chin.
COOPER
Alexander Locantore, 65, of 576 Walnut street, fractured ribs. Howard Kenny, 46, of 514 Mickle street, infection of hand. Charles Neff, 59, of 39 North Thirty-third street, sprained wrist. Florence Cicchini, 20, of 2253 North Forty-first street, sprained ankle. Anna Fitch, 50, of 744 Cherry street, swallowed a fish bone. Jennie Fargnoli, 31, of 601 North Third street, swallowed a fish bone. William Geitz, 36, Mantua, injury to eye. Mary Healey, 32, of 408 Haddon avenue, eye injury. Maybelle Vanderalice, 8, of 506 Beideman avenue, scalp injury. Paul Mastraianni, 24, of 413 Benson street, cut of hand. Robert Yarnell, 2, of 2022 Broadway street, cut of hand. May Davis, 25, of 1146 Clover street, cut of mouth.
98-Degree Heat Kills Two in South Jersey; 59-Year Mark for June Is Smashed Here
Camden Courier-Post —
Camden Man, Rushed to Hospital From Factory, Dies Soon After
Other Death Blamed on Too Much Water
Slight Relief Promised Today as Wave Kills 100 in Nation
With the temperature skyrocketing to a record of 98 degrees yesterday one Camden and a Williamstown man died from heat prostration while the nation's toll was estimated at 100.
It was the hottest day in two years. July 1, 1931, registered 98 degrees. It was the warmest June 9 in 59 years, according to the Weather Bureau. The temperature reached its peak at 4 p. m. Then it began to decline and was 87 around midnight. The weather man forecasts slightly cooler weather today with clouds.
Dies Fixing Car
Oscar L. Tann, Jr., 22, of Sicklerville Road, Williamstown, died last night while operating an electric drill under an automobile in his father's garage after he had drank a quantity of ice water. Other employees saw him collapse while the drill kept running, but were unable to revive him. Coroner W. J. Burkett, Pitman, said the ice water and excessive heat caused his death.
John Gelecki, 55, of 214 Jasper Street, died in West Jersey Homeopathic Hospital of heat prostration.
Gelecki was stricken while at work at the McAndrews & Forbes licorice plant at the foot of Jefferson Street. He was rushed to the hospital by other employees, but lived only five minutes after he was admitted.
As a result of the torrid weather, Dr. Leon N. Neulen, superintendent of Camden public schools, ordered all classes dismissed in the Camden grammar, high and junior high schools at the noon recess. Pupils in Philadelphia schools also were excused.
Scores cooled off in hastily-opened pools throughout this section of state. Others bathed in lakes and rivers, while hundreds flocked to seashore resorts.
The less fortunate, forced to remain at work in offices and factories, suffered from the terrific humidity.
Saloons and tap rooms had one of their biggest days since the return of 3.2 brew. Crowds drank schooner after schooner of beer in an attempt to cool off.
Heat Blasts Highway
So intense were the sun's rays on the Pitman pike that a section of the highway, near Barnsboro, contracted and exploded from the heat. The blast raised the roadway almost a foot, according to County Engineer William C. Cattell.
At Shibe Park, Philadelphia, where the Athletics met the New York Yankees, Jim Peterson, Mack pitcher and former Penn star, collapsed after pitching to the first batter and had to be taken from the game.
Although the official weather bureau thermometer had reached only 91, street thermometers skyrocketed to 100 and more, both here and in Philadelphia. Also broken is the year's high mark of 92, set at 4:30 p. m. Thursday.
John Tranowski, 76, of 245 South American Street, Philadelphia, was prostrated in his home yesterday and died before he could be taken to the Pennsylvania Hospital.
William Murphy, 60, of Bristol, Pennsylvania, collapsed on the lawn at the home of Michael Brennan, near Tullytown, Pennsylvania, and after examination by a neighboring physician, was pronounced dead from sun stroke.
William Barchmaier, 42, of 4059 Teesdale street, collapsed at Keystone and Cottman streets, Tacony. He was pronounced dead at Frankford Hospital. The first victim died in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Another Philadelphia victim was William Smith, 65, 4252 Houghton Street, Roxborough. He was found dead in his cellar.
Joseph Yates, 21, a member of the crew of a ship tied up at the New York Shipyard, was taken to Cooper Hospital suffering from heat exhaustion at 10 a. m. yesterday. He was revived and remained in the hospital rest room. Yates' home is in Port Arthur, Texas.
The county park swimming pool in Gloucester was opened in advance of its scheduled time. The Mountwell pool, Haddonfield, will remain closed until the regular opening date, June 17.
Gloucester City schools were dismissed at 2 p.m. because of the heat.
400 Block of Jasper Street
400 Block of Jasper Street
400 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1887–1888 | August Tegtmeier |
| 1890–1891 | Charles Barrett |
| 1895–1900 | James P. Croker |
| 1918–1921 | Samuel Rosenberg |
| 1927–1943 | Walter's Cafe (Walter Evanuk) |
| 1947 | Zenie Cafe (Zenie Stepanuk) |
| 1959 | Walter's Cafe (Walter Evanuk) |
| 1966 | Jasper Cafe |
| 1970 | Jasper Tavern |
| late 1970s | Hughie's Tavern |
402 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Tony Stepanuk |
403 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Sacred Heart Parochial School |
404 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1928 | Eugene Marshall |
| 1947 | John J. Spahn |
406 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Mrs. Emma Jones |
408 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Thomas O. Marini |
410 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Francis J. Rieley |
414 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Alphonse V. Koenig |
416 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1947 | John J. McGuire |
418 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Amedia DiFrancisco |
420 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Zarko Rednovnikovich |
422 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Mrs. Tillie Romanowicz |
424 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1887–1888 | A.B. Cooley Smith Sr. |
| 1890s–1900s | Lewis A. Buzine |
| 1947 | Otto Wendler |
426 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1947 | James McLaughlin |
428 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1878–1888 | Jacob F. Nessen & Family |
| 1878–1888 | Jacob & Henrietta Nessen |
| 1878–1888 | George W. Nessen |
| 1878–1888 | Raymond Nessen |
| 1947 | Thomas L. Edwards |
430 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Vacant |
432 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1870s–1890s | William E. Gilling & Family |
| 1870s–1890s | William & Louisa Gilling |
| 1870s–1890s | Frederick W. "Freddie" Gilling |
| 1870s–1890s | Bessie Gilling |
| 1947 | John Smith |
434 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1890–1903 | Jacob F. Nessen & Family |
| 1890–1903 | Jacob & Henrietta Nessen |
| 1890–1903 | George W. Nessen |
| 1890–1903 | Raymond Nessen |
| 1947 | Edmund J. Olsen |
436 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Walter Evanuk |
440 Jasper Street
| Year ↕ | Name ↕ |
|---|---|
| 1933 | Andrew Korsun |
| 1947 | Thomas L. Griffith |
Andrew Korson
Camden Courier-Post —
Andrew KORSON
The funeral of Andrew Korson, 61, formerly of 440 Jasper Street, who died Saturday, will be held at 2 p. m. Thursday at the funeral parlors of Frank J. Leonard, 1451 Broadway. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery. He is survived by the widow, Bertha.
Photos
Zenie Cafe at 400 Jasper Street
Lewis A. Buzine — 424 Jasper Street, 1890s–1900s
Suspected Sniper Charges Frameup by 'Real Phantom'
Camden Courier-Post —
Police Letter Written by His Enemy, Downtown Youth Insists
New Shots Hit Auto and Fire Alarm Box
Courier Reporter Locates Most Sought By Police At Jasper Street Home
Admitting that he is the man for whom Camden police searched for four days after receipt of an anonymous letter declaring him to be South Jersey's “phantom sniper,” Eugene Marshall, 21 years old, of 404 Jasper street, today charged that he was the victim of a plot by an enemy he suspects as being the real “ghost gunner.”
Young Marshall, a former taxicab driver, was found by an Evening Courier reporter to whom he voiced his suspicions regarding the writer of the “tip-off note” now in possession of Detective Captain John Golden.
“I want to see that letter,” Marshall declared. “I understand that it’s sprinted, but just the same I think I’d recognize who did it. If it’s the man I think it is, I’ll tell his name and they can question him.”
Thinks Enemy Is Sniper
The letter, which Captain Golden received ten days ago, was signed “A Gunman.”
“That’s just what this fellow is,” was Marshall’s assertion. “and I think he’s the sniper and is trying to put the blame on me.”
It was after Captain Golden received the anonymous letter, purporting to be a “tip” on the identity of the sniper, that city detectives watched vainly for four days in the vicinity of Fourth and Jasper streets.
“If you want to catch him,” the letter stated, “follow this letter and see the sniper come out of a house on Jasper street at 7 o’clock Wednesday night near a saloon corner. He will have on a dark coat and light pants and is about 5 feet 11 inches tall with a cap pulled over his eyes.”
The description exactly fits Marshall.
“Sure, I’m the fellow that letter meant,” Marshall said. “But I’m no more the sniper than you are. I’m pretty sure I know who wrote the letter, though, and I think he’s the sniper. According to the paper, the letter ended up with the words ‘Till we meet again.’ Well, those are the same words this fellow used to me when I left him the last time we were together.”
Shot Hits Fire-Alarm Box
Perhaps the “sniper” or perhaps some imitator of his activities today fired a bullet or some similar missile through the glass key-window of a fire-alarm box at Kaighn avenue and Hyde Park. It was the twenty-seventh incident of the sort since Thanksgiving Day, bullets and other missiles having been flung previously through auto windshields, and windows of doors of stores and dwellings in Camden, Collingswood, Audubon, Gloucester and Delair.
Police Sergeant Walter Mattison was notified of the drilling of the fire alarm box glass at 11:30 o’clock this morning. The hole in the glass was described by police as being one which appeared to have been caused by a .22 calibre bullet. No bullet or other missile was found and no one in the neighborhood, among those questioned had heard the report of a gun.
If the “sniper” or other mischief maker fired at the box with the intention of setting off the alarm, he failed. No alarm sounded and the incident was not discovered until a patrolman passed and happened to notice that the box had been damaged.
Hits Battered Sedan
Meanwhile, the twenty-sixth shot attributed to the “phantom sniper” was added to the long list of similar incidents during the weekend. For saking the main thoroughfares, the mysterious marksman—if, indeed, the same person is responsible—stalked his game through side streets of South Camden, where two other silent shots were fired last week.
A battered old sedan was the twenty-sixth target of the “sniper” or snipers. A bullet-like missile, which vanished just as have most of the others, drilled a hole in a rear window of the ancient car, narrowly missing Joseph Carone, 20 years old, of 30 Morris street, Gloucester.
Carone had sold the car to Donato Aceto, 32 years old, of 681 Van Hook street, a watchman at the Reading railroad crossing at Broadway and Salem street, Gloucester. The young man was steering the old machine which was being towed by Aceto’s car. At Seventh street and Woodland avenue the mysterious missile tore through the rear window of the sedan, whistled past Carone’s head and vanished.
He started at first to realize what had happened. Carone waited until the two cars had crawled along for a hundred yards before he thought of the “phantom sniper.” Then, a search for the missile began but to no avail. He reported the incident to William Booth, a florist, of 692 Van Hook street, who notified police. Detective Samuel Johnson investigated and heard Carone’s story.