Sunday, December 20, 2009

Langtry, home of Judge Roy Bean

It seems to me that one of the old TV westerns had Judge Roy Bean as a character.  Can't remember which.  But I crossed the Pecos river today and am camped outside the community center here in Langtry,  home of the Judge.  There's not much here but a visitor center, a couple of houses and the community center bldg.  Not sure where the community is.  (The visitor center has wifi, thus the blog update).
  I'm glad I wasn't a drunken defendent in front of JRB.  Apparently he chained the drunks to mesquite trees until they were sober enough to stand trial.  And court was conducted on the porch of the saloon.  Apparently he would interrupt court to serve patrons.  It would be a bummer to be chained to a tree, trying to sober up while your buddies were getting served!

3 comments:

  1. That western must have been before my time, cause I've never heard of Judge Roy Bean, but he sure does get points for multitasking.

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  2. Carl,

    Your memory is OK.

    Set in the Texas town of Langtry just this side of the Pecos, there was only one law and his name was Judge Roy Bean. This color series held an audience in rapture in 1955-56 with Edgar Buchanan as Judge Roy Bean and Jackie Loughery as his niece Letty Bean.

    Ben

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  3. Thanks Ben, must've been reruns since I was born in '58. They had some entertaining signs in the Jersy Lilly Saloon. One read, "On this spot, in this very room, Judge Roy Bean served up hard liquor and heavy-handed justice".

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