Lilly Langtry

“They saw me, those reckless seekers of beauty, and in a night I was famous.” Easy on the eyes beauty was certainly part of Lilly Langtry’s claim to fame. As we shall see, she spiced it with a spitfire personality. Judge Roy Bean, self-proclaimed law west of the Pecos, had it bad for Miss Langtry. He fell in love with her picture. Talk about a rich fantasy life. Still it is a nice picture.

So what does a star-struck judge in puppy-love with celebrity do? He renames his Texas town ‘Langtry’. Unwilling to stop there, Judge Bean who famously held court in his saloon, renamed it the Jersey Lilly, Miss Lilly hailing from Jersey England. And from her bench Bean dispensed hang-’em justice. “Each little chapter has its place.”

The judge never met Lilly. By the time she visited Langtry, he’d passed away in tragic unrequited love. We’re left to wonder what the attraction was beyond the picture. We know she was an actress, a calling Victorian mores generally looked askance upon. She must have had a little naughty to go with her nice as we hear, “I have always been willing to take the blame for the things I have done.” And “I do not regret one moment of my life.”

So let’s speculate Lilly Langtry lived life in the horse-drawn fast lane. She wasn’t bashful or shy about living life to the fullest wherever it might lead. “Anyone who limits her vision to memories of yesterday, is already dead.” So much for nostalgia.

Clearly she became reflective of the end when she said, “After being so bad, I could hear the angles singing.” Her character didn’t exude contrition, but in the final hour one never knows the true sentiment of the heart.
“I’m not afraid (to die)”, she said. “I never liked long lasting acts.”

Next Week: Gallows Talk
Return to Facebook to comment

Ride easy,
Paul