A bootlegger, enforcer, dopeman and erstwhile folk hero, Jack “Legs” Diamond was like a charming archvillain in a lurid detective novel or serialized crime drama, with death-defying, law-evading cliffhangers closing each episode. Unfortunately for Diamond, the years of partying hard, seducing showgirls and dodging bullets finally came to an end on December 18, 1931, in Albany, New York. Today, he is not a particularly well-known gangster. Which is ironic, considering his pivotal role in the larger landscape of a burgeoning new underworld structure and economy during the 1920s. No good reason to become a criminal Diamond was born on July 11, 1898, in ...