One of Andrew Jackson’s trials (when he was a judge, before he became President, was interrupted by a drunken bully, Russell Bean, who was indicted for cutting the ears off his wife’s baby who had been fathered by another man.

Carrying a knife and waving a pistol, Bean threatened to kill Jackson, the jury, and everyone else in the courtroom, and then he stormed out. Jackson ordered his arrest for contempt. The sheriff found Bean in front of the courthouse haranguing a crowd. Thoroughly intimidated, the sheriff returned reporting that Bean was too violent to apprehend. Jackson ordered the sheriff to form a posse, but Bean frightened the posse away.

Jackson then ordered that he (Jackson) be summoned as a posse member. The sheriff did so and Jackson announced a 10-minute recess. He took off his robe, picked up his pistol and found Bean still causing a ruckus in the street. Pointing his gun at Bean, Judge Jackson commanded: “Surrender, you infernal villain, this very instant, or I’ll blow you through.”

Bean instantly complied, later saying: “Why, when he came up, I looked him in the eyes and I saw *shoot.* There wasn’t *shoot* in nary other eye in the crowd. So I says to myself, says I: Hoss, it’s about time to sing small, and so I did.”