Southern Mysteries Podcast

Episode 179 The Mystery of Diamond Bessie

Listen Later

In 1877, a young woman arrived in Jefferson, Texas, wearing diamonds and traveling with a man who claimed to be her husband. Days later, her body was found in the woods, and her name was unknown. She became known as Diamond Bessie, and her death led to one of the most sensational murder trials in Texas history. This episode of Southern Mysteries explores her life, the circumstances of her murder, the trials of Abe Rothschild, and the legacy of a woman the town refused to forget.

Join the Community on Patreon:

Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries

šŸŽ§ Explore More Southern Mysteries

Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists.

šŸ“± Follow on Social Media:

Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast

TikTok @southernmysteries
Instagram: @southernmysteries
Email: [email protected]Ā 

Episode Sources

  • Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) entry on "Diamond Bessie"
  • Handbook of Texas Online
  • Library of Congress Newspaper Archives
  • ā€œEast Texas in the 1800s: Jefferson and the Murder of Diamond Bessie,ā€ Jefferson Historical Society
  • Oakwood Cemetery, Jefferson Texas burial records
  • University of North Texas Portal to Texas History
  • The Diamond Bessie Murder Trial ā€“ Jefferson Playhouse historical archives
  • ā€œThe Jefferson Murdersā€ ā€” archived article from The Dallas Morning News
  • East Texas Tales by Bob Bowman
  • Chronicling America ā€“ Historical newspaper records (Library of Congress)
  • Marshall, Texas Capitol Hotel registration archives (via local historical society)
  • ā€œDiamond Bessie Reenactment Keeps History Aliveā€ ā€” Texas Highways
  • Ancestry records and obituaries (Watertown, NY) for Annie Stone / Bessie Moore
  • Archives of the Rothschild family business in Cincinnati (local historical collections)

    • Episode Music

    Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    Southern Mysteries PodcastBy Shannon Ballard
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8

    4.8

    972 ratings

    More shows like Southern Mysteries Podcast

    View all
    Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast by Blue Ewe Media

    Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

    2,797 Listeners

    Appalachian Mysteria by Kromatic Media

    Appalachian Mysteria

    2,654 Listeners

    Southern Fried True Crime by Erica Kelley

    Southern Fried True Crime

    10,566 Listeners

    American Hauntings Podcast by Cody Beck and Troy Taylor

    American Hauntings Podcast

    1,581 Listeners

    Dark Histories by Ben Cutmore

    Dark Histories

    1,852 Listeners

    Southern Gothic by Southern Gothic Media

    Southern Gothic

    972 Listeners

    Every Town by Every Town

    Every Town

    982 Listeners

    Haunted American History by Bloody FM

    Haunted American History

    429 Listeners

    One Strange Thing: Paranormal & True-Weird Mysteries by Laurah Norton

    One Strange Thing: Paranormal & True-Weird Mysteries

    749 Listeners

    Crimes of the Centuries by Amber Hunt and Audioboom

    Crimes of the Centuries

    3,963 Listeners

    Mysteries and Histories by Georgia Marie

    Mysteries and Histories

    155 Listeners

    Strange and Unexplained with Daisy Eagan by Strange and Unexplained with Daisy Eagan

    Strange and Unexplained with Daisy Eagan

    10,085 Listeners

    Carolina Crimes by Matt Hiers and Danielle Myers

    Carolina Crimes

    1,510 Listeners

    Haunted Road by iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild

    Haunted Road

    3,163 Listeners

    Gone South by Audacy Podcasts

    Gone South

    4,092 Listeners