This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Diamond Bessie Murder in Jefferson Texas 1876
A detailed account of the Diamond Bessie case recounts Bessie Moore Rothchild, a young woman famed for her jewels, who was lured from Cincinnati with promises of marriage by Abe Rothchild. They travel through Texarkana to Linden and Jefferson, where he murders her during a picnic on a forest overlook, then robs her of jewels. Rothchild faces trial, is twice convicted, but escapes on a legal technicality. later imprisoned for theft and forgery. The Jefferson courthouse and jail are noted, and the story ends with Bessie’s humble grave and a stranger visiting years later.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Texas
Jefferson
W. H. Ward
Texarkana
Bessie Moore
Bessie Rothchild
Bessie
Southwest
Cincinnati
Abe Rothchild
Rothchild
Satan
Texas & Pacific Railway
Kildare
Linden
Jefferson Cemetery
Brooks Hotel
Cypress Bayou
Hell
Shreveport Road
John Vines
Abel Rothchild
South
Court House
Mabry
Pierce
McKay
Culberson
Armstead
Crawford
Turner
Capitol Hotel
Marshall
Southern
Pacific Express Co