The times., 1899-09-24
AWKWARD FIX OF TERRoRs.
A Paralyxing Remark by Roy Beams
Child
(From the New York Sun. }


The group known as the Gunroom Mess
was holding post midnight session at the
Army and Navy Club just after the re-
turns from the Fitzsimmons-J Jeffries pas
sage alarms had been received, and the
talk naturally turned on the careers Of
the principals. Maher's quick trip to
Hasbeenville through the agency of the ex
champion brought up the name of Langtry.
the little adobe town en- the banks of the
Rio Grande that might have remained for
ever unknown TO fame had it not hap
pened to the scene of that round-and-a-
half encounter. There was an old cavalry
officer on one side of the round table who
had known Langtry years before the Fitz-
simmons Maher fight, and he recalled an
incident of his residence there.
Il was helping to chase bandits and
revolutionists along The River-all Army
officers refer TO the Rio Grande as The
Bean-Roy Bean, to be explicit, and he was
the toughest, hair r-trigger-double-a action
old scoundreI / ever met on the border,
hard d-headed hard-fsted son of the SOIL
He was about the only white man In town.
and the Mexicans were worse afraid OF him
than they were of smallpox. don't know
but he was worse, for you couldn't vac
cinate against him.
''It was in the days when there was no
law west of Omaha and no God west OF
Dodge City, and Langtry was a long way
west of Dodge City. Bean realized this
fully, and had nailed placard up on the
door of The Jersey Lily his saloon, an
nouncing in large black letters: 1 am the
Government All the Mexicans believed
him. and for all practical purposes ne was,
He arrogated TO himself all the powers of
government, legislative, executive, and
judicial, and there was none TO say him
nay He acted as justice of the peace and
forced all the Mexicans who wanted TO
marry to come to him and be spliced- His
formula was j pronounce you man and
wife Now pull your freight out OF here
But previously he always collected So from
them. and If they did not have the 50
they had better not attempt to settle ID
or about Langtry. One of the lieutenants
with me, in talking about Langtry, said the
population consisted OF Bean, meas, dogs
and Mexicans. in the order named.
"The only individual who ever had
run-in with Bean so far as local history
records. was another hardened reprooate
named Henderson, who drifted IN aneau
of n norther a few weeks before arrlFeu.
He brought with him choice assorlihen.
OF alcoholic poisons and set up an opposi-
ton barroom on the other side Oh the piazza
1t was the first opposition OF q serious ~, 1Ui !
Rean had ever encountered in Langtry. Ihe
harroom was bad enough, but when Hen
derson Haunted on the front OF 1t a red
lattarad sign announcing the Do Drop IN,
pean felt that his vested rights were not
only invaded but trampled on.
s.Even nj that Henderson might have
liyed In Iangtry to an iniQuitous old age,
hut as il he were not crossing Bean Tran
often enough he imported from san An
tonic a blond woman and advertised sing
ing and music from sundown till daylight.
I.
nc announced that any saloon running 10
I'anetry with a song and dance accompanl-
ment would have TO pay pronioltlve IL
eense or shut up shop. Henderson tnere-
upon issued a pronunciamento that the hrst
individual of questionable lineage VINO at
tempted to collect a license OF any SORT
off his establishment or 10 levy an attaeh-
ment would get shot fuller OF holes tnan
a cane-seated chair. Upon this propSsi-
ton he stood pat behind ten-bore shot-
gun and there matters rested for week
Then. seeing that his bluff seemed TO stiek
where it was hung, Henderson waxed arro-
CANT He gave it out that in the course
| of a few days he was due TO go over anc
| close I'D the Jersey Lily and establish
whisky trust in Langtry
| "For some reason Bean was slower thar
usual in asserting himself. henderson
| inagined he had the old man bet to {
standstiu, and the climax came one morn
ing when / was in the Jersey Lily cheekin}
up some Government vouchers on the enc
| of the bar One of Beams numerous pro
geny was stretched out in the window sill
a tow headed bare-Iegged little rufiiar
! who acted as a sort or movable outpos
/ 10 the old mans domain. Bean was de
eanting some particularly vlllainous whisk,
which he advertised as Beans Best wheI
the youngster sang out joyously:
81 say pap, yere comes ole man Hen