JUDGE ROY BEAN

ROY BEAN WAS A SALOON KEEPER WHO LIKED AN ORDERLY GAMBLING HOUSE

HE WAS ALSO A FAN OF AN ACTRESS NAMED LILY LANGTRY SO MUCH SO THAT HE NAMED

HIS TOWN LANGTRY TEXAS AND HIS SALOON WAS KNOWN AS THE JESEY LILLY IN HER HONOR

THE JUDGE WAS BORN A KENTUCKIAN AND HAD LED AN INTERESTING LIFE.

HE’D BEEN A SMUGGLER AND A BARTENDER AS WELL AS A MECANTILE TRADESMAN AND SET HIMSELF UP AS JUDGE OF THE LAWLESS LITTLE RAILROAD TOWN THAT HE HIMSELF NAMED

HE WOULD PRESIDE IN HIS SALOON/COURTROOM AND HEAR CASES WHILE TENDING BAR. OFTEN HE WOULD RECESS THE COURT SO THAT HE MIGHT SELL THE JURY, LAWYERS AND DEFENDANT A ROUND OF DRINKS

THE JUDGE ROY BEAN OF HISTORY LOOKED VERY LITTLE LIKE THE PAUL NEWMAN HOLLY WOOD VERSION

IN REAL LIFE JUDGE BEAN WAS A LARGE MAN WITH A WHITE BEARD AND HAD LITTLE USE FOR STATUTES THAT DIDN’T BENEFIT HIM PERSONALLY

OUT OF NECESSITY (THE NECESSITY BEING THAT GAMBLERS TEND TO DRINK AND DRINKERS TEND TO GAMBLE) IN 1882 AT THE AGE OF 56 HE BEGAN INTERPRETING THE LAW AT LEAST AS MUCH OF THE LAW THAT AFFECTED HIM AND THE JERSEY LILLY

THUS BEGAN A LEGENDARY CARRER THAT WOULD SPAN TWENTY YEARS

BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THE NEAREST REAL COURT WAS AT LEAST TWO HUNDRED MILES AWAY THE TEXAS RANGERS BEGAN TO BRING THEIR PRISONERS TO THE SELF-STYLED MAJISTRATE WHO BILLED HIMSELF AS THE LAW WEST OF THE PECOS.

THIS WAS EVEN BEFORE THE STATE OF TEXAS HAD RECEOGNIZED HIM AS A JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.

THE JUDGE WAS COLORFUL AS WELL AS PRAGMATIC

HE WOULD FINE DEFENDANTS BASED ON THEIR ABILITY TO PAY AND EVEN FINED A CORPSE FORTY DOLLARS FOR CARRYING A CONCEALED WEAPON.

ANOTHER STORY TOLD OF WHEN AN IRISH RAILROAD WORKER HAD BEEN ACCUSED OF KILLING A CHINESE MAN.

THE COURT ROOM/SALOON FILLED WITH OVER A HUNDRED ROUGH EDGED IRISH COWORKERS EAGER TO SEE THEIR COMPATRIOT GET A FAIR TRIAL

THE ALWAYS COOL ROY BEAN CONSULTED HIS LAWBOOKS FOR SOME MINUTES BEFORE SUMMARIZING THAT ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NUMEROUS LAWS ON THE BOOKS CONCERNING HOMICIDE THERE WERE NONE THAT PROHIBITED THE KILLING OF CHINESE… CASE DISMISSED

ALL FINES THAT HE LEVYED WENT RIGHT INTO HIS POCKET AND WHEN QUESTIONED ABOUT THIS PRACTCE BY OFFICIALS FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS HIS ANSWER WAS “MY COURT IS COMPLETELY SELF SUSTAINING”