The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-09-30

~ For many years one OF the stock
n stories Q, the professional funny
Ia the coroner who held an In
quest over the body OF a man
found dead. and in one OF whose pockets
was a pistol and In another SO The
story relates that the coroner stopped the
inquest at once upon discovering the pis-
toI and cash and ffned the dead man so
for carrying pistol without a permit.
collecting his fine from the cash pocket
Down In this pnrt OF Texas Is the man
with whose action this simple and ingenu-
Gus tale originated. He Is Roy Bean. who
for ten years In the young days OF Texas
was Justice Of the peace and coroner Of
the town 6f Vinegar Room, being. as he
expressed itsthe law OF Texas west Of the
Pecos." He hAatif living at the town OF
Tangtry, on the Sunset railroad. 800 miles
west OF San Antonio No man knows
whence he came. The railroad builders
found him away out here or the great
desert plains. and when the gamblers and
toughs and tenderfeet came along with
the FIRST trains and At once proceeded to
run the country according to their own
notions nfd Nuy Bean declared himself
tustice Of the peace and boldly an
nonnced II am thu law OF Texas west
OF the pecos. II II highly probable that
n few people who we're In favor or law
and order Invited the strange character 10
assume tk< judicial position, and that on
account of his desperate courage and fear
less judicial dcmesnor he afterward was
appointed 20 hi the once OF Justice OF
the peace
Fined tie Ccpse for LA1piss,ness.
Early one morning II. was reported n
the town Of vinegar Room that a man mad
fallen from bridge near the place ana
that his dead body was lying on the
ground close 10 the water. Roy Bean. ms
Justice of the peace and ex-offieio coro-
ner al once summoned u fury There
was no testimony 10 be taken. The man
was stranger. and II was not easy 10
Determine the cause Of his death. He
might have fallen frots the bridge or he
might have been murdered. The coroner
searched his dead body. and when he
found a pistol IN one pocket and 80 In
the other he turned TO the Jury and In
formed them that In this matter their
services wore Of no value since II would
be necessary for the court 10 render n
verdict without their aid The court fined
the dead man tsn for carrying pistol
and took possession Of the money, since
the fees or the coroner amounted to just
$50. and the body was buried on tho
lonely prairie at the expense OF the
county.
Vinegar Room was named after the
most poisonous little reptile that infests
the Western plains II can sting Ola ,
uonster to death In the twinkling Of an
eve and then turn about and chase n
rattiesnake from his den. Chain-iight-
ming whisky II no antidote for the poison
Of the vinegar room. Roy Bean named
the place, and while acting justice of tho
peace he divideS his time between the
judicial bench and n roomy saloon and
gambling house where there were none
TO dispu.s hia authority, for no was sole
proprietor
On Wondering Chinaran.
One ine day a gambler. while In an
unusually hilarious mood. sent pistol
hall vfashing through the brains OF a
Chinamnn When the cItisens OF Vinegar
Room had ceased TO celebrate the exit OF
the Celestial and the funeral soiemnities
were an afair of the past. the killer was
honored with q request to appear al the
bar, where iiguids and justice were
dispensed alternately. The sage who
was the Law OF Texas west OF tho
pecos" had evidently devoted some spare
moments TO the study Of his flrst murder
ease for the Judgment that was rem
derea and entered on the docket II cer-
tainiv without parallel
~ have carefully examined the crimi-
nal statutes % Texas said Roy Bean.
''and hnd that there Il plenty OF law
10 punish one white man for killing an
other, but there IL no law 90 punish a
cttissn 81 Texas for shooting a Chinauaan.
In fact. the chiness are not mentioned
IN the stAtAtes. The gentleman at the
bar Atsnds charssd with having shot
and killed rhlhaman by the name OF
All Foe Mr Ah Foo was unfortunate.
no should have remained In his own
country. Texas 10 the land Of the free
and the home Of tina brave II Il no
place for at, All Foo or Mr.. All Sin or
Mrs All sin. our wise legislators have
failed 90 mako laws for the protection OF