Augustine
R.
Fortune

AUGUSTINE R. FORTUNE was bon in New Jersey around 1901. He married his wife Olive Iezzi, around 1922, and in 1924 a son, Augustine Fortune Jr. was born. A daughter, Mary came shortly afterwards.

On March 1, 1928 Augustine Fortune joined the ranks of the Camden Police Department. The Fortune family had bought a home at 1529 Newport Street in the mostly Polish Whitman Park section of Camden. He was working as a motorcycle cop by May of 1934.

Augustine Fortune had become a detective by 1936. By 1947 he had risen to the rank of sergeant. Unfortunately, he was forced to retire from the police force that year for medical reasons. After leaving law enforcement, Augustine Fortune entered the business world. He owned and operated Mutual Wholesale Florists at Newton Avenue and Carteret Street. It was there where he collapsed while on the telephone on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1948. Taken to nearby Cooper Hospital, Augustine Fortune passed away that evening.

The Fortune family by then was living at 1536 Mount Ephraim Avenue as late as 1959.

Camden Courier-Post - January 2, 1928

THREE MEN NABBED IN NORTH CAMDEN ROW
One Gets 60 Days for Attack on Plain Clothes Cop

Three young men were found guilty of disorderly conduct in police court this morning when they were charged with creating a disturbance In front of a restaurant near Sixth and Market streets.

Fiore Rossi, 23 years old, 329 Mickle Street, brother of ‘Pee Wee’ Rossi, local pugilist, was sentenced to 60 days in the county jail. Tomas O’Neill, 22 years old, 204 Berkley Street, was fined $20 and sentence was suspended on John Develin, 21 years old, 1002 Penn Street.

Rossi was charged with severely beating August Fortune, a policeman assigned to special duty at the restaurant.

Patrolman Fred Mueller testified that at 3:30 o’clock Sunday morning he had told the men to “move on” from Fifth and Market Streets when he found them creating a disturbance. The men walked away and in front of the restaurant again became boisterous. Moeller and policeman Marshall Thompson then arrested O’Neill who had become “sassy”. The other two objected to the arrest, and when Fortune came from inside the building to assist his brother officers, he was struck in the face and knocked down by Rossi. The three succeeded in taking the men to headquarters.

Rossi this morning admitted hitting Fortune but said he did not know he was an officer and “thought he was a wise guy trying to go big with a woman’.

Camden Courier-Post - February 25, 1928

Augustine Fortune - John Kowal
Sigmund Brozozowski - Joseph Moslouski
Joseph Novachan - Anthony Szwak
Camden Storage Battery Company

South 10th Street - Haddon Avenue - Liberty Street
Line Street - Louis Street - Sycamore Street - Whitman Street

February 27, 1928

August Fortune
Elmer Woods

Stanley Barcycki - Victor Bielicki
John Jankowski - Edward Luczkiewicz
Jess Luczkiewicz - John Lenkowski
Stanley Szwak

Camden Storage Battery

Baird Avenue - Haddon Avenue
Kaighn Avenue - Louis Street
Mechanic Street - Rose Street
Sycamore Street - Thurman Street  

May 7, 1934

August Fortune
Garfield Pancoast
William Wright

Nicholas Boganik
Henry Garbacki
Walter Lewadowski
Wallace Slowski

Atlantic Avenue - Benson Street 
Cherry Street
Lansdowne Avenue
Thurman Street

Camden Courier-Post - August 4, 1936

...continued...

Beringer's Cafe - Club Royal - Arcadia Cafe - Broadway - Federal Street
John V. Wilkie - Gus Fortune - Lewis Liberman
Harold Clark - Fannie Mazer - Freda Beringer

Anthony Carrozza, 209, of 1021 Wolf Street, Philadelphia, is shown standing between Detectives Thomas Murphy, left, and August Fortune behind the $389.64 he planned to take from fellow employees by telling them he had been kidnapped and robbed after cashing their pay checks.

Pay Theft Tale Faked, Radio Worker Admits
Youth Who Cashed Checks for 12 Fellow Employees
And Said He Was Kidnapped, Helps Recover Money from Friend

...continued...

 ...continued...

OWNER HELD IN TAPROOM BRAWLS
Proprietor of Wall Street Club Charged With Hitting Policeman 

Four persons were arrested early yesterday during a free-for-all fight in the Wall Street Club, 340 Federal Street, according to police.

Edward Markowitz, 38, proprietor of the place, was arrested and charged with assault and battery on an officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

Ambrose Brown, 31, and his brother, Asher, 27, both of 2104 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, were arrested on complaint of George Brown, 29, of 1214 Mt. Ephraim Avenue, who charged them with assault and battery. The Browns under arrest are not related to the complainant. Brown, the complainant, is a brother-in-law of Patrolman Joseph Schultz.

Patrolmen Earl Wright and Gus Fortune were passing Fourth and Federal streets at 1:45 AM in a radio car with Commissioner Mary W. Kobus when a man ran out of the Wall Street Club and shouted to them that some men had been beating him.

When the policemen entered, Markowitz is alleged to have tried to eject the police. He said they had no right in his place, according to Wright and Fortune.

Markowitz was arrested with the three Browns. Wright alleges Markowitz struck him in the face. At police headquarters Mrs. Eleanor Brown, wife of Asher Brown, said she, her husband and brother-in-law were getting ready to leave the place when George Brown struck her in the face. She said her husband and brother-in-law struck George Brown in retaliation.

Police said when they reached the interior of the taproom men were fighting, women screaming and tables were being overturned.

Markowitz was held in $1000 bail. When booked at police headquarters, Markowitz was drunk, Wright and Fortune said. Ambrose and Asher Brown in $500 bail each and George Brown in $200 bail as a witness. They will have hearings today in police court.

Markowitz last night denied he struck Wright but alleged the patrolman knocked him unconscious at police headquarters. He said he was placed in a wheel chair and pushed into a cell. He charged he was not permitted to use a telephone until 7:00 AM.

"There was no fight in my place," Markowitz declared. "The fight was out on the street and Wright rushed into my place, grabbed me and hustled me to the patrol box. He struck me in the eye in my place and I never raised a hand to him. There were 20 persons in the place can testify I am telling the truth,"

Camden Courier-Post - August 31, 1936

Camden Courier-Post - October 7, 1936

October 9, 1936

Camden Courier-Post - October 27, 1936

HEART ATTACK FATAL TO MAN IN HOTEL HERE

BURGLAR GETS $65

December 27, 1948

December 28, 1948

December 28, 1948