St. Landry democrat., 1880-01-31
The Fatal Black Bean.
New York MercurY.l

George Jones, father of the late Count
Joannes, was an English chemist, who,
about the year 1918, emigrated with his
wife and three children, of whom
George was the oldest, to this country.
His brother was but four years old, he
only six, and his sister baby in her
mothers arms. The vessel was an old
sailing ship, fitted out after the or
dinaIy method Of emmi grant vessels in
those days, was bad sea boat, and
meeting with terrible storms in the
Atlantic, was driven far out of her
course and with difficulty kept above
water. When at last the weather
moderated it was found that the pro-
visions, of which there had been an
insufficient quantity from the start, were
running short. Everybody was put on
short allowance, but when at last the
ship was on DER direct course for
Boston, whittier she was bound,
This was soon again reduced, and at
last there was no food left on board.
STARVATION STARED THE CREW
and passengers in the face Driven
desperate by hunger, the crew mutinied,
aud the captain could only recall them
to their duty by agreeing that beans be
drawn from Il box, and the one upon
whom the black bean fell should be
killed for food for the others. Officers,
crew and passengers-women and
childrenAevery body on board, were
included in this horrible lottery,
and with heavy hearts the famished
emigrants came on deck to participate.
The beans were all wrapped in pieces
of paper, and it was agreed that none
H. Ia, IL,
of the drawing, so that if during the
land were sighted, the doom of the one
drawing the fatal bean might be averted
at the eleventh hour. The captain was
the first man to put his hand into the
death box. He drew it out, and
UNABLE TO MASTER HIS ANXIETY
to know his fate at once, he tore off the
covering and discovered white bean.
He was saved, and as the officers, one
by one, drew beans from the box, they
followed the captains example, pulled
off the paper, and showed white beans.
The first man among the crew who
drew was the lookout, who came down
from the masthead, secured white
bean, and resumed his lofty post.
After the crew had all drawn, the black
bean still remained in the box, and it
seemed clear that the victim was to be
found among the passengers. They
drew by families, and comparatively
few beans remained in the box when
Mr.. Jones, with his wife and children,
advanced to take their chances. The
father and mother drew white beans,
and then the little boy, George, was led
to the box. He scarcely comprehended
the full nature of
THE TERRIBLE ORDEAL
he was undergoing, but he plunged his
His father hastily snatched it from him,
and was about to tear off the paper
when the shout of Gland asIore!"
came from the masthead. Amid the
fears, laughter and feeble cheers of
those on board, Mr.. Jones cast the bean
into the sea, and the future Count never
knew whether it was white or a black
one. But the Jones family were not
destined to escape unscathed from the
hardships of that disastrous voyage.
Before the land that the keen eyes of
the sailor at the masthead had discerned
far away was much nearer, the little
girl had died in her mothers arms, of
starvation. Soon afterward her
Youngest son, Richard, showed signs of
failing intellect, and before the passen-
gers landed he was violently insane.
He recovered in some measure after
few months, but the Count used to say
that up to the time of his death be was
subject more or less to attacks of
mental depression and mild lunacy, the
results of his sufferngs during those
eighty five days. As for the eldest son,
George, who lived to be the Count
Joannes, he was quite blind when he
went ashore at Boston, and six weeks
elapsed before he regained his sight.