Camden Courier-Post, June 4, 1930View transcription
HOLDUP VICTIMS TO SCAN BANDIT SUSPECTS HELD IN TERROR REIGN
Counsel Will Apply for Release of Defendants Under Bail
EXPECTED TO BE LINKED WITH WIERMAN MURDER.
Grand Jury Indicts Prisoners Seven Hours After Arrest
Victims of the recent series of daring hold-ups were to be summoned today to attempt to identify four men who, arrested with two women in East Camden yesterday, are believed by authorities to be members of a bandit gang which has created a reign of terrorism in this vicinity.
Indicted in the am[illegible]ngly short time of seven hours after their arrest, the six are being held without bail in the Camden county jail to await trial next Monday on charges of possessing numerous weapons and narcotics.
Application for bail was to be made this morning by Samuel P. Orlando, attorney for the six. Orlando stated that if Prosecutor Baldwin declines to release the prisoners on bail, he would attempt to effect liberation through the medium of a writ of habeas corpus.
The prosecutor stated he would ask all witnesses and victims in the eight recent major holdups to attempt to identify the four male prisoners on the theory that they may be members of an organized ring at whose doors are laid the holdups netting a total of $25,000.
He also believes that the prisoners may know something about the murder of William "Big Bill" Wierman, Camden beer runner, who was slain during an ostentatious hold-up April 28 at the Bellmawr Country Club.
All six prisoners were removed temporarily from the jail this forenoon and taken to city detective headquarters at City Hall, where they were photographed and fingerprinted by Detective Thomas Stanger.
Copies of the photographs and Bertillion records will be sent to police departments in Philadelphia, New York city and Atlantic City to ascertain whether they are wanted for any crimes in those cities.
The six were arrested in three East Camden houses yesterday morning by the recently organized police vice squad. They gave their names as:
John Fisher, 38, of 41 South Thirty-third street, Camden.
Nicholas Bartilucci, 23, of 764 South Warwick street, Philadelphia.
Joseph Conti, 34, of 708 South Eighth street, Philadelphia.
Catherine Christman, 28, of 2202 Lambert street, Philadelphia.
Marco Reginelli, 32, of Apartment No. 2, at 143 North Thirty-fourth street, Camden.
Mrs. Mary Reginelli, 24, his wife, same address.
At 1:45 p. m. yesterday Prosecutor Baldwin took the case before the grand jury. At 2:05 p. m. the grand jury
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Holdup Victims to Scan Suspects
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made a presentment of indictments to Judge Shay in Criminal Court.
Three of the true bills charged unlawful possession of deadly weapons and the fourth alleged possession of narcotics. Of the weapon charges, one named Miss Christman, Conti and Bartilucci jointly; another cited the Reginellis jointly, and the third named Fisher and Bartilucci. The narcotic bill was returned against Miss Christman, Conti and Bartilucci jointly.
Three of those held have long criminal records in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia police have no record on John Fisher, but hangers-on in the Philadelphia tenderloin hint he is a big racketeer who was hiding out in Camden.
Has Police Record
Bartilucci was arrested in January, 1924, by Philadelphia police on suspicion of peddling narcotics, disorderly conduct, and violating a parole. He was sent to the protectory at Norristown, Pa., served about a year and was discharged. He was arrested again Dec. 30, 1926, charged with disorderly conduct and inciting to riot, and was discharged by a Philadelphia magistrate. On Jan. 19, 1926, he was arrested as a suspicious character and was again discharged by a magistrate. On Feb. 12, 1927, he was arrested by the Philadelphia bandit squad on suspicion of hold up and robbery, and again was discharged by a magistrate. Arrested on suspicion after a gang shooting March 25, 1927, he was discharged again. In June of the same year he was arrested as a frequenter of a gambling house and was released under a $300 peace bond.
Conti formerly lived at the Fulton Hotel, Chester, Pa., and at Weldon, Pa., according to the Philadelphia police. He was arrested Oct. 19, 1926, by a Philadelphia police squad for sale and possession of liquor and was turned over to Federal officials. No disposition was made of the case. Later in the same year he was arrested for assault and battery by automobile.
Reginelli was arrested in Philadelphia Jan. 1, 1920, as a suspicious character. Arrested in 1924 on suspicion of larceny by trickery, he was discharged by a magistrate. He was discharged after his arrest on a similar charge in August of that year.
In September, 1925, he was arrested for conspiracy and larceny of $1800 by film-flam and receiving stolen goods and was sentenced to county prison for a year by Judge Edward L. Lewis. Philadelphia police have no record on the two women.
According to county detectives, Reginelli, also known as John De Marco, was questioned in connection with the Black Horse pike gang murders in December, 1928, but was released.
All were arrested "on information received," the only explanation the police would give. It was revealed that the special vice squad, organized by police heads a few days after a Camden bank messenger was robbed of $6700 in broad daylight May 23, has had the three dwellings under surveillance for a week.
Counsel Will Apply for Release of Defendants Under Bail
EXPECTED TO BE LINKED WITH WIERMAN MURDER.
Grand Jury Indicts Prisoners Seven Hours After Arrest
Victims of the recent series of daring hold-ups were to be summoned today to attempt to identify four men who, arrested with two women in East Camden yesterday, are believed by authorities to be members of a bandit gang which has created a reign of terrorism in this vicinity.
Indicted in the amazingly short time of seven hours after their arrest, the six are being held without bail in the Camden county jail to await trial next Monday on charges of possessing numerous weapons and narcotics.
Application for bail was to be made this morning by Samuel P. Orlando, attorney for the six. Orlando stated that if Prosecutor Baldwin declines to release the prisoners on bail, he would attempt to effect liberation through the medium of a writ of habeas corpus.
The prosecutor stated he would ask all witnesses and victims in the eight recent major holdups to attempt to identify the four male prisoners on the theory that they may be members of an organized ring at whose doors are laid the holdups netting a total of $25,000.
He also believes that the prisoners may know something about the murder of William "Big Bill" Wierman, Camden beer runner, who was slain during an ostentatious hold-up April 28 at the Bellmawr Country Club.
All six prisoners were removed temporarily from the jail this forenoon and taken to city detective headquarters at City Hall, where they were photographed and fingerprinted by Detective Thomas Stanger.
Copies of the photographs and Bertillion records will be sent to police departments in Philadelphia, New York city and Atlantic City to ascertain whether they are wanted for any crimes in those cities.
The six were arrested in three East Camden houses yesterday morning by the recently organized police vice squad. They gave their names as:
John Fisher, 38, of 41 South Thirty-third street, Camden.
Nicholas Bartilucci, 23, of 764 South Warwick street, Philadelphia.
Joseph Conti, 34, of 708 South Eighth street, Philadelphia.
Catherine Christman, 28, of 2202 Lambert street, Philadelphia.
Marco Reginelli, 32, of Apartment No. 2, at 143 North Thirty-fourth street, Camden.
Mrs. Mary Reginelli, 24, his wife, same address.
At 1:45 p. m. yesterday Prosecutor Baldwin took the case before the grand jury. At 2:05 p. m. the grand jury made a presentment of indictments to Judge Shay in Criminal Court.
Three of the true bills charged unlawful possession of deadly weapons and the fourth alleged possession of narcotics. Of the weapon charges, one named Miss Christman, Conti and Bartilucci jointly; another cited the Reginellis jointly, and the third named Fisher and Bartilucci. The narcotic bill was returned against Miss Christman, Conti and Bartilucci jointly.
Three of those held have long criminal records in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia police have no record on John Fisher, but hangers-on in the Philadelphia tenderloin hint he is a big racketeer who was hiding out in Camden.
Has Police Record
Bartilucci was arrested in January, 1924, by Philadelphia police on suspicion of peddling narcotics, disorderly conduct, and violating a parole. He was sent to the protectory at Norristown, Pa., served about a year and was discharged. He was arrested again Dec. 30, 1926, charged with disorderly conduct and inciting to riot, and was discharged by a Philadelphia magistrate. On Jan. 19, 1926, he was arrested as a suspicious character and was again discharged by a magistrate. On Feb. 12, 1927, he was arrested by the Philadelphia bandit squad on suspicion of hold up and robbery, and again was discharged by a magistrate. Arrested on suspicion after a gang shooting March 25, 1927, he was discharged again. In June of the same year he was arrested as a frequenter of a gambling house and was released under a $300 peace bond.
Conti formerly lived at the Fulton Hotel, Chester, Pa., and at Weldon, Pa., according to the Philadelphia police. He was arrested Oct. 19, 1926, by a Philadelphia police squad for sale and possession of liquor and was turned over to Federal officials. No disposition was made of the case. Later in the same year he was arrested for assault and battery by automobile.
Reginelli was arrested in Philadelphia Jan. 1, 1920, as a suspicious character. Arrested in 1924 on suspicion of larceny by trickery, he was discharged by a magistrate. He was discharged after his arrest on a similar charge in August of that year.
In September, 1925, he was arrested for conspiracy and larceny of $1800 by film-flam and receiving stolen goods and was sentenced to county prison for a year by Judge Edward L. Lewis. Philadelphia police have no record on the two women.
According to county detectives, Reginelli, also known as John De Marco, was questioned in connection with the Black Horse pike gang murders in December, 1928, but was released.
All were arrested "on information received," the only explanation the police would give. It was revealed that the special vice squad, organized by police heads a few days after a Camden bank messenger was robbed of $6700 in broad daylight May 23, has had the three dwellings under surveillance for a week.
