The Murder of Bessie Barclay’s Venturesome Spirit
The dangers of being a mentally ill woman in Edwardian America, who preferred to wear male attire
Jeanne Miriam “Bessie” Barclay was born November 2, 1888, in West Virginia. Attorney Henry Augustus Barcley and his wife, aspiring painter and socialite Lily Adele Ward, adopted the little girl at 11 months old. The family lived in Los Angeles, California — a city Bessie later called “exceedingly dull.” Little did the Barclays know, their new baby daughter possessed an adventurous and untamable spirit.
Saint Paul, Minnesota
04 Dec 1904, Sun • Page 10
Bessie’s parents provided her all the privilege and comfort afforded a girl of her social standing. But Bessie was a wild child, incorrigible even. She answered the call of misadventure every chance she got. “What in the world is the matter with Bessie?” her teachers asked. No one could answer, though Bessie herself believed it started around the time she found out she was adopted. Bessie was a bright girl, but she was expelled from school at the tender age of 13.
