The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-12-18

the rooming house, was also awak- ened by shots.
 T saw several men rush down the stairs, apparently from the room where MT Diamond was staying" she told police. ''I heard the motor of an automobile start outside"
 The room showed the remnants of wild party. Beer bottles were scattered over the floor. The win- dow sills and table were It, tered with cigarette butts. Dia- mond's clothes had been thrown across a chair. The body was on it's back on the bed. Three bullets had punctured 1t, the one in the temple being fatal.
 Daniel H. Prior, attorney, who had defended Diamond on each of the kidnapping charges growing out of the Parks incident, was one of the first on the scene. He offered his aid to police.
 Dr Holmes said his call had come from a man who described himself as Diamonds chauffeur. Police immediately started a search for Jack Dalton who holds that position.
 From his beginning as a petty thief, Diamond, born Schiffer in Philadelphia, rose to the position of body guard to the late Arnold Rothstein, king of the New York underworld. After Rothstein's death he attempted a succession to the throne, but was driven from New York city by rival gangsters to the Catskills where his efforts to set up gangland rule resulted in numerous shooting scrapes, two trials and finally in his death.
 Diamonds first wound was early in his career when his chief, Little Augie" Orgen was put on the spot. Two of the bullets that got little Augie wounded Diamond. Two years ago he was trapped in a New York city hotel room by rival gangsters who pumped him full of lead. Physicians could not understand how he managed to recover. Recovered, Diamond de- serted New York for the Catskills. There, last spring in a roadhouse, would be assassins emptied two shot guns at him in reprisal for racket. Again Diamond recovered from wounds.
 To-day his assassins took no chance. The bullet that killed him, tore a gapping hole through his temple.
 Reports that several members of the Vincent Coll gang were being sought for questioning in the slay- ing seeped from police headquar- ters where Mrs Diamond was questioned. Police refused to confirm or deny the reports. Coll is on trial in New York city, charged with first degree murder in connection with the "baby slay- ings'' last summer.
 Police recalled that seven men, reputedly Coll gangsters, were ap- prehended in raids last july at Acra, Diamonds home. and at Coxsackie, nearby.
 Coll, however, police said, was believed to have been friendly to- ward Diamond.
 Police said they had learned that Diamond. his wife and Mrs Eddie Diamond, his dead brothers wife. attended a party after driving away from the Troy courthouse last night.
 They said Diamond and his wife became separated during the party and that she later joined him at the rooming house.
 Police also sought Marion "Kiki' Roberts, Diamonds light O love, the chorus girl who was with him when gangland assassins filled him with lead in a New York hotel room two years ago. They estab- | lished she was in Albany last night. Although they believed she had an apartment near the rooming house, a search for her failed. Long distance calls poured in on Albany police all morning from Chicago. Cleveland. New York, Buff falo. Tough, swaggering voices asked the inevitable question:: Was Legs Diamond bumped ?"