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Before he founded Langtry, Bean procured appointment as as justice of the peace and notary public. Though he knew little about the law, area residents mostly accepted his common-sense verdicts in the sparsely populated country of West Texas. Often humorous or bizarre in his ruling, Judge Bean once fined a dead man $40 (the amount found on the body) for carrying a concealed weapon. He threatened an [[attorney]] with hanging for using profanity when he merely mentioned [[habeas corpus]]. As the century ended, Bean acqired a national reputation because of his curmudgeonly rulings. Railroad travelers made a point of stopping to visit the old saloon, where a sign named Bean as the “Law West of the Pecos.”<ref name=beandies/>

Before he founded Langtry, Bean procured appointment as as justice of the peace and notary public. Though he knew little about the law, area residents mostly accepted his common-sense verdicts in the sparsely populated country of West Texas. Often humorous or bizarre in his ruling, Judge Bean once fined a dead man $40 (the amount found on the body) for carrying a concealed weapon. He threatened an [[attorney]] with hanging for using profanity when he merely mentioned [[habeas corpus]]. As the century ended, Bean acqired a national reputation because of his curmudgeonly rulings. Railroad travelers made a point of stopping to visit the old saloon, where a sign named Bean as the “Law West of the Pecos.”<ref name=beandies/>

Bean fell ill during a visit to San Antonio, returned to Langtry, and died at the age of c. seventy-seven. He is interred by his younger son, Sam (1874-1907), on the grounds of the [[Whitehead Memorial Museum]], which opened in 1962 in Del Rio, the seat of government for Val Verde County. Sam Bean, also a saloon-keeper in Del Rio, was stabbed to death by a man with whom he had feuded.<ref>[Sam Bean (1874-1907) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed March 17, 2021.]</ref>

Bean fell ill during a visit to San Antonio, returned to Langtry, and died at the age of c. seventy-seven. He is interred by his younger son, Sam (1874-1907), on the grounds of the [[Whitehead Memorial Museum]], which opened in 1962 in Del Rio, the seat of government for Val Verde County. Sam Bean, also a saloon-keeper, was stabbed to death in Del Rio by a man with whom he had feuded.<ref>[Sam Bean (1874-1907) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed March 17, 2021.]</ref>

Ten months after Bean's death, Lillie made a clebrated visit to Langtry.<ref name=beandies/>  

Ten months after Bean's death, Lillie made a clebrated visit to Langtry.<ref name=beandies/>