John
R.
Kaighn

JOHN R. KAIGHN was born in New Jersey to Walter West Kaighn and Mary Katherine Baird Kaighn. Besides John R., there were at least five other children who grew to majority, Edith B., Elsie Cramer Kaighn, Edna Kaighn, Mary Watson Kaighn, and Ruth. John Kaighn was the nephew of John Lord Kaighn, who raised a large family in North Camden in the vicinity of 8th and Elm Streets. One of John R. Kaighn's cousins was Lewis S. Kaighn.

At the time of the 1930 Census John Kaighn was living with his wife, the former Marguerite Fleming, in a rented home at 3322 Federal Street. The two were recently married. Also living there was sister-in-law Mary Fleming. When the census was taken, on April 12, 1930 John Kaighn was working as the chauffer of Winfield S. Price, the Mayor of Camden. 

By 1934 John Kaighn had joined the Camden Police Department. He was working as a detective in May of that year, as evidenced by the news article below. By August of 1936 he had returned to plainclothes duty.

The 1947 Camden City Directory shows John R. Kaighn living at 3123 Tuckahoe Road, in the Fairview section of Camden. He was still working as a Camden police officer at the time. 

John Kaighn passed away in March of 1968, survived by his wife, who joined him in 1983.  

Camden Courier-Post * August 1, 1929

Camden Courier-Post - June 8, 1933

Boy Ball Star Injured, 6 Shaken Up in Crash
William Denof, Infielder for Camden High and Junior Moose Teams, Badly Hurt Enroute to Game. Other Players Escape

William M. Denof Jr., the son of a Camden undertaker, of Fifth and Spruce Streets, suffered a possible fractured skull and cuts, and six other members of the Junior Moose baseball team of the Camden Minor League were shaken in an automobile accident last night.

Their truck, driven by Silvio Di Medio, 17, of 1105, South Fourth Street, collided at Fifth and Berkley Streets with a car driven by Lawrence Boulton, 35, a city fireman, of 1016 Monitor Road. The accident occurred at 6:15 p.m.

Denof was thrown to the road. He was treated at the office of Dr. Mordecai M. Pinsky, 944 South Fifth Street, and taken home. Denof is second baseman on the Camden High School team and plays shortstop for the Junior Moose.

According to Detective John Kaighn, the accident occurred when Boulton, driving west on Berkley Street, attempted to make a right turn into Fifth street. Boulton was not held.

Others in the truck were Elmer Yost, pitcher, of·315 Mechanic Street; Alfred Di Giacomo, third baseman, of Fourth and Viola streets; Frank Pietrizyk, Jr., of 1061 Morton street; John Pirroti, of 1464 South Fourth Street, and Forrest Collins, 355 Mechanic Street. They required no medical treatment.

The youths were en route to a game at Westmont.

A three-month search for "number's" headquarters in Camden was believed ended today when 
detectives raided a florist shop at 1409 Mt. Ephraim avenue, seized seven adding machines, thousands of dollars worth of sales slips and arrested four men. 

Joseph Klosterman, 34, of 1413 Mt. Ephraim Avenue, whom the police believe operated the "bank," was included in a quartet arrested by a squad under command of Sergeant of Detectives Louis Shaw. 

Responding to an anonymous tip that the numbers men were gathered in a rear room of the store, Shaw, together with Detectives Clarence Arthur, George Zeitz and John Kaighn, surrounded the place.

The others arrested in the raid gave their names as Charles Selanski, 23, of 1286 Sheridan Street; Leon Babrowski, 22, of 1209 Lansdowne Avenue, and Frank Gromacki, 27, of 1411 Mt. Ephraim Avenue. Several "pickup men," who have been arrested while carrying money and numbers slips, according to Shaw, were linked with the ring. The principals, however, had managed to escape detection. 

The flower shop, Shaw said, is operated by Joseph Haleski, and was used as a "blind" for the lottery racket.

Klosterman was released last night in $1000 bail for a hearing today on a charge of operating a numbers lottery. The others were all released in $100 cash security as material witnesses..

Camden Courier-Post - June 21, 1933

Mysterious Piece of Paper' Enlivens Numbers Trial Here 
Judge Shay Enjoys Verbal Tilt Between Gotshalk and Walter Keown,
But It Fails to Enter Into Evidence

Camden Courier-Post - June 22, 1933

KLOSTERMAN BOYS FOUND GUILTY IN NUMBERS CASE 
Camden Brothers Released in Bail Awaiting Sentence 
'THEY ARE BIG SHOTS,' PROSECUTOR DECLARES 
Both Defendants Deny Connection With Raided Saloon

Joseph and Fred Klosterman were convicted in Camden Criminal Court yesterday of operating a numbers racket. 

A jury returned a guilty verdict against the two South Camden sportsmen-brothers at 6:25 p. m., after deliberating only a short while. 

Both were in the courtroom when the verdict was announced, but were allowed to depart under bail pending sentence later by Judge Samuel M. Shay. 

Judge Shay delivered his charge to the jury after denying motions by Walter S. Keown, defense counsel, first to quash the indictment on grounds that 
its language was faulty, and second, to direct a verdict of not guilty for lack of evidence.

Called 'Big Shots' 

The two brothers were character ized as "big shot numbers barons" by Assistant Prosecutor William C. Gotshalk in his closing argument to the jury. 

Referring to a woman and her son, who were burning numbers slips when raiders entered the establishment, Gotshalk said: . 

"They might ask us why we don't have that woman and her 17-year­old son on trial here. When the police make an arrest the public wants to know why we don't get the big shots. Well, here they are," pointing at the Klostermans. "Here are the big shots," 

The Klosterman saloon, Mechanic and Green Streets, was raided December 10 by city detectives who testified Tuesday they followed a footpath to an adjacent house at 1312 Green Street. They broke down the door and found a woman and her son burning numbers slips. Acting Lieutenant Louis Shaw, of the city detective bureau, testified he recovered some of the slips and also found a brief case containing numbers slips and a post card addressed to "F. Klosterman." Detective Clarence Arthur and Patrolman John Kaighn corroborated Shaw's testimony. 

Says He Was Visitor 

The defense opened with Joseph Klosterman on the stand. He testified he had nothing to do with the saloon when it was raided, but merely happened to be in there for a drink when the raiders entered. He said he had owned the saloon for three and a half years but sold it last July for $100. He never had any connection with the Green Street house, he declared. He is now a plumber, Klosterman averred. 

When Assistant Prosecutor Gotshalk asked him if he had ever been convicted of crime, Keown asked that the jury be withdrawn as he wanted to make another motion. Court then recessed. 

When court resumed Mrs. Anna Pogroszewski, of the Green street address, took the stand. She testified the Klostermans were not connected with her home in any manner. She testified she had rented a room to a man named "Tommy" and all the numbers apparatus was his. When he moved out, he left the slips and adding machines there, she said, and she had cleaned out his room and was burning the papers when the raiders arrived. 

Fred Klosterman, who resides at 1255 Decatur Street, denied he was a "numbers baron" and said he merely "happened" to be there on the day of the raid. Under cross-examination he admitted having pleaded guilty to slot machine charges in June of last year.