Diamond's club. The entry is just to the left of the "used" sign. The club's name is on the sign hanging above the door.
Living the good life
Diamond at one of his many court appearances.
With money now pouring in, Diamond became a regular on the nightclub circuit and his picture was regularly in the papers. However, he was not portrayed as a gangster, but as a wealthy man-about-town.
He soon became part owner of the Hotsy Totsy Club at 1721 Broadway between 54th and 55th streets, but the good times were not to last.
The beginning of the end came on July 14, 1929, when brothers Peter and William "Red" Cassidy, two waterfront brawlers, and at least one of their friends began a fight at the Hotsy Totsy’s bar, calling the place a "clip joint" and insulting the bartender and other staff members for not serving the already drunk men. When waiter Walter Wolgast told them to quiet down or they'd have to leave, Cassidy turned on Wolgast and began arguing with him. Cassidy's friend, Simon Walker, grabbed club manager Hymie Cohen by the arm, demanded service and threatened to destroy the bar if they didn't get it. He then pushed Cohen to the floor.
Diamond and gang member Charles Entratta saw the exchange and approached Walker. “I’m Jack Diamond and I run this place. If you don’t calm down, I’ll blow your fucking head off.” Walker looked at Diamond and said, "You can't push me around."
It was the last thing Walker said.
Diamond and Entratta pulled out their guns and shot both Cassidys and Walker. "Red" Cassidy, 36, was shot three times in the head, once in the stomach and once in the groin. Walker, 35, was hit six times in the stomach. Both were dead. When police arrived, a severely wounded Peter Cassidy, 34, was found at the bottom of a flight of stairs with three wounds. Guns were found on or near all three men, all of whom had police records.
More than 50 people, including staff and patrons, were in the club at the time ... but no one remembered seeing anything because their backs were to the bar or they were in the restrooms at the time.
Within six weeks of the shooting, Cohen, Wolgast, two other waiters and the club's hat-check girl all disappeared. On July 19, Wolgast's bullet-ridden body was found in Bordentown, N.J. It's believed the others were also dumped in Jersey, but their bodies were never found.
No witnesses came forward and Diamond and Entratta were never charged, but the pressure was on and Diamond soon closed the club and moved to Greene County in upstate New York.
He was only in Greene County a short time before he sent word back to New York City that he was planning to return and reclaim what was once his. When he left the city, Shultz and Oweny Madden quickly moved in to absorb his rackets. Diamond’s planned return put an immediate target on his back, and that brought him a new nickname: “The clay pigeon of the underworld.”
In 1930, while preparing for his move back to the city but also trying to establish a bootlegging operation in Greene County, Diamond and two others kidnapped Grover Parks, a truck driver in Cairo, N.Y. They beat and tortured Parks, demanding to know where he had obtained
his load of alcohol. Parks refused to tell them, and, oddly enough, they let him go. A few months later, Diamond tried the same thing with another truck driver, James Duncan. This time, Diamond was arrested and charged with kidnapping. He was taken to Catakill, N.Y., for trial but was acquitted.
Home Next
He soon became part owner of the Hotsy Totsy Club at 1721 Broadway between 54th and 55th streets, but the good times were not to last.
The beginning of the end came on July 14, 1929, when brothers Peter and William "Red" Cassidy, two waterfront brawlers, and at least one of their friends began a fight at the Hotsy Totsy’s bar, calling the place a "clip joint" and insulting the bartender and other staff members for not serving the already drunk men. When waiter Walter Wolgast told them to quiet down or they'd have to leave, Cassidy turned on Wolgast and began arguing with him. Cassidy's friend, Simon Walker, grabbed club manager Hymie Cohen by the arm, demanded service and threatened to destroy the bar if they didn't get it. He then pushed Cohen to the floor.
Diamond and gang member Charles Entratta saw the exchange and approached Walker. “I’m Jack Diamond and I run this place. If you don’t calm down, I’ll blow your fucking head off.” Walker looked at Diamond and said, "You can't push me around."
It was the last thing Walker said.
Diamond and Entratta pulled out their guns and shot both Cassidys and Walker. "Red" Cassidy, 36, was shot three times in the head, once in the stomach and once in the groin. Walker, 35, was hit six times in the stomach. Both were dead. When police arrived, a severely wounded Peter Cassidy, 34, was found at the bottom of a flight of stairs with three wounds. Guns were found on or near all three men, all of whom had police records.
More than 50 people, including staff and patrons, were in the club at the time ... but no one remembered seeing anything because their backs were to the bar or they were in the restrooms at the time.
Within six weeks of the shooting, Cohen, Wolgast, two other waiters and the club's hat-check girl all disappeared. On July 19, Wolgast's bullet-ridden body was found in Bordentown, N.J. It's believed the others were also dumped in Jersey, but their bodies were never found.
No witnesses came forward and Diamond and Entratta were never charged, but the pressure was on and Diamond soon closed the club and moved to Greene County in upstate New York.
He was only in Greene County a short time before he sent word back to New York City that he was planning to return and reclaim what was once his. When he left the city, Shultz and Oweny Madden quickly moved in to absorb his rackets. Diamond’s planned return put an immediate target on his back, and that brought him a new nickname: “The clay pigeon of the underworld.”
In 1930, while preparing for his move back to the city but also trying to establish a bootlegging operation in Greene County, Diamond and two others kidnapped Grover Parks, a truck driver in Cairo, N.Y. They beat and tortured Parks, demanding to know where he had obtained
his load of alcohol. Parks refused to tell them, and, oddly enough, they let him go. A few months later, Diamond tried the same thing with another truck driver, James Duncan. This time, Diamond was arrested and charged with kidnapping. He was taken to Catakill, N.Y., for trial but was acquitted.
Home Next
Diamond leaves court after his acquittal on kidnapping and other charges.
