Diamond Bessie

Who was Diamond Bessie?

Diamond Bessie was the popular name given to Bessie Moore, née Annie Stone, a prostitute whose murder in the woods outside of Jefferson, Texas, propelled her to the level of local legend. She was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head in the early afternoon of Sunday, January 21, 1877. Her accused killer was her lover, Abraham Rothschild, who was not related to the famous family of the same name.

Bessie was born in 1854 in Syracuse, New York, and the abundance of attention from men resulting from her striking beauty is said to have led her down the proverbial "wayward path" at a young age. At 15, she left home and took up with a man named Moore. After this affair ended, she entered into prostitution. By all accounts, she adapted to the life quickly, and her numerous male admirers showered her with gifts of diamond jewelry. A story that she had a large inheritance from her father may be apocryphal.

Bessie plied her trade in brothels in Cincinnati, Ohio, New Orleans, Louisiana, and finally Hot Springs, Arkansas, where she met Rothschild in 1875. From this time until her death, they were together. There is evidence they entered into a legal marriage in Illinois.