Camden People - Sam Bosco

213 North Broadway

Sam Bosco's
Barber Parlor

Bus Terminal Building

mid 1930s - mid 1970s

Courier-Post Advertisement
February 1, 1933

Camden Courier-Post - February 7, 1933

COP'S CAR SCRAPED; 2 MEN PUT ON 'RIOT'
Captured Over Broadway Barber Shop After Melee and Alleged Insults

Following an argument with a bridge policeman at Broadway and Cooper Street yesterday, two allegedly drunken motorists engaged in a hand-to-hand struggle with passersby and officers, dashed into a nearby barber shop and were subdued only after a riot call had been sounded.

At police headquarters, they gave their names as William J. Bell, 25, of Williamstown, and Walter D. Olsen, 38, of Fourth avenue, Runnemede. They were held for police hearings today on drunken driving and disorderly conduct charges.

Bridge Policeman John Curry said they were in a car driven by Bell when it brushed the side of his machine at Seventh and Cooper Streets shortly after noon. Curry pursued the vehicle to Broadway and Cooper. There Bell got out of his car. Curry said he was insulted. A flurry of fists followed, and the men ran into the barber shop of Sam Bosco, on Broadway north of Cooper Street. An unidentified customer joined in the melee, as did several pedestrians and Bosco.

As police responded to a riot call, the two men ran upstairs where they were cornered. According to Curry, both men had been drinking.

Camden Courier-Post - February 8, 1933

FREE-FOR-ALL FIGHT PENALTY SUSPENDED
Riot Call Turned in as Bridge Cop and Autoists Engage in Row

Two men, whose arrest was preceded by a police riot call after a collision with a bridge policeman's automobile, drew suspended sentences from Police Judge Pancoast yesterday.

William J. Bell, 25, of Williamstown, and Walter D. Olsen, 38, of Fourth Avenue, Runnemede, were charged jointly with disorderly conduct, to which they pleaded guilty, while Olsen pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of reckless driving.

Bridge Policeman John Curry testified he was driving west on Cooper Street Monday afternoon when he stopped at Seventh for a traffic light. An automobile driven by Olsen, accompanied by Bell, drew up alongside Curry's car. As the light turned, according to the bridge policeman, his car was forced to the curb by Olsen and the fenders were scraped. The same thing happened at Broadway and Cooper Street, Curry testified. He blew his horn and Bell cursed at him, he declared. The two men and the policemen got out of their machines. There was a flurry of fists and the two men fled into a barber shop on Broadway north of Cooper, it was testified. The proprietor, Sam Bosco, a customer and several pedestrians sought to aid Curry, and, according to police, the two men fled to the second floor of the building, where they were cornered by police. The latter were summoned by a riot call which had been turned in.

Olsen said he did not know Curry's car was behind him, and he merely wanted to turn into a parking space. .

Camden Courier-Post - January 11, 1938


...continued...

Samuel Ermelious - Angelo Naglas - Ross Pandeladis Joseph Carpani - Thomas Murphy - Harry Kyler David S. Rhone - Franklin P. Jackson III Luigi Tortu - Thomas Timothy Sullivan Cooper Street - Langham Avenue - Line Street - Penn Street

Camden Courier-Post - January 12, 1938

Samuel Ermelious - Angelo Malagas - Ross Pandeladis George Caras - Michael Dandrea - George Matros - Annie Matros Sam Bosco - George Summers Baird Avenue - Langham Avenue - Broadway - Penn Street - Mickle Street - Norris Street - South 5th Street

Camden Courier-Post - January 13, 1938

Camden Courier-Post - January 24, 1938

...continued...

Luigi Tortu - Pearl Willis - Evelyn Buffa - Harry Kyler - Thomas Murphy - Samuel P. Orlando Frank Luggi - Nicholas Dandrea - Frederick Gasperone Samuel Ermelious - Angelo Malagas - Ross Pandeladis George Caras - Michael Dandrea - George Matros - Annie Matros Sam Bosco - George Summers Baird Avenue - Langham Avenue - Broadway - Penn Street Mickle Street - Norris Street - South 5th Street - Line Street

Camden Courier-Post - January 26, 1938

Camden Courier-Post - February 2, 1938

INQUEST SET TODAY IN GAMBLING DEATH
Jury List Prepared for Coroner's Action in Holdup Fatality

The coroner's inquest to decide the cause of death to Angelos Magalas, Greek chef, who was shot during a card game holdup at 725 Penn Street on January 11, will be held today at 10 a. m.

Coroner Franklin P. Jackson III, of Collingswood, will conduct the inquest and will select his jury of 12 from a list of 15 persons prepared by the office of County Prosecutor Samuel P. Orlando.

Detectives already have subpoenaed 20 witnesses for questioning at the inquest, including players who were the victims in the holdup and three Camden physicians who attended Magalas prior to his death.

The witnesses will include Samuel and Mabel Ermilios, tenants of the Penn Street house where the holdup occurred; George and Annette Mastros, who room at the house; Samuel Bosco, Broadway barber; George Summers, Ross Pantel, Michael D' Andrea. and William Caras, who according to police were participants in the card game.

All of the men were held as material witnesses in the shooting when arraigned today before Police Judge Gene R. Mariano.

Doctors to Testify

Other witnesses will include Dr. Paul Mecray, Dr. A. S. Ross and Dr. Edwin R. Ristine and Miss Sophia MacAfee, a Cooper Hospital nurse. Police who will testify in elude Detectives Thomas Murphy, Harry Kyler and William Boettcher and Patrolmen Richard Powers, Frank Clements, George Nicktern and Sergeant Jack Deith.

The jury will be selected from Guy Clokey, Collingswood; Lawrence Ball, Haddonfield; Howard Friant, Collingswood; Harry Chew, Collingswood; Sig Schoenagle, Camden merchant; Raymond Hanly, real estate broker; Benjamin Brest, Raymond Worrel, John Eby, all of Camden; William H. Lorigan, Merchantville; David B. Robinson, Collingswood; Rev. James Pemberton and John McGowan, of Camden, Earl Jackson, of Collingswood and Morris B. Clark, of Haddonfield.

Coroner Jackson refused to give a certificate of death until the chemical test of Magalas' brain was made by Philadelphia experts. The re suit will not be revealed until the inquest.

Assistant Prosecutor Isaac Eason and County Physician David S. Rhone gave it as their opinion that Malagas died of natural causes rather than, the bullet wound. Coroner Jackson then ordered an inquest to be held.

Police are searching for Frank Luggi, 21, of 322 Penn Street, who they say was one of the holdup bandits and the one who fired the bullet that struck Magalas.

The last coroner's inquest held in Camden county was in 1933, in the death of Thomas Timothy Sullivan, and previous to that none had been held here in 25 years.

Sullivan was 57 years old and lived at 401 State Street. He was employed as a detective by the Pennsylvania Railroad. He was found shot to death in a shack in the rail road yards on August 28, 1933.

At that time, County Physician Edward B. Rogers issued a certificate of death that Sullivan had committed suicide. The decision of the county physician enraged members of Sullivan's family and they demanded an inquest.

The inquest was ordered by then Coroner Arthur H. Holl, who presided. All the evidence in the case was presented to the jury of 12 men, and after deliberating for less than an hour, they returned a verdict that Sullivan had been murdered by persons unknown.

Under state law, the county physician may order an inquest; with 12 persons on the jury of the coroner's choosing. The jurymen may be taken from the present panel of the petit jury or be picked at ran dom. The Grand Jury does not have to indict on the basis of the inquest. At the inquest Coroner Jackson will be assisted by attaches of the prosecutor's office.

Malagas, the father of three children, lived at 1110 Langham Avenue. He was shot when several armed bandits held up a card game and he died several days later.

Camden Courier-Post - February 3, 1938

Witness Held Door In Holdup	INQUEST RULES BULLET CAUSED HOLDUP DEATH Jury Reports Magalas Fatality Superinduced By Wound A coroner's jury yesterday determined the death of Angelos Magalas, of 1110 Langham Avenue, was superinduced by a bullet wound received during the holdup of a card game. It was the second time a coroner's jury had been drawn in 29 years in Camden County. Witnesses said Magalas, a chef in a midtown restaurant, was shot on January 10 during a holdup at the home of Samuel Ermelois, of 725 Penn Street, and died in Cooper Hospital on January 23. Several unusual developments provided excitement during the inquest. One witness, arrested with others as players in the card game, was asked to explain why he ran outside during the holdup and held the door so that others were unable to get out. An attorney who sought to thwart questioning by Patrick H. Harding, assistant prosecutor, on the claim that he represented Frank Luggi, holdup suspect in the case, was silenced with the contention that he could not represent Luggi as long as the latter remained a fugitive from justice. The case went before a coroner's jury of six men, Rev. James Pemberton, Earl Jackson, Harry Chew, Howard Friant, Lawrence Ball and Guy Clokey, with Coroner Franklin P. Jackson III presiding.

Samuel Bosco, Camden barber, one of the principal witnesses in the fatal shooting of Angelos Magalas, chef, during the holdup of a card game on January 10, is shown above at the Inquest yesterday. Bosco testified he held the kitchen door after making his escape from the scene of the robbery at 725 Penn Street. Bosco (right) is shown with N. Thomas Smaldore, an attorney, who attended as a spectator.
Tells of Holding Door Samuel Bosco, Broadway barber, testified that he was playing cards in the Penn Street house when the holdup man came in. "When I turned around and faced the wall like the man ordered us to," Bosco said, "I was facing the shed door. I ran out, pushed the door shut and held it. Five or six times somebody tried to get out but I held the door. I tried to get out the back way but I couldn't." Bosco was the only one of the witnesses who said he was unable to identify Frank Luggi, a fugitive, identified by the others as the hold up man from pictures shown them. Bosco told of a man calling him from his barbershop a few days before the holdup and attempting to borrow $5. "Ermelios was in my shop at the time." Bosco testified, "and said "'Watch out he don't hold you up!’" Bosco was asked by Harding if he could identify the man who tried to borrow the money as Luggi and was shown a photograph of the man sought for the crime. Bosco said he could not. Tried to Escape "Why did you try to get out?" Harding asked. "I tried to escape," Bosco said. "There were six or seven others there. There was plenty of protection," said Harding. "The door was in front of me, so I went out," Bosco maintained. "Why did you hold the door?" Harding asked. "I didn't know who was trying to come out," Bosco declared. "Did the holdup man ask for you when he came to the house?" asked Harding. Bosco said he didn't know. Asked if his car was parked in front of the house and if Luggi knew his car, Bosco said: "I don't know." At this point, Elmer Bertman, an attorney, demanded that all testimony concerning Luggi be stricken from the record. "I represent Luggi," Bertman said. "This is an investigation into the cause of a man's death, not a fishing expedition of the prosecutor's office. Can't Produce Suspect "You have no right to appear here," Harding said. "You cannot represent a fugitive from justice. No attorney has that right." Bertman maintained that the guilt or innocence of no party could be injected into the hearing. Coroner Jackson asked Bertman to sit down. "If I have no right here." Bert man said, "neither has the prosecutor's office." Harding said he represented the state and demanded that Bertman produce Luggi if he represented him. "I can't" said, Bertman. "I don't know where he is," Bertman said he was serving notice on the coroner and the prosecutor's office, however, that he, represented the fugitive. Dr. David S. Rhone, county physician, said he did, not wish to give a statement when he felt that the gunshot wound, a broken arm, the serum and the brain lesion contributed to Magalas' death. Harding instructed the jury as to its duty to inquire into the evidence presented in order to obtain all in formation available as to what caused the death of Magalas. There was some question as to whether Magalas died of natural causes or by violence, he said. A Difficult Patient Dr. Edward R. Ristine, of Cooper Hospital, said he examined Magalas January 11 and that he was a difficult patient. Magalas, the physician said, sought to strike doctors and nurses and scratch them whenever his condition needed attention. "He was far from normal, Dr. Ristine said. "Serum was administered," the doctor went on. "Afterward, the condition and mental reactions of Magalas remained abnormal. We took him from Red to change his environment but when we put him in a chair on the sun porch, we had to tie him in the chair with a sheet. Then, in some manner, he slid down, breaking the arm which had been wounded. "Death was due to a psychosis, a condition which may have been initiated by the wound, and then aggravated by the serum, the reaction to the breaking of the arm and shock." Under questioning, Dr. Ristine said emphatically that, the gunshot wound was not the cause of death. The autopsy, he said, showed the man's brain was swollen, and not normal. This condition, he said, he could not explain. Brain Being Examined Dr. Rhone, county physician, said the autopsy showed the membrane adhering to the brain. He said that while he felt the pressure was not the immediate cause of death, he had ordered the brain sent away for thorough examination. Richard Powers, a policeman, told of making the arrests of the card players. Detective Thomas Murphy told of finding the weapon used by the holdup man on a chair. Powers was first to mention Luggi, saying that photos of the man had been identified by witnesses. Ermelios gave a graphic description of what occurred, "We were playing cards in the kitchen," he said, "There was a knock on the door and my wife, who went to answer it, did not appear at once. I went to see who was there. I got as far as the dining room when 1 saw a man with a gun behind a curtain. "'This is a stickup!' he said. " 'Get into the kitchen. My mother is sick and I need money. No one will get hurt if they are nice. Throw all your money on the table.' " One of the other players, William Caras, Ermelios said, threw his money on the floor. When the bandit attempted to pick up the money the players jumped on him, taking the weapon away from him. In the scuffle that followed the gun changed hands again and when Magalas fell to the floor the others turned to aid him and the holdup man fled. Woman Testifies Mrs. Mabel Ermelios, in whose home the holdup and shooting took place, told the jurors she answered the door when the two men appeared . "I was lying down on the bed in the front room," she said, "and when the bell rang I told my husband I would answer it. I looked out of the window first but I couldn't see anyone. As I opened the door one of the men put his foot in the opening. "He asked me 'Is Bosco here?' and when I told him I didn't know he told me not to stall. Then he came into the house and told me he was holding the place up. The second came followed him in. He must have been hiding in the shadows of the porch. I didn't see him when 1 opened the door, "The first man had the gun. He told the other one to grab me and I noticed he had something which looked like metal on his knuckles. He pulled my arms in back of me and held me. In a few minutes I heard a shot. The man who was holding me let go of me and ran out. Saw One Jump Into Car "I followed him and saw him jump into a tan car across the street.' I went to a neighbor's home and called the police. When I returned they were carrying Magalas out." "Was Bosco the first one to arrive at your house that night?" Harding asked. "I don't recall. I know his car was parked outside." Mike Dandrea, another of the hold up victims, testified that he tried to follow Bosco out the shed door but he pulled it closed so fast he was unable to get out of the kitchen. "I tried several times to push the door open and escape but Bosco was holding it and I couldn't do it," Dandrea said. Harding announced after the jury had rendered its verdict that the entire case with the jury's finding will be presented to the grand jury. "Will a murder indictment be sought?" he was asked. "I can't answer that Harding said, "All the, evidence will be presented and they can return indictments against anyone they see fit."