The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1896-09-24
ALL BEANS.
Diet OF "a Boston Freedman While Con
nucd In Prison In Cuba.

Diet of "a Boston Freedman While Con-
nucd In n Prison In Cuba.
SiNty-two days. Three meals a day.
Beans for every meal.
That was the record Of Pierre Rich
clicu's imprisonment by the Spanish au-
thoritics at Santiago de Cuba.
II Pierre was native Bostonese he
would porbably have liked nothing bet
Ter, but he as born in France, and is a
nan OF the sea withal, and hat pro
racted period of subsistence upon
beans has left rancor in his heart and
utter decentralization in his interior
economy.
Pierre had taken out naturalization
papers in Boston previous 10 rislSing his
life liberty and digestive machinery in
Spanish territory He hoped fondly,
but ,a'nlY, that this ceremony would
renee him bcnn-proof. In his travels
about the world he had heard of the
vast use the Spauiards made Of beans.
lie is now standing Off and on" about
the corridors OF the United States dis
riot court in Boston, waiting for the
authorities to look up his "ctizen pa
pers." and with them ns basis 10 file
D S20O00 claim against the government
Of he dona for the destruction Of his
intestinal equipment
picrrc's complete name is Pierre Gus
| tave Laymet llchelicu. In February of
| lSg5 he found himself in Port au Prince,
| Iayti. One day he started out in IA
| little boat called the Yankee Doodle,
| and, with companion named August
Bolton. went fishing along the coast
| for turtles.
\ storm drove them out of their reck-
oning. and on dark night they went
ashore upon the coast Of Cuba. No
eooner had they set foot on the soil
than lot of viRilant senors thrust them
into prison MS insurgent sympathizers
There they remained G2 days.
Now, Spain feeds her army and navy
principally upon beans, and the Span
sh captors reasoned that what was
good enough for the warriors of CASTLE
was certainly good enough for rebel sus-
poets So beans they got, and nothing
more. The weary weeks of confinement
and bean diet were punctuated with
cheering announcements from time 20
time, that they might expect to he shot
within n day or two. "Well," says Rich
ellen, "thcy didn'tdo that. but it's about
the only thing they didn't do. We had
nothing 20 cut but beams"
Whether II was really the beans or the
fcur OF death that did It, within few
DAYS both the men were so III they could
scarcely stand. They managed at last
to gain the notice Of the American con
sui and were released. There was no
evidence against them. They came hacl,
TO New York. victims of beans and An
dalusian poryersity, and demanded that
the United States government obtain re
dress for them.
Bottoms status ma n citizen was all
right. and the American minister AT
Madrid has been ordered 10 present his
claim for bean damage. But poor Pierr,
was in no such luck. His papcrs-th'
first set taken NJ Portland, Ore, in 1872
and the second at Boston, in is7s--wcr'
al made out ia the name of Gustav
Iaymct. His statements about then
have all been verified. His tale is IN
qucstionably true. but he says the pa
lcrs, which he had with him when IN
q was seized in Cuba, were taken from
e him and kept by the Spaniards.
I Not having them in his possession
and the fact that he took them out il
4 false name, have sadly blocked hi
= claim to damages for the bean treat
It mcnt. But he lives in indigestion, an
o hope that the whole muddle about tn
u papers will be Strengthened out yer
e soon, and that then he win get none
e enough from Spain 30 live on 'plun
fl dun" for the remainder of his days.
y Y journal