Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 January 1894 — JUDGE BEAN. [ARTICLE]

JUDGE BEAN.

There is one character who comes to San Antonio quite often to enjoy i period of relaxation from his duties as justice of the peace on the Pecos river. He is Judge Roy Bean. Judge Bean is a short,stocky man. strong and rugged, with iron gray hair and a determined face. He is perhaps fifty-five years of age, and he has not spent those fifty-five years in an Alpine monastery. When Judge Bean strikes "Old S’Antone" the city is occasionally irart; sometimes Judge Bean is hurt, but when he is he doesn’t show it. He can drink more whisky and play more faro than any other man of his age and weight in Texas, and the funny part about it is that he seems to stand the pace like a two-years-old. His most lovable traits are not so conspicuous in the Alamo city_as in his own town. There he is the terror of the community, says the New York Press. He is not only justice of the peace, but coroner, supervisor poor clerk and censor of public morals. In conjunction with these duties he is the principal saloon-keeper of the town and is the proprietor of a dance hall. About the only thing that he doesn’t own is a gambling house. They tell many amusing anecdotes of him in San Antonio. The learned judge holds court in a little room behind his saloon. One night a stranger walked into his barroom, laid a S2O gold piece on the bar, and called for a drink. At a silent signal from the judge all the loungers in the place sauntered up to the bar and each man took a particularly large drink. The stranger asked for an’ other and tossed off the contents l with a delicate relish of a connoisseur. Every one of the loungers followed suit. After having wasted several minutes the stranger asked for his change. Thereupon the bar-tender-judge shoved sl6 across the bar. “Look here!” said the unknown, “where’s the rest of it?” “All drunk up,” said the judge. “I didn’t ask these gentlemen to drink with me,” said the man from nowhere. “It’s robbery and I won’t stand it!” Then Judge Bean turned to one of Jiis dependents and said: “Constable, arrest that man.” The satellite placed his hand on the stranger’s shoulder, and his honor led the way into the back room. Taking his seat on the bench the judge said: ‘ ‘Prisoner, how much did you say the court owed you?” “I had two drinks and gave you $20,” replied the astonished tenderfoot, “and I want $19.75; you only gave me $16.” \ “Well, you low-down, onery cuss, I’d a-given you back your money if you’d kept quiet, but as you’ve gone and raised such a bally row in my place I hereby fine you $19.75 for disorderly conduct. This court will now adjourn.” Saying which the learned judicial authority headed the procession back to the barroom, where he “blew” all hands.

One night, some months after the above incident, Judge -Eean made thd*rounds of the gambling houses in his own town and dropped a little more than SSOO. On the following morning, as he lay on his weary pillow recalling with painful effort the events of the proceeding eyening, he came to the natural conclusion that he had been ■ very much under the ‘‘influence,” and at once suspected that he had been* ‘‘done’’ by the sporting men while in that irresponsible condition. Hastily arraying his manly form in judicial black, he proceeded to the court room and summoned all the gamblers in town before him. There wore above fifty of them. With absolute gravity he fined every nfan $lO, the entire amount of the .penalties covering the sum he had lost the night before. The gamblers held a conference immediately after court had adjourned, and unanimously decided to bar Judge Bean from the games forth. .

A local desperado had been arraigned before the Judge on a'charge of horse stealing, and the trial had been set down for the following week. On the day aopointed, the tough, who bad been out on bail, entered the courtroom accompanied by a couple of friends. The accused flung himself back in a chair, and, toying carelessly with the butt of a big revolver that stuck out from his hip pocket, remarked: “Wall, I guess there ain’t goin’ to l>e no trial today.” Did this phase Judge Bean? Not , a bit of it. As if acquiescing in the prisoner’s opinion, he said: “This court will now take a recess.” Then he sauntered forward to the barroom, gulped down about half a pint of tanglefoot, took two enormous six-shooters from the cash drawer and concealed them under his arms, with his coat buttoned over them. Still cool as a cucumber, he walked back to the courtroom and took his seat upon the bench* Whipping out both pistols from beneath his coat and leveling them at the defendant afid his friends, His Honor said: “Constable, you kin go ahead and open court again. There's goin’ to be a trial er an inquest in this room today, an’ I don’t much keer which.” Some years ago a cowboy shot ind killed a Chinaman and was takan before Judge Bean. His honor 1 is rather partial 'to cowboys and hates to see them get into trouble on account of little idiosyncrasies. However, he committed the cattle puncher fpr trial. A week later the knight of *he lariat was again ar-

rainged before him. ThA court room was crowed, for the prisoner was generally popular. The uncompromising sternness of the Judge was so well known that the defendants friends feared he would be sentenced in short order. Judge Bean fixed his eyes upon the crowd and said in. his gruffest tonesN “After havin’ s’arched all through the statute laws of the State of Texas, I am onable to find anything relatin’ tp the killin’ of a Chinaman. Therefore, there bein’ no provision of the code under which to try him, the prisoner is discharged.” There is only one Judge Bean.