Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-06-19
ELIAS P4 BEAN.
THE FIRST TEXAS MusrANaER.


rJsly in the early history Of our State.
There Is an air of romance in the story
Oh those pioneers of civilization that
reminds one of the fallen heroes Of the
prehistoric period of Greece. In the
dino haze we see figures of Titanic pro-
portions moving deity across the
stage. tIa1
4 Bean was a native of Tennessee.
Filled with the love of adventure, at
the age OF seventeen he persuaded his
father to let him have a 1atbOat load
OF flour and whisky and go down the
river to Natchez on a trading eXpedi-
ton. In passing the Muscle Shoals
in the Tennessee river the fiatbOat was
capsized, and Bean lost everything
but q few clothes. Nothing daunted
by this mishap, he got On another
craft q pursued his trip.
While young Bean was spending
some time with his uncle near Match
ez. he formed the acquaintance Of
Phillip Nolan. Nolan was a brave,
enterprising, educated gentleman, and
an intimate friend OfGen. WiIkersOn,
OF the United States army. When
Gen. w. wanted to mount regiment,
Nolan came as far west as San AntO-
MO and purchased some 1900 head of
horses of the MeXicans for the use OF
the United States army. While on
this trip Nolan learned that there
were thousands of mustangs in Texas,
and he determined to collect a COM
pany of men for a mustang catching
expedition.
That was precisely the kind of adj
venture suited to the taste Of the
young TenneSSeean. As Beams uncle
objected to such a 'wild goose hunt"
the young man left while his uncle
was away from home.
The Mexican government had pro-
hibited any further trading eXpedi-
tiOns from the United States into
Mexican territory, and Nolan had to
be cautious, and keep his plans ever
from his own men, though he took
Bean into his confidence at once.
In the early part of the year 1900,
NOlan's party started. The Spanish
commander at Nacogdoches sent a
company of fifty men to arrest their
progress, but Nolan and his cOmpan-
ions were well armed, and the Span
iards, instead of attacking them, de-
termined to ambush them at the
| Wichita village. The Americans sus-
pecting the trap, changed their course
and entered Texas without mOlesta-
ton. Before they crossed Red river.
Richards, the pilot, and two others,
deserted them and went to the Span
ish fort and gave an exaggerated re-
| port of their numbers, and the revO-
l~utiOnary object of Nolan and his com-
paniOns. An express was sent to San
Antonio and arrangements made to
nftnnly tho - y 90 n NnNnnIa nnRfww
consisted of twelve Americans, five
SRaniards and one negro. On One of
&c branches of Red river, they fell in
with some Indians who pretended to
be very friendly, but with character
istic treachery, some of these Indians
stole all their gentle horses. Nolan,
Bean and four others followed the
thieying party on foot, surprised them,
recovered their stock, andint the melee
killed the guilty Indian that drove OF
their horses. After this adventure
they came on into the prairie region
between the Trinity and the BrazOs
probably not far from where BremOnd
now stands), and built a block-hOuse
for protection and pens for catching
mustangs
In the meantime orders had come
from the Governor of Chihuahua to
break up this party of Americans,
and on the 4th of March, 1901, Lieut..
Mesquiz, with a company of 81 regu-
lars and 81 volunteer soldiers, started
to effect the conquest.
Through Indian spies, Mesquiz OBJ
tanned accurate information a to the
location of the unfinished blOck-h0use.
Thirty-five years before the battle of
San Jacinto was fought, on the night
of the 10th of April, 1901, MesquiZ
completely surrounded NOlan's camp.
During the night two of NOlan's
Spaniards or Mexicans deserted to
the enemy, carrying off Nolan's car
bine.
AT daybreak fighting commenced.
Early in the action, Nolan was killed
by a bail in the head, when Bean took
command. But the party were short
of ammunition, and not very ODE
dent, as instead of charging and tax
ing a swivel of the enemy as Bean or
dered, they retired to a ravine.
After some further fighting, a par
ley was had, and the Americans
agreed to 90 back to NaeOgdOehes
and leave Texas.
This fight, in which the Mexicans
outnumbered the Americans FIVE to
one, illustrated the superiority of the
latter over the soldiers o. their Mexa u
can neighbOrs. 1t also i~llustrat6del
that Ptnicd fde on the part of the .
latter subsequently exhibited toward
prisoners taken at Goliad, in the
Santa Fe and Meir expeditions and !
on many other occasions. :
Before the party reached the Trini- !
ty some of the Americans began to J
suspect treaehery. The river was !
very high, and this called into reuui-
the ready resources which Bean A;
was always able to command in times :
Of emergency. In a few hours, with !
and grape vines and Withes, he !
raft to cross the swollen :
He managed il so adrOitly ,
IS to get all the Spanish soldiers on 9
The east side OF, the river, while I
heir arms were with Bean and his =
companions on the west side. Bean T
low proposed to seize their arms and :
AXE care of themselves, but his COM 9
1aniOns thought at NacOgdOehes they :
would be set atliberty and permitted :
% return home. Mistaken menl IT is a
Questionable If Beau was not the only '
nan who ever returned to the United =
even upon q visit. In 1906 .
Pike saw a few of them in =
santa Fe, and persons connected with :,
he Santa Fe and Meir expeditions y
OCCASIONALLY met n or two of the I'M !,
Ortunate men. \
For twelve long years Bean was ~
objected to the horrors of a Mexican i
Several times he made his
ScaDe, but bV some means he was
r%ecaptured. AT one time he q
vas for more than a year confined In y
dark dungeon with no companion. ~
remembering Baron Trenek, he con- u
rived to tame a lizard which he found y,
pom his prison walls, and this ami ~
nal became his constant companion. -
his was in Acapulco.s But in all "
hese years of privatiOn and brutal =
reatment, Beams resources were y
ever exhausted, nor was mis- proud Z.
pirit subdued. at one time he was -
hained to a burly negro, and the lat N
sr charged to keep Bean quiet. 1t ~
7as not long until be thrashed the ne ~
70, until the lattd Abegged to be sep
A.
AT another time an attendant gave ~
i'm some insOlence, and he seized a T.
eef head by the horns and knocked in
he offender sprawling. By such acts ~
personal bravery he compelled even
dastardly jailOrs to respect him.
According to the Mexican custom W.
18th prisoners, Bean and his COM ma
were frequently moved from ca
ne prison TO another. When they ny
ere short of money, Bean resOrted to Yl'
me means to reDIenish ais exhausted %