Suspected Sniper Charges Frameup by ‘Real Phantom’

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.