Category Archives: Police

Marion Police Department

1924, Raids Net Illegal Alcohol and Stills

Posted on by January 17, 2014

Moonshine Bust 1924In early 1924, prohibition had been in effect for years and as a result, many locals had turned to cranking out their own illegal “hootch” in copper stills, a problem that wouldn’t entirely go away until the late 1950’s, even after prohibition was long since revoked.

The attached photo illustrates the level which illegal alcohol production had reached, when a Courtney’s moving truck, was required to haul all the illegal booze back to the Williamson County Jail on S. Van Buren St. for disposal after the latest raid in February, 1924. Continue reading →

1973, The Murder of Martha Damico

Posted on by January 11, 2014

Marion was in disbelief on February 19th, 1973, when Mary Ann Damico came home from school and found her 50 year old paraplegic mother, Martha Damico, senselessly murdered in their home at 825 Morgan Drive. Martha, who was confined to a wheel chair, had been murdered that morning shortly after her daughter left for school by Cynthia “Cindy” Barnes, 17, whose mother lived not far away at 840 Morgan Drive. Continue reading →

1924, The Miracle of Turning Water Into Wine

Posted on by January 2, 2014

Used Pump To Get Wine Out of the Ground

The amount of wine necessary for the proper rearing of an Italian baby reached alarming proportions Wednesday afternoon when Mrs. Mary Mentala of 406 West Goodall Street told city officials all the wine she had was for her baby, and the officer found 150 gallons.

Mayor J.H. Clarida, Chief of Police H.T. Boyd and Officers Elmer Smith and John Smothers conducted the raid. Continue reading →

1924, Troops Called in “Coal Belt Booze War”

Posted on by February 20, 2014

On January 8th, 1924, Williamson County Sheriff George Galligan requested of then Governor Len Small to send in the Illinois Nation Guard troops to ensure order. Galligan stated that the raids performed by S. Glenn Young and his Ku Klux Klan counterparts had assumed the proportions of mob violence and was afraid the raiders’ actions would create another mob. Young had recently been raiding personal homes and businesses and was said to be beating up people and officials and stealing money and property. Continue reading →