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
License Changes In Camden.
Philadelphia Inquirer —
The Camden City Excise Board last night passed a resolution that all licenses which remained unpaid for on Monday should be revoked. Retail licenses were granted Henry Felden, 634 North Sixth street; Samuel Fenner, 625 Ferry avenue, and William F. Sands, Haddon avenue and Line street. The applications of John Ross, West and Clinton streets and Herman Meier, 825 Market street, which had been refused at a previous meeting, were reconsidered and granted. Gustav Schwoeri was granted a wholesale license at 707 Chestnut street. William Brown’s license at 400 Jasper street was transferred to James P. Croker.
Drink-Sellers Arraigned
Philadelphia Inquirer —
Efforts to Stop Violations of the Sunday Law in Camden.
The Camden police are keeping up their efforts to suppress Sunday liquor selling. The following saloon keepers appeared before Mayor Westcott, of Camden, yesterday, and pleaded not guilty: F. A. Shuster, of Front street and Kaighn avenue; Tim. Clayton, of Third and Mechanic streets; James Croker, of Fourth and Jasper streets; F. Joseph Rouk, of Eighth street and Ferry avenue; John Murschell, of Broadway and Jefferson street, and Gottlieb Jung, of Ferry avenue and Jackson street.
Warrants have also been issued for Adam T. Davis, Jr., of Second street and Kaighn avenue, and Mary [?]ang, of Fillmore and Jackson streets, on similar charges. Davis is seriously ill and was unable to be present yesterday.
Chief of Police Dodd is the complainant in all the cases. The saloon keepers will be given a hearing next Friday.
James P. Croker Base Ball Club
Philadelphia Inquirer —
The James P. Croker Base Ball Club has organized at the old headquarters, Fourth and Jasper streets, for the coming season, and would like to hear from all first-class clubs. All communications should be addressed to James P. Croker, Manager, 400 Jasper street, Camden, N. J.
Want Liquor Men Put on the Rack
Philadelphia Inquirer —
Camden County Law and Order League Hints That Political Pull Saves Offenders
The Camden County Law and Order League is endeavoring to bring to punishment the saloon and tavern keepers who escaped indictment in the recent round up of liquor sellers charged with violating the law. The September and December grand juries indicted 168 liquor dealers out of 216 against whom complaints were filed by the League, and it was currently reported that strong personal and political influences were exercised in behalf of the forty-eight who escaped. Yesterday the League renewed its complaints against the forty-eight “immunes” and sent a communication to the grand jury as follows:
“We presented before the two preceding grand juries the names of about 216 persons charged with about 1200 specific violations of law, including the selling of liquor on Sundays, the having of slot machines and other gambling devices and the keeping of disorderly houses. Of the persons thus charged 168 have been presented to the court for trial, forty-eight were not thus presented, although some of them were known to be old offenders and had committed more offenses than some of those who were presented. To be more particular, while some were presented against whom there were three or four counts, others were not presented, although there were against them as high as twelve, thirteen and fourteen counts, and these, supported by the same evidence precisely as had been accepted in the examination of the cases presented for trial.
HINT AT UNDUE INFLUENCE.
“We cannot account for this, because we refuse to believe that there is one law for one offender and another law for another offender, when the offense is precisely the same; and because we are loth to believe the current rumor that purely political influences had to do with the results of the inquiries. We believe most deeply that the court proceedings must be kept above suspicion and that in their integrity is the safeguarding of the interests of the people. Hence we appeal to your honorable body to make the most searching investigation of our charges in order that the law may be maintained and the really guilty be brought to just account.
“We entreat this the more because in addition to the evidence before presented we have other witnesses who were not heard then and witnesses whose testimony is of much importance in arriving at a just conclusion as to the matters to be inquired into.”
The communication is signed by Rev. John Handley, D. D., president, and Rev. S. H. Hann, secretary of the League. The grand jury sent a formal acknowledgement of the receipt of the communication.
The league supplied the grand jury with a list of the names, places and charges against the accused liquor sellers, whose names are as follows:
SALOONKEEPERS ACCUSED.
CAMDEN CITY.—P. J. Boyle, 1011 Broadway; Philip Berger, Seventh and Clinton; N. N. Chew, 1016 South Fourth; James Croker, 400 Jasper; John Dugan, 100 Pearl; George Doerfuss, River road and Main street; George Dillmore, Fourth and Kaighn avenue; “Doc” Eisner, 3000 Federal; Pat Flood, 640 Pine; William Gallagher, 106 Kaighn avenue; Jesse Grant, 109 Kaighn avenue; West Jersey Hotel, Henry Hussing, 623 Pearl; John Hoosey, Front and Cooper; John J. Keefe, 28 Haddon avenue; P. J. Kelly, 643 North Front; Arthur Lloyd, Sixth and Royden; John McGowan, Tenth and Division; Ed Mulligan, 22 South Eighth; William Moffert, South Third; Frank Norton, 951 Ferry avenue; Z. Heithamer, Day and Federal; William F. Sand, Haddon avenue and Line; A. Schraden, Fourth and Spruce; J. Schramm, Cooper and Cleveland avenues; Jacob Selser, 1186 Kaighn avenue; Thomas Tracey, Twentieth and Federal; Jacob Walz, 33 Union; Frank Wilson, 909 South Fourth; Daniel J. Woods, 108 Kaighn avenue.
Of these thirty Camden saloonkeepers, seventeen have pleaded guilty before Recorder Nowrey for violating the city excise ordinance by selling on Sundays. Some paid the fine of $50, while others escaped punishment, the Supreme Court setting aside the excise ordinance.
The keepers of inns and taverns who are charged with selling on Sundays are Bowman H. Bates, Waterford township; William R. S. Buckingham, Centre township; E. T. Crowley, Winslow township; George C. Stratton, E. B. Davis and Louis Ederle, Gloucester township; Harry Foell, Waterford township; James J. Foster, Centre township; James J. Keating, proprietor of the Red Mill, where a pool room was formerly in operation; Charles H. McCully, Winslow township; Caroline Slemmer, Chesilhurst; William Snyder, Waterford township; A. H. Tiffen, Pensauken township; B. F. C. Rothwell, and Charles H. Wood, Winslow township; F. W. Weldemann, Pensauken township.
Thomas Pooley Saved from Drowning
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 —
West Jersey
George Rice, 63, of 1143 North Fawn street, Philadelphia, contusion of abdomen. Joe Brancho, 12, of 334 Sycamore street, fracture of arm. Jennie Falknoll, 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 Vanderslice, 8, of 506 Beideman avenue, scalp injury. Paul Mastraianni, 24, of 413 Benson street, cut of hand. Robert Yarnell, 2, of 2022 Broadway, 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 printed, 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. Forsaking 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.
Too startled 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.
Over In Camden
Philadelphia Inquirer —
City Assessor Charles Pedigree was last evening re-elected to represent the Twelfth ward in the Republican City Executive Committee.
With one-half of the capital stock of $50,000 said to be paid in, the D’Olier Engineering Company filed incorporation articles yesterday.
Barking dogs frightened off burglars who attempted to rob the saloon of James Croker, at Fourth and Jasper streets, early yesterday morning.
It is reported that Governor Voorhees will today appoint former Judge Richard T. Miller a member of the State Fish and Game Commission, to succeed Henry S. Budd, of Burlington, who recently resigned.
John L. Lattimore, of 1120 Locust street, an employe of the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company, broke his leg yesterday by jumping from a car in the Bulson street yard. He was admitted to Cooper Hospital.
Attorney John L. Semple has been retained by the Italian societies of Camden to endeavor to secure a reprieve for Murderer Francisco Abbatto, until his appeal for clemency can be heard by the Board of Pardons. Abbatto is under sentence to be executed on May 10. Yesterday cards for the execution were sent out by the Sheriff.
The funeral of Howland Croft, the worsted goods manufacturer, was largely attended yesterday afternoon. Services were held at his late residence, at 204 Cooper street, and fully five thousand persons viewed the remains. Camden Lodge of Elks conducted services at the grave in Harleigh Cemetery.
Street Ends Sought for City
Philadelphia Inquirer —
Further action was taken yesterday by City Solicitor Bleakly toward acquiring street ends, now occupied by corporations or individuals. He recently won for the city in connection with the Jefferson street wharf against an electric company. In the suits begun yesterday in the Supreme Court the ends of Jackson, Vanhook, Jasper, Emerald, Viola and Winslow are sought. This is all in the same locality as Jefferson street and takes in the river front south of Line Ditch.