The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-26

All day the Sunset Limited had been speeding through a dreary expanse of sand on the way from San Antonio to El Paso. As the day drew to close the group of gentlemen seated in the observ- ation car gazed wearily out on the lone ly landscape or puffed meditatively on their cigars. Everybody was thoroughly tired out and longing for the dinner hour to break the monotony.
 The train stopped a few minutes at a little station called Langtry. A cotton man from Houston called the attention of the party to a remarkable sign which adorned the front of a one-story frame building with it's huge black letters. The legend ran as follows 'Ice Cold Beer. Judge Roy Bean, J. P, N. P, the Su- preme Law West of the Pecos."
 A cattle man, well known in the west, glanced out of the window at the sign and said, "The old chap who formerly ran that outfit was a queer character. He died a short time ago and if you fel- lows care to hear it I will tell you a few things about his life" A chorus of Let's have it. came from all sides and the narrator began.
 You may not believe it, but for many years Roy Bean was the supreme law and the virtual autocrat of this district. His so-called jurisdiction extended from Del Rio to Sanderson, a district 15O miles long and about ITO miles wide. How he ever got his office, who appointed him, and where he came from have never been found out.
 When the judge first arrived on the scene years ago the population in this region was principally composed of Mex jeans, Chinamen and half-breeds em- ployed as section hands along the South ern Pacific railroad. It is supposed that Bean saw a good chance to run bluff on his ignorant companions and just as- sumed his titles His authority soon be- came absolute. His mongrel subjects didn't know enough or care enough to dispute his rule and when Americans be- gan to settle around him they tacitly accepted the situation, being too indif- ferent to question whether he had any right to judge them or not
 "As the years passed Beans power, instead of waning became all the strong CT. He performed all marriage cere- monies, made arrests and held inquests when he felt so disposed It is not known whether he ever imprisoned man for crime The judge usually contented him  more profitable. If the criminal had no money the judge would take his gun, kpife or other property to satisfy the claims of the law.
 l'It is astounding that Bean was all lowed to hold the power he did without a protest, but such Is a fact, neyerthe- less. However, the judge never dared to sentence man to death and as he seldom imprisoned perhaps his absolute subjects were glad to escape punish ment by payment of fines. One time the people did revolt. They got together and elected a new justice of the peace.
 "The new judge died suddenly before. serving six months and with that ex- ception Roy ruled uninterrupted, as he resumed power immediately after the deahh of his rival and no one dared to rebel against him after that.
 Some of the cases tried by Roy were remarkable, to say the least On one oc- caslon he discovered man lying dead in a ditch. At the inquest over the body the judge found $50 in gold and a pistol on the corpse. He confscated the pistol and fined the corpse the $50 for carrying a concealed weapon
 Something very like snicker came from some one in the group. The story teller stopped short and glared in the direction from which it came. NO doubt you have heard that part oflthe tale be- fore" he continued, but Judge Roy Bean was the only man who actually did it, and there is a man living right now in Langtry who was an eye wit ness" Having thus vouched for his ver- acity he resumed.
 Some of the other cases tried by Bean were just as remarkable. Two ranchmen became involved in dispute one time which resulted in a little gun play. The culprits were hauled before Judge Bean and one of them was fined two dozen bot ties of beer and was sentenced to buy the beer from the judges saloon. which was also the courtroom. It happened that there was not enough beer in the place to make the required number of bottles and Bean forced the rancher to send to San Antonio and order the refreshment by express. The liquor was used to re- gale the friends of the judge and the culprit was allowed to participate in the festivities.
 How did he enforce his judgments? We'll that's a question. Bean was very wealthy and possessed a great deal of power through the prestige which his money gave him. and then you must re- member the class of people with whom he was dealing. No doubt most of them firmly believed that he really had the legal power to infiict dire punishment upon them if they did not obey the dic- tates of his court.
 The judges library consisted of one book which was an old digest of one of