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by C. L. Sonnichsen

ISBN: 1432607219
Author: C. L. Sonnichsen
Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC (May 4, 2005)
Language: English
Pages: 232
ePub: 1990 kb
Fb2: 1356 kb
Rating: 4.1
Other formats: azw mobi lrf docx
Category: Different
Subcategory: Humanities

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Phantly Roy Bean, Jr. (1825-1903), self-styled Law West of the Pecos .

Phantly Roy Bean, Jr. (1825-1903), self-styled Law West of the Pecos, was an eccentric American saloon-keeper and Justice of the Peace in Val Verde County, Texas. Southwestern historian and folklorist, C. L. Sonnichsen, lived near Judge Bean’s house for several years and decided to pen this biography, first published in 1943, owing to his belief that it was high time for somebody to look into his history and see how a Roy Bean ever came to be at all. Roy Bean: Law West of the Pecos examines Judge Bean’s legendary, as well as factual background and makes for a fascinating read.

Sonnichsen authored thirty-four books, including Billy King's Tombstone (1942), Roy Bean: Law West of the Pecos (1943), Cowboys and Cattle Kings (1950), I'll Die Before I'll Run (1951), Alias Billy the Kid (1955), Ten Texas Feuds (1957), The Mescalero Apaches (1958), Tularosa: Last of the. Frontier West (1960), Outlaw: Bill Mitchell, Alias Baldy Russell (1964), Pass of the North: Four Centuries on the Rio Grande (two volumes, 1968, 1980), Colonel Greene and the Copper Skyrocket (1974) and From Hopalong to Hud: Thoughts on Western Fiction (1978).

His name was Roy Bean and he is the subject of this book of the same name by . One story in particular that made me laugh was his method of keeping up-to-date on the law. He used an old 1879 copy of the Revised Statutes of Texas and never referenced another. Roy Bean seems to have been one of those mythic American figures with whom a small ounce of truth in his stories produced a thousand subsequent lies. Whenever the Texas judiciary was kind enough to send him new law books or supplements, he would use them as kindling for his saloon’s fireplace, preferring instead to rely on his own commonsense.

Sonnichsen and Roy Bean reflect the best of the Texian storytelling tradition. Bean found an outlet for his agile mind that gave him a place among the legends of the west

Sonnichsen and Roy Bean reflect the best of the Texian storytelling tradition. Bean found an outlet for his agile mind that gave him a place among the legends of the west.

Xiv, 207 pages : 21 cm. "A Bison book"-Spine. Originally published: New York : Macmillan, 1943. Donor challenge: Your donation will be matched 2-to-1 right now.

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has the good sense and technical skill to mingle fact and legend in a realistic, quietly humorous manner.

8vo. Light blue cloth, orange stamping on spine, viii, 207 p. frontis

Law West Of The Pecos. 8vo. frontis. illustrated, plates, portraits. The first full-length Roy Bean biography, chock full of Bean stories and how he upheld the peace in Langtry to his own satisfaction

The biography of Judge Roy Bean, one of the folk heroes of the old west. Published by The Devin-Adair Company, Old Greenwich, CT, 1943. Condition: Very Good Hardcover.

The biography of Judge Roy Bean, one of the folk heroes of the old west. He came to Texas in 1882, had his town named Langtry and hung up his shingle. He upheld the peace to his own satisfaction and personal gain, basing his decisions on the spirit rather than the letter of the law. Reissue. From Curio Corner Books (Austin, TX, . Price: US$ 4. 5 Convert Currency.

There is a definite Roy Bean myth - ""myth which has had considerable help from . Sonnichsen keeps a truthful perspective on his subject - writes.

There is a definite Roy Bean myth - ""myth which has had considerable help from Roy Bean"" - but truth and legend combine to make a highly entertaining story of a scoundrel. Schooled with an axe and a gun in Kentucky, he ran off to Mexico at an early age, left at the point of a gun, took to blockade running, then settled in Beanville, Texas, where he became very lazy and very low. In late middle years he moved west of the Pecos, set up a saloon and a court of justice, put up a good show, pocketed the fines, and interpreted the law in a selfinterested and successful manner. Sonnichsen keeps a truthful perspective on his subject - writes with nice wit as well.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Comments: (3)

Via

Most of the time, the law is a dull, depressing, or infuriating business. Occasionally, it is all three. As an attorney, I am often around other attoneys or law enforcement and when we get to talking, however, the conversation sometimes veers into the humorous aspects of work. One figure who often came up in conversation is a man who has been dead over a hundred years and who lived nearly two thousand miles from my home. His name was Roy Bean and he is the subject of this book of the same name by C.L. Sonnichsen.

Roy Bean seems to have been one of those mythic American figures with whom a small ounce of truth in his stories produced a thousand subsequent lies. Born in hardscrabble Kentucky, he went west, living first in Mexico and having to flee from the law for shooting a man, before arriving in California in 1849. It seems that for most of Bean’s first half-century on Earth, he spent it carousing, drinking, and mooching off his siblings when no one was around whom he could con a dollar out of.

Eventually, he settled west of the Pecos River and finally found the perfect sinecure. The area lacked any court system, and this meant felonious offenders had to be transported well over two hundred to be heard by the nearest judge. For minor crimes, it meant the wrongdoer would go unpunished. To remediate the situation, Roy Bean posted a one thousand dollar bond and was appointed as a justice of the peace for the tumultuous town of Vinegaroon. It was in this position of authority that Roy Bean would make his name.

The most notable aspect of Bean’s courtroom was where it was located: inside of his own saloon. Whenever he would need to hold court, the jurors on a case would be whatever customers were present and he insisted, upon penalty of contempt of court, that they buy a drink every time the court took a recess. During his time as justice of the peace, he also organized an illegal boxing match on the U.S.-Mexico border, but neither country arrested the offenders because they were uncertain who had jurisdiction. Similarly, whenever he married a couple, he would close the ceremony with the phrase, “May God have mercy on your souls.” Considering that was normally uttered by a judge upon sentencing a man to hang, it may have reflected his own feelings on that sacrosanct institution. Because Bean lacked a jail in which to put offenders, he normally preferred to instead simply fine them an amount that always conveniently matched whatever amount they currently had in their wallet. Those fines never seemed to make it to the Texas capital.

One story in particular that made me laugh was his method of keeping up-to-date on the law. He used an old 1879 copy of the Revised Statutes of Texas and never referenced another. Whenever the Texas judiciary was kind enough to send him new law books or supplements, he would use them as kindling for his saloon’s fireplace, preferring instead to rely on his own commonsense. Undoubtedly, Bean did enough that today he would be thrown off the bench and directly into jail, but he lived in a time and place when civilization was simply trying to survive, and a person could afford to ignore some of the niceties of procedure.

On the whole, I enjoyed the tales of this biography. Sonnichsen writes a plain, homespun style that is easy to read, if not necessarily giving off the air of scholarly refinement. Although I am not sure I would ever want to appear before Roy Bean, the next time I am at lunch with a bailiff, I think I have a few new stories to tell.

Binthars

Received the book in good shape

Went Tyu

Good book. Would have liked more detail about his life.

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