tresspassing

[sailor]

I am reminded of Judge Roy Bean

At Langtry, Tex., says the San Francisco Wave, Squire Roy Bean, who administers justice and keeps the leading saloon, had to sit in judgment on a railroad clerk who had killed Ah Ling, a laundry man for, as he claimed, insulting him. The man was arrested and brought before magistrate Bean, who listened to the evidence, which was given by the accused himself, and then proceeded to turn the pages of the revised statutes: “This here book, which is a Texas law book,” he announced, “says that hommyside is th’ killin’ of a human, male ur female. They is many kinds of hommyside --murder, manslaughter, plain hommyside, negl’gent hommyside, justifiable hommyside an’ praiseworthy hommyside. They is three kinds of humans - white men, niggers, and Mexicans. It stan’s to reason thet if a Chinym’n was human, killin’ of him would come under th’ head of praisworthy hommyside. The pris’ner is discharged on condition that he pays f’r havin’ th’ Chinee buried.”