Victim of ‘Plot’ Falls Dead at Gloucester Inn

Camden Courier-Post – February 8, 1938

Police Probe Report of Mysterious Summons for Junk Yard Worker

Returning to Gloucester after he was summoned three hours earlier by a mysterious telephone call from Philadelphia, Alexander Obryeki, 57, of 825 Jersey avenue, alighted from a bus last night, walked to a cafe and fell dead.

Informed that Obryeki was poisoned last year and recently expressed fear that someone was attempting his life by poison, county authorities and Gloucester police started an investigation which might reach to Poland where Obryeki owned a farm, now tenanted by a nephew.

Coroner Dr. Ernest Larossa, ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Obryeki alighted from the bus, according to Gloucester police, and entered the cafe of William De Freitas at 309 South Broadway. He told the bartender he was “not feeling well” and collapsed before he could order anything.

Employer Makes Report

De Freitas telephoned police and Obryeki was taken to West Jersey Hospital in the American Legion ambulance by Patrolman Edward Kraft. Obryeki was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police assumed Obryeki died of a heart attack until his employer, Frank Pizzutillo, a junk dealer, with whom the man had lived for the past three months, told Chief of Police James Smith that Obryeki had been poisoned in 1937 and feared for his life, mentioning the ownership of his Poland farm in this connection.

Gloucester police summoned Lawrence T. Doran, chief of county detectives.

Feared Poison Death

“Obryecki used to be in the junk business for himself in Philadelphia and also worked for me several years ago,” Pizzutillo tola police. “He came back to me three months ago and complained to me then that last year in the Summer he had gotten some poison in a drink, and he was afraid some one was trying to poison him. He said he thought some one might want to get his farm In Poland, which a nephew was taking care of for him.

“This afternoon about 5 o’clock he got a telephone message and he told me it was some one who wanted to see him in Philadelphia. I don’t know who the call came from or whether he knew or not, but he seemed to think it was very necessary for him to go there.”

Pizzutillo said Obryecki has no relatives in this country.