"Diamond Bessie"

    “Diamond Bessie”

Suzanne Marsh

The cast of Characters in order of appearance:

Annie Stone/Moore Bessie More/ “Diamnod Bessie

Abraham Rothchild (no relation to the banking family)

Setting: Hotel in Chicago

Act One Scene One: Bessie is determined to marry Abraham Rothchild and become a respectable woman, he does not want to marry a cheap prostitute.

Act I Scene 1 Danville, Illinois

Voices are loud, they are arguing

Bessie

Abe you are going marry me or I am going to tell your father I am pregnant, I am sure he

would not want that sort of scandal in the family. A bastard grandchild, oh he would not

be happy with Abe.

Abe

Bessie, I don’t love you, I don’t want to marry you; can’t you just be content to travel with me

and pose as my wife when I need you to?”

Bessie

No, Abe, I will not be content with that. I am tired of being a lady of the evening, I want

a home, and children. I am only twenty-four years old, I want a life, either you marry me

or I walk out of here, I think I am pregnant.

Abe

Fine, we’ll get married, you can have the damn little bastard. I can move on after you.

I will check with this hotel in Danville, to see if they can give me the name of a preacher.

Here take twenty bucks and get yourself a decent dress.

He flings the money at her, he is angry, his face a molten red. Bessie grabs the money and stalks out

Bessie

I’ll do that very thing after all I can’t dress like I normally do, I will make it very chaste

is that what you really want Abe? You want a chaste girl, not a woman. I can play that part too.

Abe:

“Be back here before noon, I’ll make the arrangements. My father had better not ever hear

about this, I have already been disowned remember?

Bessie:

How could I forget Abe, you won’t let me. Your father knows what I am, we have even gone to

to bed together in Cincinnati, so we have something on him.

This angered Abe even more, and he began to plot her murder

Abe:

See you in a while Bessie, make sure you wear all those diamonds you earned, you’ll

sparkle just like one of those diamonds, but they are worth a hell of a lot more than you are!

Bessie slams the door and proceeds to purchase a white dress, she then does her auburn hair into a French braided twist. She returns to the Aetna Hotel in Dansville, Abe is waiting:

Abe

It took you long enough, the minister has been waiting for at least half an hour, I wish to

get this over and done with.

Abe hustles her into their room where the minister is waiting to begin the wedding ceremony he smiles as he sees the beautiful bride, dressed in a white dress, her hair done, her blue eyes sparkling. He has them stand in front of him.

Minister

Please place your hands on the bible as we begin:

Please repeat after me:

I Bessie Moore take thee Abraham Monroe to be my lawfully wedded husband to have

and to hold from this day forward until death do us part. Now Abraham you will please repeat:

I, Abraham Monroe do lawfully take you Bessie Moore to be my legally wedded wife until

death do us part.

The rings please:

Bessie, please place the ring on Abraham’s finger:

“With this ring I thee wed.”

Abraham:

With this ring I thee wed.

I now pronounce you amn and wife you may kiss the bride.

The minister is hurried from the room.

Abe

Bessie, we have to hurry to catch the train, it leaves at five o’clock, for our honeymoon

we are going to Marshal, Texas then onto Jefferson. Now hurry.

Bessie feels gratified that she forced him to marry her, she now has what she wanted or so she thinks.

Bessie

Abe, thank you, I want to make you happy. Why Texa?

Abe is planning to murder her in Texas but first, he has to get her there. He can’t afford to have her tag along. He wants to be rich, he will be once he has all of her diamonds.

Abe

Why Texas? Jefferson is a busy city, there are a lot of people that have jewelry worth millions.

I can fleece them and we will go on.

Bessie frowns

Bessie

I thought this was going to be a lasting marriage, if we continue to fleece people we will be on

the run the rest of our lives, I don’t want that anymore Abe, do you understand me?”

Abe

I understand, but if you want to stay married you will do what I tell you to do when I tell

you to do it. Come on we are going to miss the train it is almost four fifteen.”

They leave the hotel room and board the train headed toward Marshal where they spend the night the following day they arrive in Jefferson. The depot is a small red brick building, they disembark Abe inquires about a place to stay.

Bessie

Abe, we should have stayed in Marshal, Jefferson is a little to big. Did you find out

a nice clean hotel?”

Abe, is always on the defensive

Abe

Yeah Bessie, I found out about a hotel, we are staying at the Brooks House, it is nice and

clean. Word has it is is pretty classy, now shall we walk over there.

They walk along the boardwalk, Bessie’s diamonds glittering in the sun, she takes Abe’s arm

Bessie

Abe, are we registered? What name did you use?

Abe

We are Mister Abraham Monroe and wife, does that satisfy you?

Bessie smiles up into his face

Bessie

Yes, Abe, it does.

Scene two

Sunday, January 21^st, 1877 it is warm Abe wants to go on a picnic, he is uncertain if his

plan will work but Bessie needs to be dealt with now.

Abe

Bessie, how about we go on a picnic, it is a beautiful sunny day. I’ll get a picnic lunch

from Henrique’s across the street. We’ll have a wonderful time; a time neither of us will ever

forget.

Bessie

Oh Abe, it sounds wonderful, I have never been on a picnic. Where shall we go?

Abe has been scouting out an isolated area for several days. This is his one and only chance to

rid himself of Bessie. He carries a small pistol in his pocket which he plans to use to kill her one shot to the head will do it

Abe

Are you ready my dear? We are going to picnic on Cypress Bayou, it will be a wonderful day.

Abe carries the picnic as they stroll arm and arm out of the Brooks House. Once they are in a very secluded area they sit down. Bessoe sets out the checkered tablecloth, there is cold chicken. Abe has brought whiskey for himself.

Bessie

Abe, come on and sit down next to me, this is wonderful thank you.

Abe caresses her neck, they then slowly pull out the small pistol, aims it at the back of her head, pulls the trigger, there is no time for her to scream she is dead as she slumps over. Abe removes her rings and diamond necklace. He wraps her body in the tablecloth and then leaves. He returns alone to the Brooks House. The proprietor stops him:

Proprietor

Mr. Monroe, where is your missus? She did not return with you?

Abe

She is spending a few days in Cypress visiting friends. Now if you will excuse me I would

like to pack my bags and be on my way. Bessie will meet me in Dallas in a few days.

Abe Monore aka Abraham Rothschild makes his way back to Cincinnati, Ohio. He was arrested there and returned to Texas for trial. His father has a writ of habeas corpus to keep his son from being extradited. Abraham shoots himself in the head to avoid being extradited, he loses an eye, and he is overcome with remorse.