The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1893-05-26
ghe1emnrraf-S Star
An EPISODE OF WAR.
Looking Death Itself In the Face.
Cincinnati Commereial-Gazctte

the fourteenth day aller The Span
i-h sunboal captured our little
steamer before We received a hint
If what late had in store for Us.
Then an officer entered, called on
ms to pay strict attention, and an.
nounced that We were To be taken
out and shot on the morrow. An
hour later he returned 10 explain
that he was mistaken. The grac.
ious and mercilul Spanish govern
ment wouId lie satisfied with six
lives instead of thiriy.eigh,. We
had killed six Of the crew of the
gunboat before surrendering, and
il was TO be a life for a life.
"GentIemen, it will be by lot, Of
course he continued, as he bowed
and smiled on every hand. San! !
am here to oversee The drawing.
See! | have thlrly.iwo white beans
and six black ones. | will put
them IN cap, and each gentle.
man will step up and draw as his
name is called"
When he had announced that
all were TO be shot, l heard no la.
meniing. On the contrary, men
moved about saying that it was
what we expected and that We
would die like men. Lips were
compressed, but | did not see one
pale face. This hew announce.
ment created something like Il
panic. Only Fix were to die. Thir.
ty-two would be sent to prison,
but all would live to see home and
friends again. In sixty seconds
the face of every man was CHASTITY.
In two minutes all were trembling.
Mild-eyed men glared about them
like wild beasts driven 10 hay, and
there were lips winch hled from
hard sci teeth.
'Gentlemen, my clerk will call
the roll, and yon will draw the
beans" said the officer, as he made
ready. "Each man must show his
bean as he draws, and those who
draw black ones must stand over
by The windows.
Did any one hore he would draw
a black BEAM | believe that ev.
cry man of us hoped so! 1t would
better our own chances. The man
walked slowly forward, made a
great effort to control himself and
male his d'aw. 1t was a white
bean.
Andersen came next and he
drew his death warrant, as also
did Bagley. Then twelve men
drew white beans in succession.
When it came my turn there
were three black and fourteen
whites still left in The cap
dTew a black. Tina, fact did n"1
shock me, as | had almost expect
eli my i'll luck from the first, but j
hur, me when the men almost Up
pIauded. Only two blacks now Il
thirteen whites! The very mex
man also drew a black bean anl
taere was ii cheer. Only one lt
thirteen!
1t was a singular fate which lief
that last black bean in the hat
Twelve names were called eff an,
twelve men stepped up and drew
and all drew white. 1t was tn,
death warran, of the only MAJ
who dld not put his hand IN til,
cap. As Snon as the drawing WI
over the lhirty-lwo fortunate
shook hands and COZ graduate,
each otller,and smiled an! laughed
That was only natural. After tn
first ebullilon Of feeling turned I,
give us their heartfelt sympathies
We were not removed from th'
room. They would come for II
soon after daylight.
What were our feelings? Tn
first sensation was that of a ma,
coming 10 after Il FALL which ha,
deprived him Of CONSCIOUSNESS 70
minute. The next was to doub
IT We had not been asleep an
dreamed ii all. Alter that on
man sat down in n corner an
wept. A second lay at fall lengl
GA The floor with his face to th
wall. A third cursed and il
Weighed and hoped for vengeance
Within three or four hours Their
came a feeling Of e~Xultalion.
believe that every man who goe
TO the gallows has the same fee
ing. | slep, well that night.
was sleeping when the soldier
came to march us to the e~Xeculio
ground. W. shook hands a
round, but only now and then di
one of the men trust his voice I
speak to u.s., Those who were I
live seemed most affected. The
faces were very pale and the
lips quivered.
Two by two with soldiers on e\
cry side, we walked, with head
up, but had no word for each otI
er. There were scores of cilizer
out to see us, but we kept OF
eyes TO the front. Halt! We hay
reached the grounds. | ha
thought of the six of us standir
in front of new made graves, b,
there were neither graves nor CO
fins. They stoCdeus with OF
backs to a brick wall, | noticed
hundred sears on that wall al
knew they had been made on ju
occasions as this.
"Genliemen, your eyes-il
blIndfold - sail an nH;.or n,