Camden People - Louis Charles Schlam

LOUIS CHARLES SCHLAM was born in Pennsylvania on January 31, 1887 to Henry Schlam and his wife Catherine Spicer Schlam. He was the second of at least 12 children. His father was a shoemaker. When the census was taken in 1900 the family lived at 1840 North 11th Street in Philadelphia. Louis Schlam married his wife Mary around 1910.

On June 5, 1917 Louis Schlam registered for the draft. He was then living with his wife and two children at 859 Bergen Avenue in the Cramer Hill section of Camden. At that time he was working as a sheet metal worker at the Budd Manufacturing Company plant at 25th Street and Hunting Park Avenue in Philadelphia PA. He was not called to active military service, however. By January 30th of 1920 Louis Schlam had joined the Camden Police Department.

When the Census was taken in 1930 the Schlams and their children Harry, Josephine, and Evelyn lived at 1029 North 34th Street in Camden's Cramer Hill section. Louis Schlam was still on active duty with the police department at that time. He had been promoted to detective in the by 1928, and was often partnered in the late 20s and early 1930s with Richard Donnelly, who also resided in Cramer Hill.

On September 15, 1931 Detectives Donnelly and Schlam escorted James

H. Kessler to the Skillman Village for Epilectics in Skillman, New Jersey. Kessler had been committed to Skillman by Judge Samuel M. Shay.

On August 15, 1942 while fishing at Green Creek with Richard Donnelly and former Mayor Frederick von Nieda, Louis Schlamm died of a heart attack. He was buried at Locustwood Cemetery in what was then Delaware Township (present-day Cherry Hill), New Jersey.

World War I Draft Registration Card

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Camden Courier-Post
May 7, 1923

William J. Hurlock
Raymond Stark

Camden Courier-Post
August 24, 1923

William J. Hurlock
Raymond Stark
Louis C. Schlam
George Carpenter
Gustav A. Koerner
Frank Carle
John Stanton
George Hill
Joseph Lohrman
Frank Nidle
Leo Helvins
Fritz Heger
North 30th Street
Pleasant Street

Camden Courier-Post
January 31, 1928

Richard C. Donnolly
Louis Schlam
Elwood Antrim
Walter Gibbs
Worthing Truland

Federal Street
Friends Avenue
17th Street

Camden Courier-Post - February 4, 1928

POLICE INVITE BANDITS
TO NICE SHOOTING PARTY
But Yeggs Must Leave Gats at Home While Cops Practice
With Camden's new Desperado Eliminators

Wanted: Targets for Camden’s new desperado eliminators. Bandits, burglars, snipers and their ilk are requested by Chief of Police James E. Tatem to apply at police headquarters Monday morning at 10 o’clock, when a practice shooting party will be held.

Chief Tatem said today Camden’s bandit-chasing squad is “just rarin’ to go” with six new automatic rifles guaranteed to shoot full of holes the toughest bandit in less time than it takes to say “Aligoop.”

For the further enlightenment of the bandit fraternity, Chief Tatem announced detailed instructions on how to use the new carbines will be given this afternoon at 3 o’clock to bandit chasing police by Captain Arthur Colsey and Herman Engle, a representative of Stein Brothers, this city.

The rifles arrived at police headquarters yesterday afternoon. They will be distributed in each of the city’s three police districts in the campaign to rid the city of desperadoes.

The weapons can fire a magazine of 20 shots in a few seconds. They will be mounted in the three red bandit chasing coupes used by the district squad members. One of the coupes is now being used by Archie Reiss and Vernon Jones in South Camden, while two others are expected to be delivered within a few days, according to Chief of Police James E. Tatem. They will be assigned to Walter Smith and Joseph Carpani, First district detectives and Louis Schlam and Richard Donnelly in the East Camden district.

Swivel attachments make it possible to fire the guns from a fixed point in an automobile. Detached they may be fired from the shoulder. Besides firing a magazine of 20 shots without stopping, they can be adjusted to single fire, using .45 caliber cartridges.

Instruction in the adjustment and use of the weapons will be given today by a representative of the company that sold them- at $175 each— to the city.

Camden Courier-Post - February 21, 1928
BERTMAN CRITICIZES RAID MINUS WARRANT Inveighs Against Unreasonable Searches in Freeing Couple

Bernard Bertman - Walter Welch - William Horner - Louis Schlam Conrad Bristol - Elizabeth Bristol North 30th Street

*Camden Courier-Post September 30, 1929**

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Louis Schlam - Walter Smith - Ralph Bakley - Walter J. Staats - South 4th Street - Federal Street Marlton Avenue - Kaighn Avenue - Max Levin - Garfield S. Pancoast - William Stettler - Harry Bach Cafe Joseph Dugan - John DiLorenzo -George Palmer

*Camden Courier-Post June 3, 1930**

Catherine Christman - Joseph Conti - Nicholas Bartluci - John Fisher - Mary Reginelli - Marco Reginelli
	Garfield S. Pancoast - Clifford A. Baldwin William "Big Bill" Wierman - Ralph Bakley C. Leonard Brehm - Louis Schlam Clarence Bunker - Clarence Arthur Wilfred L. Dube - Andrew Zopesky

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From Left: Howard Smith - James Paradise - Theodore Guthrie - Joseph Mardino - Walter Welch Vernon Jones - Walter Smith

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	Highland Avenue South 33rd Street North 34th Street

Camden Courier-Post - August 24, 1931

Robert Ashenfelter
Benjamin Simon
Charles Rettberg

American Stores
Robert Ashenfelter
Charles Rettberg
Benjamin Simon
Pierce Avenue
North 32nd Street

Click on Image to Enlarge

Camden Courier-Post - August 24, 1931

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Robert Ashenfelter - Lawrence T. Doran Charles Rettberg - Theodore Rettberg - James Melbourne aka Melvin James John Golden - Frank Evans - Gus Koerner - Charles Wainwright Benjamin Simon - Joseph Shreeve - Elwood Humphreys - Louis Schlam Richard Donnelly - Charles Johnson - Lewis Smith - Charles Schultz North 36th Street - Pierce Avenue - North 32nd Street - Bergen Avenue

Camden
Courier-Post
August 24, 1931

Cleveland Plain Dealer - August 25, 1931

*Camden Courier-Post August 25, 1931**


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Robert Ashenfelter - Lawrence T. Doran Charles Rettberg - Theodore Rettberg - James Melbourne aka Melvin James John Golden - Frank Evans - Benjamin Simon - Louis Schlam Richard Donnelly - Clifford A. Baldwin - Gordon L. McRae - Emmalinda Canilus North 36th Street - Pierce Avenue - North 32nd Street - Bergen Avenue Beideman Avenue

*Camden Courier-Post August 25, 1931**


Two of the three purported accomplices of the burglar slain by police yesterday, and the young woman whose statements helped to implicate them, are shown in the above photographs. Above are James Melbourne, center, and Theodore Rettberg, left. The latter is a brother of Charles Rettberg, 1189 North 36th Street, shot in a gun battle yesterday with Detective Robert Ashenfelter, who was seriously wounded, and Policeman Frank Evans. Miss Emmalinda Canilus, a material witness, is shown at right. Melbournea and Rettberg confessed to planning the robber with the youth who was slain, the police say.,

Camden Courier-Post August 26, 1931

Gordon McCrae
Theodore Rettberg
James Melbourne

*Camden Courier-Post August 26, 1931**



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Robert Ashenfelter - Lawrence T. Doran Charles Rettberg - Theodore Rettberg - James Melbourne aka Melvin James John Golden - Frank Evans - Benjamin Simon - Louis Schlam Richard Donnelly - Clifford A. Baldwin - Gordon L. McRae - Emmalinda Canilus Mrs. Emma Bowden - Dr. H. Wesley Jack North 36th Street - Pierce Avenue - North 32nd Street - Beideman Avenue

Camden Courier-Post * June 10, 1933

FATHER HELD ON CHARGE MADE BY DAUGHTER

Charles Hellings, 52, of 2164 Berwick Street, was held without bail yesterday on a statutory charge by Police Judge Garfield Pancoast after he heard testimony from the man's daughter, 14, and a granddaughter, 12.

The children made their complaint to Detective Edwin Mills and Hellings was arrested at his home by Detective Louis Schlam. Hellings said he had been drinking regularly.

MAN SAVED FROM GAS

A man who, according to the police, attempted suicide by inhaling illuminating gas, was saved yester day afternoon by his sister who found him unconscious.

Louis Fox, 23, of 2406 Federal Street, was found in his room by his sister, Mrs. Sarah Finkelstein, of the same address. Mrs. Finkelstein and her husband conduct a store at 2501 Federal Street. When Mrs. Finkelstein returned to her home shortly before 3 p.m., she found her brother.

Detectives Richard Donnelly and Louis Schlamm took Fox to Cooper Hospital, where physicians said he would recover.

Camden Courier--Post

June 28, 1933

Camden Courier-Post - June 29, 1933

YOUNG MAN RECOVERS FROM INHALING GAS

Louis Fox, 23, of 2406 Federal Street, whose unsuccessful attempt at suicide landed him in Cooper Hospital suffering from inhaling gas fumes, is out of danger.

The young man was found unconscious at his apartment Tuesday with a gas jet open in the room. Detectives Louis Schlamm and Richard Donnelly took him to the hospital where he was questioned by Detective George Zeitz.

Fox will be arraigned before Police Judge Pancoast upon his release from the hospital, according to Zeitz.

*Camden Courier-Post August 12, 1936**

*Camden Courier-Post August 15, 1942**

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Richard Donnelly - Frederick von Nieda - Charles H. Ellis - Robert Ashenfelter - Victor S. King North 30th Street