Camden People - Richard Benjamin Gondolf Sr.

RICHARD BENJAMIN GONDOLF SR. was born July 14, 1904, the second of four children born to Peter and Marian Gondolf. His uncle, Edward Gondolff, was the owner and operator of the Temple Bar & Hotel at 407-409 Market Street in Camden prior to his death in April of 1918. At the time of the 1920 Census, the Gondolf family lived at 674 Fairview Street. Peter Gondolf was serving as a patrolman on the Camden Police Department, while older brother Harold, then 19, had found work at the nearby New York Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard.

When homes became available for purchase in the recently built Yorkship Village development, Peter Gondolf soon stepped in, buying homes at 3001 and 3007 Fenwick Road. Prohibition was in effect, and it is alleged the he ran a speakeasy on premises. By the time of the 1930 census he had left the police department, and listed his occupation as "real estate". 3007 Fenwick Road's clientele included many influential people from the Camden County political arena. Due in part to this influential clientele, after Prohibition was repealed, Mr. Gondolf and friends were able to organize a private club and acquired an official state liquor license, under the name "The Fairview Grill Association" was born. The bar was popularly known as the Fairview Garedens, this name however was in use elsewhere in New Jersey, thus the "Grill Association" name. The license had to be a social club license, as zoning prohibited then and now regular bars from operating in the neighborhood. This bar later became popularly known in the area as The Pink Cat.

At the time of the 1930 Richard B. Gondolf had married, and was living over the bar at 3007 Fenwick with his wife and son Richard A. He then was a member of the Camden Police Department, as his father had been, and was in the mounted division in the early 1930's until it was disbanded for financial reasons.

Peter Gondolf passed away in 1940. His widow Marion ran the bar for a time with help from her sons. Richard Gondolf took over operation of the bar in the 1950s. Marion Gondolf passed on in 1955. When Mr. Gondolf retired, he sold the bar to Vincent and Josephine Canzanese.

Richard Benjamin Gondolf was last a resident of Woodbury NJ. He passed away in August of 1974.

Camden Evening Courier- January 28, 1930

SLOT MACHINE THIEF IS TAKEN IN AUTO CHASE
Broadway Shop Bandit Nabbed After 2-Mile Dash Through Streets
GAMBLING SYNDICATE WARFARE IS INDICATED
Mystery Marks Arrests as Police Keep Information on Arrest Secret

Pursued for more than two miles in a wild chase through the heart of Camden about noon today, two “shiekbandits” were captured by the man whose store they had robbed of two gambling machines.

Police later said they had arrested one youth in connection with the case. He was Walter S. Nowak, 22 years old, of 442 Jackson Street, they said, and he had been booked on a charge of “holdup in a store.” They knew nothing, they said about two men being caught.

How he followed two “young fellows” through the streets of the city after they had dashed from his store with the machines in which they had “lost $2,” was repeated by Lewis Schectman, proprietor of a general store at 708 Broadway.

The chase began when Schechtman commandeered an automobile in front of his store. It ended when he and the driver of the automobile captured the youths at the corner of Fourth Street and Kaighn Avenue.

There, according to Schectman, the youths were turned over to the patrolmen of the Second District, Police Officers Nathan Pettit and Edward Carroll.

When asked to confirm a report that the young bandits had been arrested, Sergeant James Clay of the desk of police headquarters, refused to show the ‘police docket’ to newspaper reporters. Members of the patrol crew refused to give information concerning the arrest of anybody connected with the robbery, or any charge on which they may have been booked.

Rivalry of Syndicates

It is generally believed thatthe thieves are representatives of one of the several “syndicates” which place gambling machines in stores, saloons and poolrooms about town. It was pointed out that often there is intense rivalry between the competing syndicates and that it is sometimes carried to the point where they steal each other’s equipment.

“It was 11:45 this morning when two young fellows, well-dressed, came into my store.” declared Schectman.

“They started playing a nickel machine which is out of sight of passers by in the corner of the store. I heard them say they lost $2. My attention was taken up by a salesman who came into the store to collect a bill. I went to the rear of the store to get ink with which to write a check. I heard my wife scream murder, thieves, police, help.”

According to Schectman, his wife, Jennie, 40 years old, and his 16-year old-daughter Esther saw the youths run out of the store with the slot machine in their arms, load them into a car parked in front of the establishment and drive away.

Schectman said he and the salesman took up the chase. After he saw the bandit car pass a red light at the corner of Broadway and Line Street he commandeered an automobile, ordering the driver, whose name he did not obtain, to follow the touring car which then had turned left into Line.

Details of the chase were told by Schectman.

The bandits were followed west on up to Fifth street. Their car swerved from Fifth to Chestnut, and turned southwest on Newton Avenue until it reached Kaighn Avenue.

“They then swung west on Kaighn Avenue and drove toward the ferry. We were about a half a square behind them, all the way.” Schectman declared.

Down to the ferry plaza, the bandits swung their car around in the ferry driveway, and dashed back up Kaighn Avenue until they reached Fourth Street.

‘We yelled ‘murder, police, robbers’ all the way.’ Schectman declared.

Two Fugitives Caught

After they had turned the corner on to Fourth Street, the robbers, apparently frightened, jumped from their machine and ran north on Fourth Street. Schectman and his friend followed, caught up with them and collared them.

A telephone call brought the Second District police patrol.

The slot machines which contained about $50 were confiscated by the police, Schectman said.

The touring car used by the bandits in their attempted get away had no rear license tag. On the front was a license p1ate with C-16207 N.J.

Schectman said he believed the car had been stolen. The car was a Flint touring car.

Investigation this afternoon revealed that this license was issued for a 1927 blue Chrysler sedan, on January L to Richard Gondolf, 3037 Fenwick Road, Fairview, at the agency of Samuel Weinstein, 411 Kaighn Avenue. Gondolf is a son of Peter Gondolf, former policeman and who is now in the contracting business. The son works with his father.

Store Robbed

Sometime between 9 o’clock last night and 7 o’clock this morning the store of William Henion at 517 Clinton Street was broken into.

Two slot machines of the “penny’ type, containing a total of $80 were taken. Ten boxes of cigars and an amount of candy were also stolen by the robbers, who gained entrance by forcing a door in an unoccupied house at the rear of the store.

A box containing $8 in pennies which lay near the machines and $2 in a cash drawer were overlooked. The break was discovered by Henion when he opened up this morning. He figured his loss at $100.