Roy Bean lived in the "wild west" of the United States when it was a territory of fierce Indians. Bean was elected justice of the peace in Langtry, Texas.
Roy Bean lived in the "wild west" of the United States when it was a territory of fierce Indians and self-reliant white men who usually took the law in their own hands. Bean was elected justice of the peace in Langtry, Texas, and because this town is west of the Pecos River, he called himself "the law west of the Pecos." He owned a saloon, and there he held court. His regular opening speech announced that the court of law for the land west of the Pecos was open. He said that anyone who wanted a drink should have it then, and get it done with, so that the court could go about its business.
The speech went on to describe the crime of the prisoner on trial, and what the judge thought about him. He usually told the jury what decision it should reach, and the jury usually did as it was told. Judge Bean would then pronounce sentence. If a man stole a horse, or shot another man, the sentence was hanging. Although Judge Bean's methods were sometimes unjust, he helped make his district peaceful. He was born in Kentucky in 1825 and died in Texas in 1903
