1950, The Murder of Paul Rametta

Scene of Rametta murder in Dec 1950Paul Rametta Shot Down By Luther Frey, Marion Daily Republican, Dec. 8, 1950

A gun duel which blazed briefly across North Court Street early Thursday evening (Dec. 7) left one man dead as his slayer calmly telephoned police. The slain man was Paul Rametta, Marion truck operator.

Held in the county jail Friday pending a coroner’s investigation of the shooting was Luther Frey, 31, of Marion, ex-convict. Continue reading

1915, Old Landmark Moved Off The Library Site

Marion Carnegie Library in the 1920'sOld Land Mark Moved Off the Library Site

The last section of the Grandma Cline house on South Market Street was removed today leaving the lot vacant that has not been so in 60 years or more.

Isaac Campbell, grandfather of City Clerk Geo. C. Campbell, erected this dwelling in the summer of 1854 at a time when the number of houses all told in Marion did not exceed 50. Continue reading

Pillow, Earl H. 1889-1918, WWI Casualty in France

Earl H. Pillow 1889-1918Earl Herschel Pillow was born in Shawneetown, Illinois, June 1, 1889. He came to Marion in early boyhood with his parents, Judge and Mrs. George W. Pillow. His education was gained in the public and high schools of the city, graduating from Marion High School in the Class of 1906. He graduated from a business course in Brown’s Business College in 1912.

He was an employee of the Old Ben Mining Company at West Frankfort for six years and was chief clerk for the company when, in answer to his country’s call, he entered the army in April, 1918. On April 29, 1918, he left Marion for Camp Dix, and after eight days there sailed for France. Continue reading

1953, Milk Delivered to Your Doorstep

Marion City DairyRemember the days when glass bottles of milk were delivered each morning outside your door by a horse-drawn milk wagon? This was pre-depression days. The glass bottle had a little cardboard cap that kept the milk from spilling out. The bottle was returnable to the Marion City Dairy when empty with a note left in the bottle informing the delivery man how many bottles of milk you wanted. Continue reading