Roy Bean's Gold: A Western Story (Five Star Western Series)

He was to be a legend of the Southwest once he became known as Judge Roy Bean, but here is the story of his early years and the experiences that shaped the man he was to become. Roy Bean's passion, remembering all the way back to his youth in Mason County, Kentucky, had been for gold. He tried his hand at being a merchant in Mexico, but that path led only to frustration after he killed a Mexican in a gunfight. A chance encounter on the trail with Jeff Kirker gave him a new direction to gain his goal. Kirker had masterminded a robbery of an Army payroll in California with the help of the bandit Joaquin Murieta and his gang. But he doubled-crossed Murieta and managed to hide the gold where it has not been found. Retrieving it will be dangerous, but it might be done with Bean's help -- and, of course, Bean will get his share.