The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-05-04

Catskiu mountain summer resort ter
ritory under a new regime Of bootIegEer
invasion, which climaxed last weeks
shooting Of Jack Gegs) Diamond. The
drst story by Ferguson Is given herewith.
BY HARRY FERGUSON
United Press stan Correspondent
lTATSKILL, N. Y, May 4.-The
~ story Of the current attempt
to drive gangsters from the Cats
kills goes back some twenty months
TO the time when Jack Diamond
conceived the idea of redlling his
nat purse by asserting feudal domi-
nation over the beer and applejack
business in three counties.
1t looked, TO him, ridiculously
easy. All that was necessary was
for him to freeze out" q few local
bootleggers, put pressure on road
house proprietors and convince them
that his beer was superior to the To-
cal product.
Furthermore, he had an ideal base
Of operations at his estate at AGRA,
twelve miles away, where he could
concentrate fast automobiles and
small group Of strong-arm men. So
he moved in.
Soon he became a familiar figure
along the roads between here and
Kingston, sitting in the front seat
OF his seven passenger automobile,
which always was driven by Jimmy
Dalton, combined chauffeur and
bodyguard.
T." A T first" said proprietor of
"A one of the local speakeasies,
Diamond was decent enough. He
siraply came into your place, rolled
out the beer that you had, and rolled
his in. Never demanded payment
until after the beer was sold"
Virtually everyone agrees that had
Diamond pursued a more cautious
course he might have grown wealthy
with ease, and they point to the
Grover Parks case as an illustration
Of over-stepping.
Parks, stopped, lean-faced farm
er. accused Diamond of waylaying
and torturing him because he was
trying to deliver shipment of hard
cider. 1t is on that charge that
Diamond will be tried if he lives.
Before Parks filed his charges Dia-
rnond was dread figure throughout
the hills; he came to this section
with the reputation Of being quick
and ready gunmar--a reputation
that metropolitan police, who knew
him well, never have subscribed to.
Hard-looking men drifted into
AGRA and took up their abode at the
white house, where Negro cook
concocted southern dishes Of which
Diamond is fond.
TOUR times week Diamond came
L to Catskill to get shaved. Three
cars would halt in front Of the
barber shop, and ten men got out
and entered. Diamond never shaved
himself because he complained his
beard was too tough.
AS he reclined in the barber chair,
his face smothered IN lather, bust
ness in Catskill paused while Curl
Gus crowds gathered outside the
shop peering through the win
dow In three weeks Diamond had
made a contract with the barber to
shave his entire gang at nat rate
Of $25 a week.
"He said," the BARRIERS explained,
that all he wanted was to be left
alone. One day we asked him what
he did to pass the time at AGRA
and he said he read the newspapers.
Said he didn't like books.
Raiders later found at Diamonds
home bulky scrap book filed with
clippings about himself, and 100
pairs of silk pajanlas.
Events moved smoothly and the
next furry of excitement in Cats
kill occurred one frosty February
morning. when lean, polished au-
tomobile spun to a stop in front Of
one of the hotels here. Out
stepped q slim girl, residents say,
wrapped to the ears in costly furs
and sailing g scent Of imported
perfume.
She registered under some con-
ventional name and lived there for
a week, leaving her room only once
to dine with Diamond and Dalton.
1T was Marion Roberts the show
l. girl, who was in the next room
when the gangster was shot in the
Monticello hotel in New York Soon
she was installed at AGRA, and Mrs.
Alice s. Diamond, who has been
loyal to Jack through all his noto-
riety, went to New York.
Meanwhile, Diamonds reputation
as a dangerous character was in
creasing in the community, and he
began to feel more confident. AGRA
became a show-place for tourists;
speakeasies now handled Diamond
beer exclusively; profits were
mounting.
"And then" as the speakeasy pro-
prletor explained, Jack got ambi-
tious and thought there was no end
to it."
He was wrong; there was an end.
He came to it week ago today at
the Saratoga inn, where bullets
ripped his body, on which wounds
from the previous shooting scarcely
had healed.
NATIONAL lotto EIHuT tn