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

1864, A Shooting Affair in Marion Illinois

Confederate FlagThe Hon. James D. Pulley, owned one of the first businesses in Marion and was apparently a strong Southern sympathizer. In 1841, Pulley built “Our House”, a saloon, on the west side of the Public Square. His attempts in 1861 to promote efforts to secede from the Union early on in the Civil War landed him in “hot water” on more than one occasion, including charges of treason. To later save face, Pulley was involved with R.M. Hundley in the raising of the unsuccessful 128th Illinois Infantry.

This post is composed of two articles, the first notes the dismissal of treason charges by a Grand Jury in June 1864. The second article notes an incident in which Pulley takes exception to his name being disparaged and confronts the source, resulting in a shootout in a Marion alley the next month. Continue reading