During the 1880s, Roy Bean was appointed to serve as an unofficial justice of the peace by the Texas Rangers in a West Texas railroad town. Thus began the legendary legal career of "The Law West of the Pecos." Bean used common sense rather than legal knowledge to uphold the law and apply justice. He was known for his ability to keep the peace and make a profit at the same time. Bean once fined a dead man $40 for carrying a weapon, and he was known for handing out drinks in his saloon, then fining patrons for excessive drunkenness as they left. Criminals often were fined the exact amount of money they found in their pockets in Judge Bean's court.

Born around 1825, Bean was the third son of Kentucky sharecroppers Francis and Anna Bean. He left Kentucky when he was 16 to travel down the Mississippi River taking slaves...