David S. Paul

David S Paul - Reward

David Silvers Paul was born in Pennsylvania around May of 1863 to David R. Paul and Sarah Hulings. He had a younger sister named Sarah “Saddie” Paul. The Paul family relocated to Camden, with David’s uncle, Harry B. Paul, becoming involved in politics and serving as Postmaster during the administrations of Presidents Grover Cleveland and William McKinley. Interestingly, David S. Paul had worked as a letter carrier in the 1880s before his uncle’s appointment in 1894.

David S. Paul married Laura Ida Norcross, and they had two children: Harry C. Paul (born April 1883) and Eva Norcross Paul (born August 22, 1885). The 1887-1888 Camden City Directory listed David as a letter carrier residing at 545 West Street in South Camden. In the following year’s edition, his address changed to 432 Clinton Street.

Several years after leaving the postal service, David S. Paul, along with other Camden letter carriers like Daniel W. Leach and Samuel C. Curriden, received settlements from the government for overtime work. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported this story on December 14, 1896.

In the 1900 Census, David S. Paul and his family were living at 764 Line Street, where they resided for many years. In 1900, he worked as a clerk and installment collector. By 1906, he had transitioned to the trade of painting, which he pursued until at least 1914. The 1914 City Directory still listed the Paul family at 764 Line Street. In 1920, David and Laura Paul rented a small house at 612 Newton Avenue, located near their former residence on Line Street, as their children had grown and moved out.

David Paul was well-liked and respected in the community. He was employed as a bank messenger by the Broadway Trust Bank, responsible for transporting large amounts of cash and securities between banks in Camden and Philadelphia. Unfortunately, in October 1920, he was confronted by two robbers named Raymond Schuck and Frank James. They kidnapped, robbed, and murdered him, concealing his body near Irick’s Crossing, a remote location in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

David Paul’s remains were discovered by a group of hunters, and his killers were subsequently arrested, tried, and executed in New Jersey’s electric chair on August 30, 1921.


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