James Billings was one of a number of men working as a special officer at the Central High-University School football game at Case Field [now Van Horn Field of CWRU] on a Saturday night when a group of teenagers from Little Italy tried to break through the southeast gate and beyond the fence without paying to see the game in progress. Billings had collared one of the teens, Ralph Coletto, who had broken the gate lock, and was leading him away through the crowd of teens, to take him to the station. When Billings and Coletto reached the walk in front of Case School, one of the other boys, 16-year-old John Rameciatto, hit Officer Billings in the head with a 10-foot pole or club and fractured his skull. Billings first fell and laid still, then tried to get up, but fell to the ground again. Several onlookers rushed to his aid and cared for him until the ambulance arrived. He was taken to the Dalrymples's hospital, but died at 3 am the next day never having regained consciousness. Billings left a widow and four children under 12 years old.
As the helpers awaited the ambulance, Rameciatto fled to Wade Park, followed by a mob. He was eventually cornered and arrested by a park police officer.
According the the Cleveland Plain Dealer article, central station sources said that Rameciatto was the youngest prisoner to ever be held there on murder changes. Rameciatto said he had no intention of killing Billings, "I was angry, because he was arresting my friend. Not thinking what I was doing, I struck him with the club. The next minute I felt sorry for what I had done and ran away."
His friend, Ralph Coletto (see memorial 78102571) of No. 122 Carabelli St, over whom the assault occurred, was arrested on a charge of destroying property because he broke a lock on the gate of the Case Field. He was fined $5 and court costs. Colletto and a number of other Little Italy teens were listed in the newspaper almost exactly a year earlier, for being detained by railroad special officers when the teens were on the Nickel Plate Railroad. The officers had chased them all afternoon, as they were throwing switches, breaking seals on cars, taking of and putting on brakes, and shooting revolvers. At that incident, in 1903, Coletto was charged with carrying concealed weapons. Rameciatto was not listed among the boys.
Ramechiatto was defended by an attorney hired by women at the Alta House (a community center in Little Italy), who had known him and his friend since before the incident.
A word search of the Cleveland Plain Dealer did not indicate Ramechiatto's fate.
135 Woolsey Ave
age 36
burial Nov. 15, 1904
Homicide (skull fracture)
night watchman
1896 Oct. 28 Naturalization Cuy Co
James A. E. B. Billings
address Glenville, OH
b. Great Britain, Nov. 11, 1868
date of arrival May 30, 1890
declared intention 22 Aug 1893
bridge builder
1900 Census Cleveland
80 Maud St
Billings, James, b. Nov. 1868, 31, m11, b. England, parents b. England, imm. 1880, 20 yrs, Na, bridge builder, R H
-, Nellie, b. June 1873, 26, m11, 4 children, 4 living, b. England, parents b. England, imm. 1880, 20 yrs
-, Herbert, b. Aug 1890, 9, b. NY, parents b. England
-, Lillian, b. June 1892, 7, b. NY
-, James, b. Sept. 1894, 5, b. OH
-, Pearl, Jan 1896, [3 crossed out] 4, b. OH
father James Albert Edward Billings
mother Betsey Bryan
2 eldest childen b. Manhattan, NY
FS tree suggests that Nellie d. 2 Dec 1914 in Buffalo, NY
As the helpers awaited the ambulance, Rameciatto fled to Wade Park, followed by a mob. He was eventually cornered and arrested by a park police officer.
According the the Cleveland Plain Dealer article, central station sources said that Rameciatto was the youngest prisoner to ever be held there on murder changes. Rameciatto said he had no intention of killing Billings, "I was angry, because he was arresting my friend. Not thinking what I was doing, I struck him with the club. The next minute I felt sorry for what I had done and ran away."
His friend, Ralph Coletto (see memorial 78102571) of No. 122 Carabelli St, over whom the assault occurred, was arrested on a charge of destroying property because he broke a lock on the gate of the Case Field. He was fined $5 and court costs. Colletto and a number of other Little Italy teens were listed in the newspaper almost exactly a year earlier, for being detained by railroad special officers when the teens were on the Nickel Plate Railroad. The officers had chased them all afternoon, as they were throwing switches, breaking seals on cars, taking of and putting on brakes, and shooting revolvers. At that incident, in 1903, Coletto was charged with carrying concealed weapons. Rameciatto was not listed among the boys.
Ramechiatto was defended by an attorney hired by women at the Alta House (a community center in Little Italy), who had known him and his friend since before the incident.
A word search of the Cleveland Plain Dealer did not indicate Ramechiatto's fate.
135 Woolsey Ave
age 36
burial Nov. 15, 1904
Homicide (skull fracture)
night watchman
1896 Oct. 28 Naturalization Cuy Co
James A. E. B. Billings
address Glenville, OH
b. Great Britain, Nov. 11, 1868
date of arrival May 30, 1890
declared intention 22 Aug 1893
bridge builder
1900 Census Cleveland
80 Maud St
Billings, James, b. Nov. 1868, 31, m11, b. England, parents b. England, imm. 1880, 20 yrs, Na, bridge builder, R H
-, Nellie, b. June 1873, 26, m11, 4 children, 4 living, b. England, parents b. England, imm. 1880, 20 yrs
-, Herbert, b. Aug 1890, 9, b. NY, parents b. England
-, Lillian, b. June 1892, 7, b. NY
-, James, b. Sept. 1894, 5, b. OH
-, Pearl, Jan 1896, [3 crossed out] 4, b. OH
father James Albert Edward Billings
mother Betsey Bryan
2 eldest childen b. Manhattan, NY
FS tree suggests that Nellie d. 2 Dec 1914 in Buffalo, NY
James Billings was one of a number of men working as a special officer at the Central High-University School football game at Case Field [now Van Horn Field of CWRU] on a Saturday night when a group of teenagers from Little Italy tried to break through the southeast gate and beyond the fence without paying to see the game in progress. Billings had collared one of the teens, Ralph Coletto, who had broken the gate lock, and was leading him away through the crowd of teens, to take him to the station. When Billings and Coletto reached the walk in front of Case School, one of the other boys, 16-year-old John Rameciatto, hit Officer Billings in the head with a 10-foot pole or club and fractured his skull. Billings first fell and laid still, then tried to get up, but fell to the ground again. Several onlookers rushed to his aid and cared for him until the ambulance arrived. He was taken to the Dalrymples's hospital, but died at 3 am the next day never having regained consciousness. Billings left a widow and four children under 12 years old.
As the helpers awaited the ambulance, Rameciatto fled to Wade Park, followed by a mob. He was eventually cornered and arrested by a park police officer.
According the the Cleveland Plain Dealer article, central station sources said that Rameciatto was the youngest prisoner to ever be held there on murder changes. Rameciatto said he had no intention of killing Billings, "I was angry, because he was arresting my friend. Not thinking what I was doing, I struck him with the club. The next minute I felt sorry for what I had done and ran away."
His friend, Ralph Coletto (see memorial 78102571) of No. 122 Carabelli St, over whom the assault occurred, was arrested on a charge of destroying property because he broke a lock on the gate of the Case Field. He was fined $5 and court costs. Colletto and a number of other Little Italy teens were listed in the newspaper almost exactly a year earlier, for being detained by railroad special officers when the teens were on the Nickel Plate Railroad. The officers had chased them all afternoon, as they were throwing switches, breaking seals on cars, taking of and putting on brakes, and shooting revolvers. At that incident, in 1903, Coletto was charged with carrying concealed weapons. Rameciatto was not listed among the boys.
Ramechiatto was defended by an attorney hired by women at the Alta House (a community center in Little Italy), who had known him and his friend since before the incident.
A word search of the Cleveland Plain Dealer did not indicate Ramechiatto's fate.
135 Woolsey Ave
age 36
burial Nov. 15, 1904
Homicide (skull fracture)
night watchman
1896 Oct. 28 Naturalization Cuy Co
James A. E. B. Billings
address Glenville, OH
b. Great Britain, Nov. 11, 1868
date of arrival May 30, 1890
declared intention 22 Aug 1893
bridge builder
1900 Census Cleveland
80 Maud St
Billings, James, b. Nov. 1868, 31, m11, b. England, parents b. England, imm. 1880, 20 yrs, Na, bridge builder, R H
-, Nellie, b. June 1873, 26, m11, 4 children, 4 living, b. England, parents b. England, imm. 1880, 20 yrs
-, Herbert, b. Aug 1890, 9, b. NY, parents b. England
-, Lillian, b. June 1892, 7, b. NY
-, James, b. Sept. 1894, 5, b. OH
-, Pearl, Jan 1896, [3 crossed out] 4, b. OH
father James Albert Edward Billings
mother Betsey Bryan
2 eldest childen b. Manhattan, NY
FS tree suggests that Nellie d. 2 Dec 1914 in Buffalo, NY
As the helpers awaited the ambulance, Rameciatto fled to Wade Park, followed by a mob. He was eventually cornered and arrested by a park police officer.
According the the Cleveland Plain Dealer article, central station sources said that Rameciatto was the youngest prisoner to ever be held there on murder changes. Rameciatto said he had no intention of killing Billings, "I was angry, because he was arresting my friend. Not thinking what I was doing, I struck him with the club. The next minute I felt sorry for what I had done and ran away."
His friend, Ralph Coletto (see memorial 78102571) of No. 122 Carabelli St, over whom the assault occurred, was arrested on a charge of destroying property because he broke a lock on the gate of the Case Field. He was fined $5 and court costs. Colletto and a number of other Little Italy teens were listed in the newspaper almost exactly a year earlier, for being detained by railroad special officers when the teens were on the Nickel Plate Railroad. The officers had chased them all afternoon, as they were throwing switches, breaking seals on cars, taking of and putting on brakes, and shooting revolvers. At that incident, in 1903, Coletto was charged with carrying concealed weapons. Rameciatto was not listed among the boys.
Ramechiatto was defended by an attorney hired by women at the Alta House (a community center in Little Italy), who had known him and his friend since before the incident.
A word search of the Cleveland Plain Dealer did not indicate Ramechiatto's fate.
135 Woolsey Ave
age 36
burial Nov. 15, 1904
Homicide (skull fracture)
night watchman
1896 Oct. 28 Naturalization Cuy Co
James A. E. B. Billings
address Glenville, OH
b. Great Britain, Nov. 11, 1868
date of arrival May 30, 1890
declared intention 22 Aug 1893
bridge builder
1900 Census Cleveland
80 Maud St
Billings, James, b. Nov. 1868, 31, m11, b. England, parents b. England, imm. 1880, 20 yrs, Na, bridge builder, R H
-, Nellie, b. June 1873, 26, m11, 4 children, 4 living, b. England, parents b. England, imm. 1880, 20 yrs
-, Herbert, b. Aug 1890, 9, b. NY, parents b. England
-, Lillian, b. June 1892, 7, b. NY
-, James, b. Sept. 1894, 5, b. OH
-, Pearl, Jan 1896, [3 crossed out] 4, b. OH
father James Albert Edward Billings
mother Betsey Bryan
2 eldest childen b. Manhattan, NY
FS tree suggests that Nellie d. 2 Dec 1914 in Buffalo, NY
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