Portal:Bessie Rhodes

Works about (1884-1907)

• Death of Bessie Rhodes (1907)

Her death. "The funeral of pretty Bessie Rhodes, of North Bellport took place today at 2 o'clock, from the M. E. Zion Church on Railroad avenue. The Rev. Mr. Smith, the pastor of the church, preached the funeral service and spoke most feelingly of the dead girl and her terrible death, after a long, painful illness, resulting from a kick from her father, "Bill" Rhodes, when in a drunken frenzy about a year ago. Last January, Dr. Bennett, of Patchogue, sent Bessie to St. Peter's Hospital, Brooklyn, where an abscess was removed from her abdomen, and after her release from the hospital, several months ago, she came back to her home here, where she lay a great sufferer, till death relieved her Bessie was a true Christian and died a Christian death. Many Bellporters took a great interest in the girl and aided her in many ways. The interment took place in Woodland Cemetery yesterday In a drenching rain, amid thunder and lightning."

• All Witnesses Notified (1888 March 19)

Her father arrested for attacking her mother. "The people against Bill Rhodes, colored, of Bellport. This Bill is a bad one and will be tried for attempting to murder his wife. She was cut in several places with a razor that finally broke off in one of her wrists. With the piece of razor still sticking in her wrist the wife, in company with her brother, drove four miles to Dr. L. S. Edwards' office in Patchogue to have him draw the razor blade from its imbedded place. The doctor was compelled to use his largest forceps and main strength to draw this razor and with its withdrawal a stream of blood spurted to his office ceiling and the woman's brother fell in a dead faint on the grass outside the office and remained unconscious for a half hour. This all happened during the past summer."

• Will The Woman Die? (1887 October 5)

Her father slashes her mother. "'Whoa!' said the driver of a vehicle in which sat Mrs. Fanny Rhodes supported by her brother, Carl Duryea, as the party drove up to Dr. L. S. Edwards' office at Patchogue at midnight Sunday. Sticking, or rather firmly embedded, in Mrs. Rhodes' left wrist was a piece of razor blade two inches in length that had been jabbed there by her husband, Bill Rhodes, in a moment of infuriated passion during a quarrel between the man and wife at their home in the village of Bellport. Both are colored. The doctor is not a physician who experiences any nervous tremors sights shocking character, and so he immediately endeavored to withdraw the broken blade with the usual dressing forceps. Not succeeding, Dr. Edwards was compelled to use bone forceps, and, as be began to pull, Carl Duryea, the injured woman's brother, stood by with his eyes and mouth wide open, and immediately the razor blade came from its embedment a stream of blood followed and squirted almost to the ceiling. At the sight of the blood Duryea fell in a dead faint upon the floor of the doctor's office and was carried out and placed on the grass, where he remained for some time, coming to just as a return to Bellport was about being made by the driver and the injured woman. This morning Justice of the Peace Goldthwait issued a warrant for the arrest of Bill Rhodes and Constable Bumsted took the stabber into custody. It was reported in Bellport this morning that Mrs. Fanny Rhodes cannot live, but Dr. Edwards Informed a Times man that he did not think such a termination would result, as he had properly dressed the wound, and unless his dressing had been disturbed the woman would speedily recover."

See also

• Portal:William Henry Rhoades Sr., her father
• Portal:Fanny L. Duryea, her mother