Fred Klosterman, also known as Frederick Klostermann Jr., was born on September 13, 1900, to Frederick and Catherine Klostermann. His father worked as a cigar maker, and the family lived at 1148 Kaighn Avenue until 1929. Fred Klosterman worked as a plumber as early as 1923 and married Victoria by 1929. They moved to 1255 Decatur Street, where they lived with their children, Frederick III and Catherine.
In December 1929, Fred’s father, Fred Klosterman Sr., who was running a bar called the Campus Inn in West Berlin, New Jersey, committed suicide. Tragedy struck the family as a result.
Fred Klosterman and his brother Joseph were heavily involved in the illegal lottery, or “numbers” racket, in Whitman Park and South Camden in the 1930s and 1940s. They were active in Camden in the early 1930s, and after a police crackdown on gang activity in the aftermath of the 1934 murder of Detective William Feitz of the Camden Police Department, the Klosterman brothers were sentenced to three-to-five-year prison terms by Judge Frank F. Neutze in 1934. Fred Klosterman served 16 months before being released with his brother on parole in July of 1936, while Joe Klosterman apparently quit the rackets after leaving prison.
Fred Klosterman appears to have acquired control of the bar at 1050 Mechanic Street, which he operated as Club Cadix. After living above the bar, Fred Klosterman and his wife Victoria lived next door at 1048 Mechanic Street through the late 1930s, near St. Joseph’s Church. In November of 1939, Fred Klosterman’s bar was shot at, and he was seriously wounded outside his home on January 6, 1940. The shootings were rumored to have been the result of rivalry over territory between Klosterman and Mafia under-boss Marco Reginelli, who lived in East Camden, as both were apparently attempting to move into Atlantic City at the time. Fred Klosterman spent the next month or so recovering at West Jersey Hospital. His absence from the streets of Camden may have saved his life, as several more killings occurred in Philadelphia and South Jersey over the next few weeks. No one was ever charged for the attempt on Fred Klosterman’s life.
The Klosterman family remained connected with the bar until at least 1947 when he was residing in Haddonfield or Delaware Township (present-day Cherry Hill) NJ. Fred Klosterman became involved in the appliance business after leaving the bar behind but remained in the gambling business. He was hit with a $10,000 fine in 1948.
Fred Klosterman was arrested in Philadelphia on October 21, 1955, and charged with conspiracy to bribe an IRS agent. By September of 1956, he was living on Crystal Lake Avenue in Haddon Township (Westmont) NJ, and managing an appliance store in Ardmore, PA. His trial on the conspiracy charge began that month, and he was acquitted.
Fred Klosterman passed away in November of 1971, and his last known address was in Wayne, PA. His wife Victoria Klosterman passed away in 1992.
Related Photos
Related Articles
-
Fred Klosterman
Fred Klosterman and his brother Joseph were heavily involved in the illegal lottery, or “numbers” racket, in Whitman Park and South Camden in the 1930s and 1940s.
-
Gunmen In Philadelphia Murder Colozzi in Numbers War
A reputed employee of Fred Klosterman, Camden numbers baron, was shot and killed in Philadelphia last night in what police there believed was an inter-city fight for control of the numbers racket.
-
Grand Jury Clears Number Suspects
Police allege Putek joined Szalinski in control of the Klosterman numbers game. Arrests of both men climaxed orders to county police authorities by Supreme Court Justice Frank T. Lloyd and Prosecutor Samuel P. Orlando.
-
Mysterious Piece of Paper Enlivens Numbers Trial Here
“What right have you to take a state exhibit and place it in your pocket?” Assistant Prosecutor William C. Gotshalk queried heatedly. “I want that paper.”
You must log in to post a comment.