Jack "Legs" Diamond (possibly born John Thomas Diamond, though disputed; July 10, 1897 – December 18, 1931), also known as Gentleman Jack, was an

Irish American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

gangster in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

during the

Prohibition era Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic be ...

. A bootlegger and close associate of gambler

Arnold Rothstein Arnold Rothstein (January 17, 1882 – November 4, 1928), nicknamed "The Brain", was an American racketeer, crime boss, businessman, and gambler in New York City. Rothstein was widely reputed to have organized corruption in professional athleti ...

, Diamond survived a number of attempts on his life between 1916 and 1931, causing him to be known as the " clay pigeon of the underworld". In 1930, Diamond's nemesis

Dutch Schultz Dutch Schultz (born Arthur Simon Flegenheimer; August 6, 1901October 24, 1935) was an American mobster. Based in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s, he made his fortune in organized crime-related activities, including bootlegging and the n ...

remarked to his own gang, "Ain't there nobody that can shoot this guy so he don't bounce back?"

Early life

Diamond was born July 10, 1897, to Sara and John Moran, who emigrated from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

in 1891 to

, USA. In 1899, Jack's younger brother Eddie Moran was born. Jack and Eddie both struggled through grade school, while Sara suffered from severe

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In some ...

and other health problems. On December 24, 1913, Sara died from complications due to a bacterial infection and high fever. John Diamond, Sr. moved to Brooklyn shortly afterwards. Diamond soon joined a New York street gang called the

Hudson Dusters The Hudson Dusters was a New York City street gang during the early twentieth century. Formation Formed in the late 1890s by "Circular Jack", "Kid Yorke", and "Goo Goo Knox", the gang began operating from an apartment house on Hudson Str ...

. Diamond's first arrest for burglary occurred when he broke into a jewelry store on February 4, 1914, with numerous arrests following throughout the rest of his life. Diamond served in the US Army in World War I but deserted in 1918 or 1919 and was convicted and jailed for desertion. He served two years of a three- to five-year sentence at Leavenworth Military Prison and after being released in 1921 Diamond became a thug and later personal bodyguard for Arnold Rothstein.

Lifestyle

Diamond was known for leading a rather flamboyant lifestyle. He was a very energetic individual; his nickname "Legs" derived either from his being a good dancer or from how fast he could escape his enemies. His wife, Alice, was never supportive of his lifestyle but did not do much to dissuade him from it. Diamond was a womanizer; his best known mistress was showgirl and dancer Marion "Kiki" Roberts. The public loved Diamond; he was Upstate New York's biggest celebrity at the time.

Prohibition and the Manhattan Bootleg Wars

In the late 1920s Prohibition was in force, and the sale of beer and other alcohol was illegal in the United States. Diamond traveled to Europe to acquire beer and narcotics but failed. He did obtain liquor, which was dumped overboard in partially full barrels that floated onto Long Island as ships entered New York. He paid children a nickel for every barrel they brought to his trucks. Following the death of Jacob "Little Augie" Orgen, Diamond went to work overseeing bootleg alcohol sales in downtown

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of counties in New York, origin ...

. That brought him into conflict with Dutch Schultz, who wanted to move beyond his base in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Harle ...

. He also ran into trouble with other gangs in the city. On July 14, 1929, in the New York Broadway Hotsy Totsy Club (partly owned by Diamond), Diamond and fellow gang member Charles Entratta shot three drunken brawlers in the club; two (William Cassidy and Simon Walker) were killed and one (Peter Cassidy) was severely wounded. The club's bartender, three waiters, and the hat check girl "vanished" (one of them was found shot dead in New Jersey). Diamond was not charged, but he was forced to close the club. In 1930, Diamond and two henchmen kidnapped Grover Parks, a truck driver, in Cairo, New York, and demanded to know where he had obtained his load of

hard cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...

. When Parks denied carrying anything, Diamond and his men beat and tortured Parks, eventually letting him go. A few months later, Diamond was charged with the kidnapping of James Duncan. He was sent to

Catskill, New York Catskill is a town in the southeastern section of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,298 at the 2020 census, the largest town in the county. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park. The town contains a v ...

, for his first trial, but he was acquitted. However, he was convicted in a federal case on related charges and sentenced to four years in jail. In a third trial, in

Troy, New York Troy is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Huds ...

, he was acquitted.

Trip to Europe

On August 23, 1930 Diamond, under the false name John Nolan, boarded the

ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...

in New York, bound for Europe. The NYPD suspected that he might have left the US aboard or , but he was not found on either ship when they reached Europe. The NYPD then sent a

wireless telegraph Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimental technologies for tr ...

message to ''Belgenland'', which replied that a man answering Diamond's description was among her passengers. Diamond spent much of the voyage in the ship's

smoking room A smoking room (or smoking lounge) is a room which is specifically provided and furnished for smoking, generally in buildings where smoking is otherwise prohibited. Locations and facilities Smoking rooms can be found in public buildings such ...

playing

poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game wa ...

. One report claimed that in this way he won thousands of dollars in the course of the voyage. ''Belgenland''s officers, however, refuted this, saying his winnings were small. The NYPD

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

ed the police in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymout ...

, England; Cherbourg, France and

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, Belgium, warning them that he was an undesirable character. When ''Belgenland'' reached Plymouth on August 31,

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London' ...

officers told Diamond he would not be allowed to land in England. He told reporters that he wanted to travel to the French

spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath in 1668. He ...

Vichy Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais. It is a spa and resort town and in World War II was the capital of Vich ...

for "

the cure The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...

". However, his real reason was to look for sources of

rye whiskey Rye whiskey can refer to two different, but related, types of whiskey: * American rye whiskey, which is similar to bourbon whiskey, but must be distilled from at least 51 percent rye grain * Canadian whisky, which is often referred to as (and o ...

in Germany to import illegally into the United States. Diamond disambarked in Antwerp on September 1, where Belgian police took him to their Antwerp headquarters. At the end of the day, Diamond agreed to voluntarily leave the country and was put on a train to Germany. When his train reached Aachen Hauptbahnhof, German police arrested him. On September 6, the German government decided to deport Diamond. He was driven to

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

and put on the cargo ship ''Hannover'' for passage to

. On September 23, ''Hannover'' arrived in Philadelphia and Diamond was immediately arrested by

Philadelphia Police Department The Philadelphia Police Department (PPD or Philly PD) is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The PPD is one of the oldest municipal police agencies, fourth largest ...

officers. At a court hearing that day, the judge said he would release Diamond if he left Philadelphia within the hour. Diamond agreed.

Assassination and prosecution attempts

On October 24, 1924, Diamond was shot and wounded by shotgun pellets reportedly after trying to hijack liquor trucks belonging to the crime syndicate. On October 16, 1927, Diamond tried to stop the murder of "Little Augie" (

Jacob Orgen Jacob "Little Augie" Orgen (January 1893 – October 16, 1927) was a New York gangster involved in bootlegging and labor racketeering during Prohibition. Biography Born to a middle-class Orthodox Jewish family from Austria as Jacob Orgenstein, ...

). Diamond's brother Eddie was Orgen's bodyguard, but Legs Diamond substituted for Eddie that day. As Orgen and Diamond were walking down a street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, three young men approached them and started shooting. Orgen was fatally wounded and Diamond was shot twice below the heart. Diamond was taken to

Bellevue Hospital Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States ...

, where he eventually recovered. The police interviewed Diamond in the hospital, but he refused to identify any suspects or help the investigation in any way. The police initially suspected that Diamond was an accomplice and charged him with homicide, but the charge was later dropped. The assailants were supposedly hired by

Louis Buchalter Louis Buchalter, known as Louis Lepke or Lepke Buchalter, (February 6, 1897March 4, 1944) was an American mobster and head of the Mafia hit squad Murder, Inc., during the 1930s. Buchalter was one of the premier labor racketeers in New York Ci ...

and Gurrah Shapiro, who were seeking to move in on Orgen's garment-district labor rackets. On October 12, 1930, Diamond was shot and wounded at the Hotel Monticello on the west side of Manhattan. Two men forced their way into Diamond's room and shot him five times before fleeing. Still in his pajamas, Diamond staggered into the hallway and collapsed. When asked later by the New York Police Commissioner how he managed to walk out of the room, Diamond said he drank two shots of whiskey first. Diamond was rushed to the Polyclinic Hospital in Manhattan, where he eventually recovered. On December 30, 1930, Diamond was discharged from Polyclinic. On April 21, 1931, Diamond was arrested in

, on assault charges for the Parks beating in 1930. Two days later, he was released from the county jail on $25,000 bond. On April 27, 1931, Diamond was again shot and wounded, this time at the Aratoga Inn, a road house near Cairo, New York. After eating in the dining room with three companions, Diamond walked out to the front door. He was shot three times and collapsed by the door. A local resident drove Diamond to a hospital in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City. ...

, where he eventually recovered. On May 1, while Diamond was still in the hospital, New York State Troopers seized over $5,000 worth of illegal beer and alcohol from Diamond's hiding places in Cairo and at the Aratoga Inn. In August 1931, Diamond and Paul Quattrocchi went on trial for bootlegging. That same month, Diamond was convicted and sentenced to four years in state prison. In September 1931, Diamond appealed his conviction.

Death

On December 18, 1931, Diamond's enemies finally caught up with him. Diamond had been staying in a

rooming house A rooming house, also called a "multi-tenant house", is a "dwelling with multiple rooms rented out individually", in which the tenants share kitchen and often bathroom facilities. Rooming houses are often used as housing for low-income people, as ...

, while on trial in

, on kidnapping charges. On December 17, Diamond was acquitted. That night, Diamond and his family and friends were at a restaurant. At 1 a.m., Diamond went to visit his mistress, Marion "Kiki" Roberts. At 4:30 a.m., Diamond went back to the rooming house and passed out on his bed. Two gunmen entered his room around an hour later. One man held Diamond down while the other shot him three times in the back of the head. There has been much speculation as to who was responsible for the murder; likely candidates include

, the Oley Brothers (local thugs), the Albany Police Department, and relatives of Red Cassidy, another Irish American gangster at the time. According to William Kennedy's ''O Albany'', Democratic Party Chairman Dan O'Connell, who ran the local

political machine In the politics of representative democracies, a political machine is a party organization that recruits its members by the use of tangible incentives (such as money or political jobs) and that is characterized by a high degree of leadership con ...

, ordered Diamond's execution, which was carried out by the Albany Police. The following are Dan O'Connell's own words recorded during a 1974 interview by Kennedy and appear on pages 203 and 204:

In order for the Mafia to move in they had to have protection, and they know they'll never get it in this town. We settled that years ago. Legs Diamond ..called up one day and said he wanted to go into the 'insurance' business here. He was going to sell strong-arm 'protection' to the merchants. I sent word to him that he wasn't going to do any business in Albany and we didn't expect to see him in town the next morning. He never started anything here. Prior brought him around here ..but brought him around once too often. Fitzpatrick finished Legs. O'Connell added that William Fitzpatrick (a police sergeant at the time and later chief) and Diamond were "sitting in the same room and (Fitzpatrick) followed him out. Fitzpatrick told him he'd kill him if he didn't keep going.

Given the power that the O'Connell

machine A machine is a physical system using power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromolecules ...

held in Albany and its determination to prevent organized crime, other than their own, from establishing itself in the city and threatening their monopoly of vice, some accept this account of the story. For those believing this theory, Fitzpatrick's promotion to Chief of Police is said to have been a reward for executing Diamond. In 1945, Chief Fitzpatrick himself was shot and killed in his own office by John McElveney, an Albany police detective. Detective McElveney was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. He was released in 1957 when his sentence was commuted by Governor W. Averell Harriman. On December 23, 1931, Jack Diamond was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in

Maspeth, Queens Maspeth is a residential and commercial community in the borough of Queens in New York City. It was founded in the early 17th century by Dutch and English settlers. Neighborhoods sharing borders with Maspeth are Woodside to the north; Sunnyside ...

. There was no church service or graveside ceremony. Family and spectators numbering 200 attended Diamond's

interment Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

; no criminal figures were spotted. On July 1, 1933, Diamond's widow, Alice Kenny Diamond (age 33), was found shot to death in her Brooklyn apartment. It was speculated that she was shot by Diamond's enemies to keep her quiet.

In popular culture

* Released on February 3, 1960, the film ''

The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond ''The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond'' is a 1960 neo-noir crime film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Ray Danton, Karen Steele and Elaine Stewart. The supporting cast features Warren Oates, Jesse White and Robert Lowery. The picture m ...

'' was directed by director Budd Boetticher and stars

Ray Danton Ray Danton (born Raymond Caplan; September 19, 1931 – February 11, 1992) was a radio, film, stage, and television actor, director, and producer whose most famous roles were in the screen biographies '' The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond'' (196 ...

and

Warren Oates Warren Mercer Oates (July 5, 1928 – April 3, 1982) was an American actor best known for his performances in several films directed by Sam Peckinpah, including ''The Wild Bunch'' (1969) and ''Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia'' (1974). A ...

. The film was nominated for AFI's Top 10 Gangster Films list. * On October 20, 1960, Diamond was played by Steven Hill in the episode "Jack 'Legs' Diamond" of the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

crime drama ''

The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The Un ...

'' starring

Robert Stack Robert Stack (born Charles Langford Modini Stack; January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his deep voice and commanding presence, he appeared in over forty feature films. He starred in the highly successful ABC tele ...

. * The 1963

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.

short ''

The Unmentionables ''The Unmentionables'' is a 1963 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on September 7, 1963, and stars Bugs Bunny. It features Bugs with Rocky and Mugsy (in their final appearance), and spoofs '' ...

'' features an appearance by "Jack 'Legs' Rhinestone," who is shown to feature a pair of ladylike legs. His last name is a reference to the

diamond simulant A diamond simulant, diamond imitation or imitation diamond is an object or material with gemological characteristics similar to those of a diamond. Simulants are distinct from synthetic diamonds, which are actual diamonds exhibiting the same ma ...

of the same name. *A

Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam (; born 22 November 1940) is an American-born British filmmaker, comedian, animator, actor and former member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam has directed 13 feature films, including ''Time Bandits'' (1981), '' ...

animation sequence from the British TV show ''

Monty Python's Flying Circus ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (also known as simply ''Monty Python'') is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, who became known a ...

'' (1969-1973) features a gangster chicken by the name of "Eggs" Diamond. * The first book in author William Kennedy's Albany cycle, ''

Legs A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element c ...

'' was released in 1975. It follows Diamond to his death. * The Broadway show '' Legs Diamond'' was a musical starring Peter Allen. It ran briefly in late 1988 through early 1989. It lasted just 64 performances and is regarded as one of Broadway's legendary high-profile flops. *John Mosby portrayed Legs Diamond in the 1993 film ''The Outfit''. *

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close aff ...

member Raekwon the Chef's 1995 debut hip hop album ''

Only Built for Cuban Linx ''Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...'' (commonly referred to as ''The Purple Tape'') is the debut studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon, released on August 1, 1995, by Loud Records and RCA Records. The album was loosely composed ...

'' features a mafioso theme in which he and each guest artist assume a "Wu- Gambino" nickname. Raekwon's nickname is "Lex Diamond" in homage to Legs Diamond. *Legs Diamond provides the background to the 1996 short story "Running from Legs" by

Ed McBain Evan Hunter, born Salvatore Albert Lombino,(October 15, 1926 – July 6, 2005) was an American author and screenwriter best known for his 87th Precinct novels, written under his Ed McBain pen name, and the novel upon which the film ''Blackb ...

.Ed McBain, "Running from Legs and Other Stories", Oxford : Compass Press, 2002.

References

External links

*Downey, Patrick
Review on Legs Diamond: Gangster
''Berfrois'', March 30, 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Diamond, Jack 1897 births 1931 deaths 1931 murders in the United States American gangsters American shooting survivors Depression-era gangsters Murdered American gangsters of Irish descent Gangsters from Philadelphia Gangsters from New York City Criminals from Brooklyn Prohibition-era gangsters People murdered in New York (state) Male murder victims Deaths by firearm in New York (state) Unsolved murders in the United States Deserters Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Queens)