First Battle of Winchester

During the Civil War, Winchester, Virginia changed hands many times. The reason was its strategic position in the Shenandoah Valley affording advantage to both armies.

150 years ago today, May 25, 1862, Confederate General Jackson’s division outflanked and overran Federals stationed on Bowers Hill. The day prior, Jackson’s men had skirmished with Major General Nathaniel P. Bank’s Union soldiers in retreat at Middletown and Newtown. Afterward, Jackson’s army traveled north along the Valley Pike toward Winchester.

Jackson reconnected with Bank’s army outside of Winchester on the 25th.  Although initially repulsed, Jackson’s army attached each Union flank causing the Federal line to break.

The Federal ranks panicked, fleeing through the town of Winchester. A few residents of the town fired on the retreating Union soldiers. Banks was forced to withdrawal from the Shenandoah into Maryland. But Jackson continued the fight. The Federal army listed 62 dead, 243 wounded and over 1,700 captured, while only 68 of Jackson’s men were killed with another 329 wounded.

All in all, Jackson’s 1862 valley campaign was a success. His men prevented Federal troops from applying pressure on Richmond and he won four battles against three armies. His casualties were only half of what he applied to the Federal army.

For more on the First Battle of Winchester, visit these sites: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-battle-of-winchester-virginia

http://www.angelfire.com/va3/valleywar/battle/1winchester.html

http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/va104.htm

For info on my newest romance set during the American Civil War, Cole’s Promise, visit my website http://susanmacatee.com

Woman in Black

As of today (May 22, 2012) it’s available on DVD! If you didn’t get the chance to see it in the theaters, now’s your chance. Don’t want to buy it? (Amazon Barnes and Noble) No worries, I bet your local library has a copy. My library has 2.

A widowed lawyer travels to a secluded village on an important assignment, and encounters a vengeful ghost with mysterious motives. After losing his beloved wife in childbirth, young barrister Arthur Kipps was nearly consumed by grief. A haunted widower father, he raises his young son with the help of his devoted nanny. Arthur is on the verge of losing his job when an important client of the firm dies, and his boss offers him one last opportunity to prove his worth by settling the woman’s affairs. Determined to succeed, Arthur travels to the remote village and receives a chilly welcome. Something horrible once happened here, and it seems that the locals are determined to ensure Arthur never finds out what …

THE VICTORIAN KITCHEN IN THE AMERICAN OLD WEST

By Guest Author Linda LaRoque

When writing MY HEART WILL FIND YOURS, I learned a lot about nineteenth-century kitchens.

Very few homes had an ice box, the kind where a block of ice was delivered to sit in an insulated reservoir in the top of the wooden structure. They were invented for home use in the 1840s, but it wasn’t until the 1870s that the U.S. had ice plants that produced artificial ice. In the model seen here, the block would go in the unopened door to the left. As the ice melted the cold water flowed down the sides and kept the contents inside cool. Note the pan on the floor. Of course, in hot weather, the ice didn’t last more than a couple of days. Owners had a sign with 25 lbs, 50 lbs, 75 lbs, and 100 lbs on each side. You’d prop the side up with the amount you needed out front so when the iceman came by he’d know what size block to bring in for you. This picture can be found in an online article titled Early Days of Refrigeration at www.lclark.edu/

I found an advertisement for a model almost identical to this one. No date was given but the price was $16.98.

My mother-in-law said that even in the early thirties they kept their perishables in a spring house, a small shed built over a spring. Food was covered with dish towels or cheese cloth to keep out flies and other pests, and the flowing water kept the room cool. Some homes had a larder which was a room on the coolest side of the house or in the cellar. None of these solutions would make modern homemakers happy, but folks back then didn’t know any difference and the system worked for them.

No kitchen was complete without a cupboard or Hoosier. Here kitchen utensils were stored. Many had a flour bin (see above right in cabinet), a built-in sifter, a granite or tin top for rolling pie crusts and biscuit dough, and drawers for storage. Note the meat grinder attached to the left and the butter churn on the floor to the right with a wash board behind. Hopefully the homemaker had a sink with a hand pump with room to the side to stack clean dishes to dry. A shelf below would hold pails and a dish pan.

This picture was taken at the East Texas Oil Museum in Kilgore, Texas, and dates somewhere around the 1920s or 1930s. The design in these cupboards didn’t change much over time so earlier models looked much like this one. Today cupboards or Hoosiers have become popular decorative additions to modern kitchens, as have old ice boxes. I’d love to have one but my kitchen is too small.
Last, but not least, in importance to the homemaker was the wood cook stove. Before the cast iron kitchen stove was invented, women cooked over hearths with ovens built into the wall, if they were well-off, or outside in a fire pit. Both methods were hard on the back due to bending over to stir food in pots suspended from iron hooks. Cast iron pot bellied stoves, used mainly for heat, could be used for some cooking, but lucky was the woman who had a genuine kitchen cook stove like the one pictured here.

This is a restored model pictured at http://www.bryantstove.com/ Many models such as this one had a copper lined reservoir on the side to keep water warm for beverages, dishwater, or bathing. In my reading I noticed some even had a kick plate to open the oven door when hands were full. Some of these models were designed to use either wood or coal oil. Restored wood stoves are popular and being added to homes of individuals who like antiques and love to cook. They aren’t for the person who wants to pop something in the oven and go about their business as the product must be watched carefully to make sure oven temperature is maintained. Also, they’re quite expensive, between two and three thousand dollars.

Managing a house hold during this era wasn’t for the weak. Just lifting those iron cooking vessels took a strength many modern women don’t possess. But, I guess carrying buckets of milk from the barn, doing the wash in the yard using a scrub board, and their other daily chores built muscles.

My time travel heroines face multiple challenges when learning to live and take care of a home in the nineteenth century. Though it’s never easy, their love for their hero gives them the perseverance to adjust to a past way of life. A LAW OF HER OWN, A MARSHALL OF HER OWN and A LOVE OF HIS OWN released from The Wild Rose Press are all set in the nineteenth century town of Prairie, Texas. In this last story, the individual to travel back in time is the hero and though he doesn’t have to adjust to cooking in a Victorian kitchen, he does have to adjust to many other aspects of life in the past.
Thanks for reading,
Linda
Linda LaRoque
Writing Romance with a Twist in Time
A Marshal of Her Own, Feb. 2012 Book of the Month at Long and Short Reviews
www.lindalaroque.com
http://www.lindalaroqueauthor.blogspot.com
http://www.authorsbymoonlight.com
http://thewritersvineyard.com/

A LOVE OF HIS OWN BLURB…
Bull Dawson, New York lawyer, mourns the loss of his daughter, who disappeared from a cabin in Fredericksburg, Texas four years ago. A history book found in his office safe leads him to believe she traveled back in time to 1888 Prairie, Texas. He’s determined that if she can time travel, he can too. Life will be different, probably hard, but practicing law can’t be so difficult back in the Old West.
Widow Dipsey Thackson scratches out a living for herself and her young son on their farm. Shunned by the locals, she keeps to herself. When a man appears in her wheat field one day, life changes for the better. Then her brother-in-law arrives, claiming the farm is his and threatening Dipsey and her son. She fears for both their means of survival and their safety.
Her dilemma will take more than a knowledge of the law, but Bull vows to do his best to protect her and her boy.
Here’s the excerpt for A LOVE OF HIS OWN:
“Whoa, boys.” Dipsey pulled the wagon to a stop and set the break. She hopped down, her leather boots hitting the road with a thud. Sam, the lead mule had been favoring his right front leg the past few minutes. She’d better take a look before he went lame.
“Let me see, Sam.” She lifted the mule’s big hoof and held it between her knees. “Ah, a rock. No wonder. Hurts, doesn’t it?” With a small twig, she flipped the stone out. “Now, that’ll feel better.” She let his foot drop and patted his neck. Joe snorted and butted her shoulder, so she turned and gave him a pat too. The brothers were jealous, afraid one would get more attention than the other. They were the same when it came to feeding time. She had to separate them lest they try to horn in on the other’s grub.
Dipsey walked back to the wagon and placed a foot onto the spoke of the front wheel to climb into the wagon. A snorting sound from behind her made her pause. Grabbing her rifle from under the seat, she whirled and peered into the field of winter wheat gently waving in the cool morning air. Sunlight glanced off the stalks giving the field a slight iridescence, but no movement caught her attention.
The noise stopped, then resumed with a loud bleating resonance. If she didn’t know better, she’d think Thomas was asleep in the wheat field, but she’d buried her husband two years past. Who trespassed on her land?
Rifle cocked, she stepped in the direction of the snoring. Thomas always said she could sneak up on Satan himself. She hoped her skill served her well today.
Lying on her precious wheat, breaking the stalks flat and making it useless, was a big, burly man. Wrapped in someone’s finely stitched quilt, he had a brown felt hat over his eyes. One arm lay across his chest, the other cradled a new-fangled model Winchester, so new the shine hadn’t yet worn off.
She snatched the rifle from his arm. The dang fool didn’t open his eyes. Dipsey thumped him on the shoulder with the butt of his weapon. He farted and rolled to his side exposing a muscled butt and legs encased in denims. She stumbled back a few steps. Disgusting man!

Linda LaRoque was born and reared in Texas and she and her husband call Central Texas home. She credits her sixth grade teachr for hooking her on the written word.
From then on, books were her best friends, and like many young people in school, she had one open when she should have been working on an assignment. Ironic, then, that she became a public school teacher. In summer months, she read.

In 1990, after reading a number of romances, she said to her husband, “I can write a book. It doesn’t look that difficult.” After several stressful months of struggle, she admitted. “It’s much harder than I anticipated.” Fortunately for readers, she persevered, and after joining numerous writing organizations, critique groups, and attending many writing conferences, finally finished her first book.

WHEN THE OCTOTILLO BLOOM was released in February 2007. Since then, she has been prolific. Check her website for the complete list of her books.

Thanks to Linda for sharing the fruit of her research today.

Destruction of the CSS Virginia

Formerly known as the USS Merrimack, the ironclad CSS Virginia sought to free Hampton Roads and the lower Chesapeake Bay from Union domination in May of 1862.

On May 8th, the Monitor and other Federal ships fired on Confederate batteries at Sewell’s Point in an attempt to test their strength. They also hoped to provoke the Virginia far enough out for an ambush. But the Confederates were cautious.

Early in May, Confederate commanders evacuated Norfolk. The local leader of the Confederate Navy, Captain Josiah Tattnall learned this too late. This left him few options as far as the CSS Virginia’s future was concerned. He’d hoped to reduce her considerable draft by several feet, so she could steam from Norfolk up the James River and protect Richmond. But the ship couldn’t be lightened enough in the time available and would need to be destroyed to avoid capture.

150 years ago today, on May 11, 1862, the CSS Virginia ran aground near the Elizabeth River entrance. She was abandoned and set afire. Flames ultimately reached her gunpowder supplies and the ship exploded.

Tattnall later came under fire for his decision to destroy the ship. Before the Civil War started, the commodore was a career officer in the U. S. Navy serving in the War of 1812. Tattnall requested a court marital to clear his name. The court acquitted him of all wrong doing.

For more info, visit these sites:
http://ironbrigader.com/2012/03/16/destruction-css-virginia-1862/
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-us-cs/csa-sh/csash-sz/virg-k.htm
http://cssvirginia.org/vacsn/base/desc.htm

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-t/j-tattnl.htm

Visit my website to learn more about my latest Civil War romance, Cole’s Promise. http://susanmacatee.com

Eatin’ a Rattlesnake

Susan B. Anthony, the great suffrage leader, once found herself a passenger on a Wells Fargo stage driven by the famous jehu, Mark Regan. She was enroute from Denver to Salt Lake City.

At the ‘eatin’ house at the Bitter Creek way station, Susan was served the piece de resistance of that establishment by the proprietor, a Mr. Rawlins. Said delicacy was ‘roasted whitefish’ and Susan showed her appreciation by consuming three generous helpings.

Susan proceeded on her merry way via Wells Fargo stage to the next ‘eatin’ house and promptly ordered white fish, but was forced to settle for fried chicken. Between bites of the fowl she praised Mr. Rawlins and his white fish. Finally the waitress, a Mormon girl, could take no more and told Susan in disgust, “You didn’t eat no white fish ma’am. That was pure rattlesnake meat. That’s what that no good Rawlins serves everybody.”

In high indignation Susan sent for the manager. However, Mark Regan stepped forward and gently assured Susan that she had in truth eaten rattlesnake meat. “You see, Ma’am,” he informed her, “Rawlins is supposed to keep a supply of game to feed the stage passengers, but being somewhat of a naturalist he forgets at times. Then he just kills the first thing at hand and cooks it. Today he killed some big fat rattlers down by Bitter Creek.”

As was ladylike for members of the weaker six in that day, Susan promptly swooned. Thirty years later, however, the suffrage leader wrote to Mark Regan, “I can now smile with others over that remarkable meal.”

The Capture of New Orleans

Close to 150 years ago today New Orleans was captured by the Union army during the American Civil War. Abraham Lincoln ordered a blockade of the Southern coast on April 19, 1862.

Command of Forts Jackson and St. Philip fell under the command of Brigadier General Johnston K. Duncan. Major General Mansfield Lovell commanded Confederate defenses.

Union Naval officer, David Glasgow Farragut, advanced his boats commanded by David D. Porter, Farragut’s step brother. Six days of bombardment ensued, including an expedition sent to cut a chain stretched across the river.

Farragut’s fleet blazed forward, firing as they raced by the forts. On April 25, 1862, Farragut accepted the surrender of the city of New Orleans. With his boat anchored off the port, Union infantry, under command of Major General Benjamin Butler occupied the city.

For more details, visit these sites:
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_new_orleans_1862.html
http://www.nndb.com/people/050/000094765/

For info on my new Civil War romance, Cole’s Promise, visit my website http://susanmacatee.com

 

VICTORIAN DRESS, PART ONE

By Caroline Clemmons

Like many other authors of historical novels, I have several books on period dress. I love the names of the fabrics, descriptions of the textures and styles, and enjoy studying the drawings. When I visit a museum, I linger over the displays of clothing. Sometimes I shudder at the thought of caring for and wearing the clothing.

For today, let’s start with undergarments in our quest to understand Victorian fashions. Shh, Victorian ladies were not allowed to mention undergarments. Some ladies even wore a chemise to bathe – on the rare occasions they took a full bath. Outward modesty was desired. That’s not to say there wasn’t a lot of discrete hanky-panky.

For ladies, the undergarments made a great change during the reign of Queen Victoria. At least by this time, women wore pantalets, usually made of cambric with lace or eyelet decoration. Tied at the waist, they were more like two sleeves for the legs. This allowed a slit between the legs so that a woman could urinate without disrobing. Later in the period, drawers appeared with a drop-down “drawer” opening in the back like that on Union suits.

Numerous slips bolstered skirts to give a flowing appearance. At the beginning of the Victorian era, the slips were shirred over a puffed horsehair crinoline frame. By 1869, a wired crinoline replaced the puffed horsehair. The petticoats were worn over the frame. How would you like to try sitting on one of these? And in days with no air conditioning, think how hot wearing all these layers were. No wonder ladies fainted! As I sit writing in my jeans and knit shirt, I can’t imagine wearing anything that uncomfortable. Appearances were of major importance then. Not too different from the anorexic-appearing women on today’s television and in ads, right?

Under a dress with a train, a slip with a train was worn to protect the dress’s fabric from becoming soiled. The slip also added to the flow of the skirt. What a job for the lady’s maid, though, with all those ruffles, pleats, foofraws, and ironing. Whew, thank goodness for permanent press!

An hourglass figure was required to look like a lady, hence the corset. Researchers believe wearing tightly laced corsets actually caused deformity of the internal organs. This is one explanation for many women unable to conceive a child and also for early miscarriages. To reverse the effect of layers of undergarments, the corset was laced very tight. At least it created great posture. Who could slump while laced into a whalebone-reinforced corset? Remember, young girls were required to wear a type of corset for formal occasions, but their corsets were less severe than those for women. Some people believe a woman could not don a corset without assistance. I beg to differ. Women without servants were able to get in and out of corsets. Perhaps they couldn’t lace them as tightly as if they had help, but they made do.

In addition to shrinking the waist, corsets had the effect of pushing the wearer’s breasts up and out. A surprise for me was discovering the “breast enhancer” from the 1880s. Shades of Victoria’s Secret, Batman! This was worn after the demise of the tightly-laced corset. Women have always been concerned with appearances. Don’t you wonder what awaits us in the coming decades?

Above on the left, you see two styles of corsets. There were as many styles as there are bras today. Center, you’ll see the form for a bustle, next to a bust enhancer or “improver,” both circa 1885. Right, is one of my ancestors, Mary Jane Clemmons, wearing a skirt with a small train. Bless her, no wonder she’s standing for her portrait.

Acknowledgments:
My favorite costume resource: VICTORIAN FASHIONS AND COSTUMES FROM HARPER’S BAZAR 1867-1898, by Stella Blum, Dover Publications, 1974
WHAT PEOPLE WORE, by Douglas Gorsline, Dover Publishers, 1951
COSTUME 1066-1990S, by John Peacock, Thames and Hudson, 1986

New Civil War romance release, Cole’s Promise

My newest release, Cole’s Promise, is available at The Wild Rose Press. This story is part of the historical ‘Love Letters’ series and had to include a letter that changed one of the main character’s lives.

Since so many families, both North and South, spent a large part of the Civil War away from each other, letters were a major form of communication and a way to stay connected for both soldiers and their loved ones left at home.

I thought of a lonely soldier expecting to reunite with his best girl and waiting  for a letter from her that didn’t contain what he’d expected.

Here’s the blurb:

Cole Manning, a Union lieutenant serving during the height of the American Civil War, expects a letter from his best girl who promised to wait for him.  But her post contains an unwelcome surprise.   Heartbroken, he vows no woman will ever fool him again.

Claire Hirsch’s fiancé died in battle during the first year of the war.  Scarred by his death, she realizes loving a soldier can only lead to heartache.  Not wanting to sit home and mourn, she volunteers to assist doctors in the camps.

As the war rages around them, Cole and Claire find solace in each other’s arms. But is their love strong enough to overcome the fear of losing the one they love?

And an excerpt:

Her breath caught at the sight of Lieutenant Manning standing over Private Upwood’s cot. He leaned down and spoke softly to the lad. When he turned his head and straightened, his gaze caught hers.

“Miss Hirsch.” He patted the boy’s hand and stepped around the cot.

“Lieutenant, I hadn’t expected to see you back here today.”

He lifted his bandaged arm. “I’m supposed to see Doc tomorrow, but I had to see to the private. He said the boy’s taken a bad turn.”

Her heart burned at the raw pain in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I know you’ve been so worried about the lad. But it’s not your fault.”

He shook his head. “Everyone tells me that, but it’s not how I feel. Could I speak to you in private for a moment?”

Claire’s heart fluttered at the thought of being alone with him. But he obviously wanted to speak about the private out of his earshot. “Of course, Lieutenant.”

He reached for her arm and escorted her from the tent. She followed his glance. Men milled around conversing and sipping coffee. The lieutenant bit his lip.

“How about back here?” He gestured toward the rear of the hospital tent where it abutted the forest line.

Claire hesitated. “I-I suppose so.”

His gaze slid over her. “I promise to do you no harm, ma’am.”

His boyish smile reassured her. Of course he wouldn’t dare accost her in camp.

She allowed him to lead her to the rear. Great oak and hickory trees cooled the spot. A boulder sat just a few feet behind the rear of the tent. She turned toward him, thinking he’d meant for her to sit on the smooth top of the rock, but instead, he reached his good arm around her back and drew her close.

Her pulse raced. “Lieu—” Her question was cut short by his lips pressed against hers. His kiss was soft and sweet, not demanding. He pulled away, his gaze dancing over her, a small smile on his lips.

“I must apologize, Miss Hirsch, but after being in your company, I couldn’t resist tasting. I hope you don’t think me a complete scoundrel.”

Although Claire’s first impulse was to protest such improper behavior, she couldn’t resist grinning. “Not at all, unless you want me to think of you as a scoundrel,” she teased.

“In that case…” He kissed her again, more thoroughly this time.

Little moans escaped her lips as she returned his kiss. Her eyes closed, and the thrill of his touch sent her toes curling. Her knees turned to jelly in his strong grasp.

He released her lips but held her fast. “I must apologize again, I’m afraid.” His eyes smoldered, and Claire wondered what else he had in mind.

“Lieutenant, I—”

His mouth took her lips again, sending shivers down her spine.

“Call me Cole.”

“But, Lieutenant, it’s hardly proper…” Her protest died at his intense gaze.

“We’ve shared an intimate exchange, and I’d like to share much more with you. I suppose it puts us on a first name basis, at least in private.”

She hesitated, but nodded.

“I’d like to see you later, in private.”

“I-I, don’t know…”

“Miss Hirsch?” The stern voice of an older woman broke the spell. Claire’s face burned as she realized it was Mrs. Benson.

Cole’s Promise is available now from The Wild Rose Press.

The Battle of Shiloh

150 years ago today, on April 6, 1862, the Civil War battle of Shiloh took place. The commander of Confederate forces in the western theatre, General Albert Sidney Johnston, felt compelled to withdraw from Kentucky, following the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson in February of 1862.

Johnston installed troops at Corinth, Mississippi. This was a major transportation center. Major General Ulysses S. Grant was surprised by the Confederate retreat, but welcomed the event. His Army of the Tennessee needed time to prepare for an offensive along the Tennessee River. Grant’s army camped at Pittsburg Landing, drilling new recruits while waiting for reinforcements from Major General Don Carlos Buell’s Army of the Ohio.

Johnston planned to attack Grant at Pittsburg Landing to prevent the Federal armies to unite. He’d planned to strike on April 4, but weather and other concerns postponed the attack until April 6. The Federal army was taken by surprise. A few bands of Union troops brought up a battle line along a sunken road known as the “Hornets Nest”.

Rebels pounded the Union troops and surrounded them. A Federal line was established in defense of Pittsburg Landing later the same day. The Union troops held until after dark. Although the Confederates drove the Yankees back, Johnston was mortally wounded earlier in the day and command of the Confederate forces was transferred to P.G.T. Beauregard. Johnston was the highest ranking general of either side killed in battle.

Federal forces outnumbered Beauregard’s army, but the Confederate general was unaware of this. On the 7th, he launched a thrust that was initially successful, but Federal resistance strengthened, when additional troops arrived from Buell’s army, providing Grant with reinforcements. The Confederates were forced to fall back. Once Beauregard realized he was outnumbered, he ordered a retreat to Corinth.

Grant sent troops on the 8th in pursuit of Beauregard. The Confederate troops fought at Fallen Timbers under Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest. Due to Rebel resistance, Federal troops were compelled to return to Pittsburg Landing.

Grant’s victory at Shiloh enhanced his reputation as a successful commander in the field. The Confederate troops fell back until later that summer, when they launched an offensive in Kentucky.

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/shiloh/maps/shilohmap.html

Before the start of the battle, Henry Morton Stanley wrote: “Day broke with every promise of a fine day. Next to me, on my right, was a boy of seventeen, Henry Parker…while we stood-at-ease, he drew my attention to some violets at his feet, and said, ‘It would be a good idea to put a few into my cap. Perhaps the Yanks won’t shoot me if they see me wearing such flowers, for they are a sign of peace.”

Stanley’s regiment drew Union fire, but continued to advance toward the Federal lines firing and loading in the process. As they came upon another Union camp, they met rifle and cannon fire.

As the battle raged on, Stanley records: “…a boy’s voice cried out, ‘Oh, stop, please stop a bit, I have been hurt, and can’t move!’ I turned to look and saw Henry Parker, standing on one leg, and dolefully regarding his smashed foot.”

Stanley continued on with the advance, and finally writes of his capture: “Half a dozen enemy were covering me at the same instant, and I dropped my weapon, incontinently. Two men sprang at my collar, and marched me, unresisting, into the ranks of the terrible Yankees. I was a prisoner!”

Read the entire account at his site. http://eyewitnesstohistory.com/shiloh.htm

For more on the battle of Shiloh http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-shiloh-begins

Hanging Judges

“Hang’em first, try’em later”

By Gobs! There was nothing judicious about Judge Roy Bean ”Doffing his saloon apron, the grizzled barkeep dons a dirty alpaca coat,  sits himself down behind the bar, draws a pistol and bangs for silence using the butt as a gavel.   “Order, by Gobs!   This honorable court is now in session, and if any galoot wants a snort before we start, let him step up to the bar and name his pizen.” The good judge had never seen the inside of a law school.  His only law book was the 1879 Revised Statutes of Texas.  But the self-styled “Law West of the Pecos” knew how to hold court. There, in his Jersey Lilly saloon in the minuscule West Texas town of Langtry, Roy Bean doled out drinks and his own brand of justice for more than 20 years.” -Smithsonian Magazine June 1998

And so goes the legend of the infamous Judge Roy Bean! Movies, books, legends, and stories abound about the old judge. His old courthouse and his grave are items of interest in Texas sightseeing trips.

I live in the Placerville, CA, area which was known as Old Hangtown during the 1849 gold rush. I’ve always been interested in Judge Roy Bean because Placerville also had a hanging judge. In town the original tree used for hangings still stands inside the Commerce Building. Only parts of it are left, but it does remind one of a wild part of our history.

 

There is also a Hangman’s Tree Bar that has a dummy named George hanging from a post at the roof line.   It is told that if the judge didn’t like your looks or figured you’d do something worth hanging you for in the near future, he just hang you now instead of later. Out on Highway 50, not far from the Hangman’s Tree Bar, the first three men to be hanged are buried.  The legend does give Placerville, the name Old Hangtown is known by now, a sense of the wild west.