Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1919-12-18
TEXAS LANDMARK
FAST CRUMbLINC
Once Proud Seat Of claw West
Of Pecos' Is Now Crum-
si. bling Ruins.
where JUDGE BEAN PRESIDED
Towns Name, Eagles Nest, vanishes
From Map and Only Memory Re-
mains Of the Judge and
His Rulings.

San Antonio, Tex.-With its fountla-
tion posts wabbling like old mems legs,
Its floors showing ugly gaping holes,
its porch roof shorn of the last linger-
ing board, scraggy bits of what was
once white paint hanging to the outer
walls, and its door banging to single
rusty hinge-at Langtry, Tex, once
known as Eagles Nest-what remains
Of one of Texas most famous old land
marks is succumbing to wind and rain.
It is the once proud seat of the
Law West Of the Pecos'-the old
home and saloon and throne where,
not 80 many years ago, Judge Roy
Bean lived and reigned supreme as
dispenser of justice and red eye liquor.
and dared the world to interfere with
his game.
But since Judge Bean went away
there has been great change. Per-
haps it is just as well that he "cashed
in"-as he himself probably would ex-
press it-before the days when no.
where in the whole of Texas can the
traveller find drop to drink.
In the "Good Old Days"
Many humorous and many semi
tragic stories regarding Judge Bean
have been handed down by friends
and relatives, many Of whom are liv-
ing In or adjacent to San Antonio to-
day. 1t was in day when enforcers
Of the law were few and far between.
and when the men with the quickest
trigger finger and the steadiest nerve
were mOnarchs Of large portion Of
what they surveyed
Bean was Justice of the peace Of
precinct No. 6 and the ranking repre-
sentative Of the law for hundreds Of
miles north, south, east and west Of
him. Equipped with a copy of the
statutes Of Ohio Of the vintage of 1885,
sense Of fair play. and q strong con-
yiction Of what the law should be
even though 1t were not so written
down In the books. he put up his sign !:
Judge Roy Bean.
Justice Of the Peace,
Law Vest of the Pecos.
In addition to being chief magis.
trate over everything "West Of the
Pecos," Judge Bean conducted thirst
quenching emporium typical Of the
day. The saloon was in the hall Of
Justice, and from behind the bar came
the voice Of authority backed by a
brace Of perfectly good six-shooters.
Judge Beams "Law."
Two Mexican men and women
walked into Judge Beans court one
day and informed him that they want
ed q, change; that they wanted to
swap helpnleets. The Judge made dill
gent inquiries of each of the four,
found all to be of the same mind,
charged each of the men SIS and a
dozen bottles Of beer and called It
done.
When a state official from Austin
on a flying visit to Eagles Nest" COM
planned to Judge Bean that he was
exceeding his authority, explaining
that divorces should be passed up to
a higher court, Bean Is alleged to
have retorted:
"Why, say! Have ever butted into
your affairs? These people. wanted
to swap, they paid me for changin'
'em around, they're livin' together
pu'fectly happy, an nobody round
here has complained. You go on back
to Austin an handle your courts like
you want to, but this is out O. your
Jurisdiction"
Then there was Judge Beams ia.
nous decision In the case of a man
being tried for killing a Chinaman.
The Judge, after a careful search
through the statutes of Ohio, couldn't
find a single word against killing
Cinnamon; therefore there was moth
Ing to do buts release the party who
did the killing.
Likewise the story Of the judges
method Of disposing Of the $50 in
money found in the pockets of dead
Chinaman. A six-shooter also had
been found on him, SO the Judge fined
the deceased $50 for carrying deadly
weapon.