Woman, Students Taken in House Raid

Camden Courier-Post - March 17, 1936

Camden Residents and Phila. Visitors Arrested in Parkside Dwelling

Three Camden women and two Temple University students were arrested in a raid on an alleged disorderly house at 1450 Kenwood Avenue last night.

Charged with being proprietress of the place is Mrs. Charlotte Grimes, 48. She is the wife of Elmer Grimes, employed by the city as a custodian at Convention Hall and formerly custodian of the Camden High School athletic field, according to City Prosecutor John H. Reiners, Jr.

The students under arrest gave their names as Sidney Goldberg, 19, of 1400 Mt. Ephraim Avenue, and Herman Katz, 19, of 2601 Wilder Street, Philadelphia.

Welch Leads Raiders

The arrests were made by Police Lieutenant Walter Welch and Detectives Benjamin Simon and Joseph Mardino.

According to Welch, Mrs. Grimes signed a statement in which she said she had resided at 1450 Kenwood Avenue for 27 years, and maintained a disorderly house there for the last seven years. He has had men watching the place for a year, to get evidence on which to base a raid, he said. He declared that only persons recommended by patrons were admitted, and then only after making telephone calls.

Simon, who lives three blocks from the house, and Mardino saw a car with Pennsylvania license plates parked near the place last night, Welch said. They waited until they saw Goldberg and Katz leaving the house, and questioned them. It was on the strength of statements by the two youths that the raid was made, Welch added.

Cases Continued

The five prisoners were taken to police court today. After waiting until 10:05 for Simon and Mardino to appear, Welch asked that the case be continued until tomorrow.

Judge Lewis Liberman set bail for $1000 for Mrs. Grimes; $500 each for the other two women, $200 for Katz and released Goldberg in the custody of his brother, an attorney.

The latter said the two youths were willing to plead guilty to disorderly conduct charges, admitting they had been in the place, but Judge Liberman said he preferred to wait and hear the entire case tomorrow.

In answer to the query by the court as to how the two knew about the existence of the “disorderly house,” Katz said: “Oh, things like that get broadcast around the university.”