Golddigger. Bootlegging. Adultery. Ku Klux Klan. Valentine’s Day. Murder. Deathbed accusation. Life Insurance Policies. Sensational Trial. Jane Simon Ammeson’s new book, A Jazz Age Murder In Northwest Indiana: The Tragic Betrayal of Nettie Diamond, has all of that and more. The author was drawn into the story through Diamond’s son who was principal of Ammeson’s grade school. The deeper she delved into the story, the more interesting it became.
Even without the murder, Diamond’s story would be fascinating. She graduated from Pharmacy School in 1904, one of six females to graduate in her class. She and her husband made a fortune owning pharmacies in northwestern Indiana. But there are questions about her. Did she immigrate here from Romania? Who was the father of her first son? How many times was she married? Why did she marry her last husband — the man who shot her. Why did he think he’d get away with saying the chauffeur did it?
In the tradition of other History Press crime-based books, Ammeson’s narration covers every aspect of this incredible story and includes many illustrations. The quotations of newspaper accounts of the trial add to the interest of the book. This trial appears to have had the type of sensational coverage that the OJ trial did several years ago.
Meet Jane Simon Ammeson on Saturday, July 18 at 2:00 at Bookmamas, 9 S. Johnson Avenue.
