Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1870-05-17
MISOELLANE0US.
THE DRAWING OF THE BEANS.

drawing of the beans" is from "Big>Foqt
Wallace's" narrative of the Mier Expedition,
now being published in B3'he's Weekly for
Boys and Girls, Macon, Ga. We believe it
is the only reliable account on record WAL
lace, one Of the Mier prisoners, is now living
near San Antonio, Texas:
After our long sojourn at Saltillo, we were
one morning reused up by our guard, and told
to get ready to march, as we were to start that
day to the city of Mexico. A few moments
afterwards the guard paraded in front of our
quarters. We were taken out and formed in
to line, and marched off on the road back to-
wards Rancho SOladO, where, some weeks
previously, we had risen upon and surprised
the guard under the command of Colonel
Barragan Handcuffed and bound together
iu pairs, to cut off all chance of our escaping
or making another attack upon the guard we
were driven along the road at gait that would
have been "EilIiug" even to men that were
not fettercd as we we're.
On the evening of the fourth day, think
it was, after leaving Saltillo, we came in sight,
once more, of the lonely desolate s'RanchO
Solado" The officer now in command of the
guard. Col Ortez, had spoken kindly to US
1TSuuSullI uuIluS tut lClIluE uS W DC
cheerful aud walk up fast, for that the sooner
we arrived at the city of NleXicn. the sooner
we would be liberated aud sent back home."-
Notwithstanding such assurances, from the
first moment the men caught sight OF the dis
NAL old ranch, whether it was the dreariness
of the locality or the recollection Of what
had happened there when we rose on the
guard. and of the sufFeriDgs and disasters that
r,II -, 81 6 hot hot
it was some dim foreboding OF the "bloody
scene" that vas to be enacted there again so
soon, that weighed upon the minds of the
men, know not but not word was uttered
by any one, as we trudged along silent and
depressed, until we reached the hated spot,
and were once more seriously fastened up in
the same corral we had occupied before.
But few moments elapsed when an Of
fcer accompanied by au interpreter, entered
the coral, and calling our attention. proceeded
to read to US from paper he held in his hand,
u mandate from the supreme Government of
Mexico" ordering the instant execution of
every tenth man, Some of the more sanguine
among us fully thought that the paper con-
taiued an order for our release, and eagerly
crowded around the interpreter to hear the
joyful news, but when the purport of the
writing was explained to US by the interpreter,
this barbarous decimation of our number
came upon US so unex pectedly that we stood
for moment stunned and confused by the
suddenness of the shock. Then a reaction
took place, and if our hands had only been
unshackied, unarmed we were, the old
Rancho Solado would have witnessed another
uprising, ten times as bloody as the first
but when We looked upon our manacled limbs,
and the seried ranks and glittering bayonets
Of the large guard drawn UP around us, we
saw at once that any attempt at resistance
would be utter folly, and We quietly submitted
to our fate.
1t was determined that the seventeen men
to be executed should be selected by lottery,
and in little while squad of Mexican Of
ticers came into the corral, preceded by SOL
dier, bearing earthen vessel, which he
placed upon low stone wall bounding the
farther side of the. corral, and which was in
tended to hold number of white and black
beans, corresponding to the number of men
and officers in our command. The Mexican
officers stationed themselves near the earthen
pot, to overlook and superintend the lottery,and
see that every one had fair chance for his
life. One of them then proceeded to count
out so many white beans, which he poured in
to the vessel, and then dropped in the fatal
seventeen black ones on top of them, covering
the whole with thicket napkin or cloth
We were then formed into line and drawn up
in front oc the low wall on which the earthen
pot had been placed.
Before the drawing began, they informed
us, that if any man drew out more than one
bean, and either of them should prove black
one, he should be regarded as having drawn
black one solely, and be shot accordingly.
Our commissioned officers were ordered to
draw first Captain Cameron stepped forward,
and without the slightest visible trepidation
put his hand under the cloth and drew out a
white bean. He had observed when the
Mexican officer put the beans in the pot he
poured the white in first and the black ones
ones on top of them, and then set it down
without shaking, possibly with the intention