The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-21
ALL BEANS.
Diet of Boston Frenchman While
Confined in a Prison Cell.

= IL.
New York Journal: Sixty-two days
Three meals a day. Beans for every
meal.
That was the record of Pierre Rich
elieus Imprisonment by the Spanish au-
thorities at Santiago de Cuba.
If Pierre was native BoStonese, he
would probably have liked nothing bet
ter, but he was born in France. and is
man OF the sea withal, and that pro-
tracted period of subsistence upon beans
has left rancor in his heart and utter
Generalization in his interior economy.
Pierre had taken out naturalization
papers in Boston previous to risking his
life liberty and digestive machinery in
Spanish territory. He hoped fOHdly, but
Vainly. that this ceremony would render
him bean-proof. In his travels about the
world ne had heard of the vast use the
Spaniards made of beans.
He is now standing off and on about
the corridors of the United States dis
trict court in Boston. waiting for the au-
thorities to look up his citizen papers,
and with them as a basis to file $4,000
claim against the government of the donS
for the destruction of his intestinal equip
ment
Pierres complete name is Pierre Gus
tave Layment Richelieu. In February of
1898 he found himself in Port aU Prince,
Hayti. One day he started out in a little
boat called the Yankee Doodle. and with a
companion named August Bolton. went
fishing along the coast for turtles.
A storm drove them out of their reck-
oning. and on q dark night they went
ashore upon the coast of Cuba. No sooner
had they set foot on the soil than lot
of vigilant senOrs thrust them into prison
as insurgent sympathiZers. There they
remained 81 DAYS
Now. Spain feeds her army and navy
principally upon beans, and the Spanish
captors reasoned that what was good
enough for the warriors of CASTLE was
certainly good enough for rebel suspects
So beans they got. and nothing more.
nlrE nf COR
bean diet We're punctuated with cheering
announcements from time to time. that
they might expect to be shot within
day or two. Well says Richelieu. they
didn't do that but it's about the only
thing they didn't do. We had nothing to
eat but beans
Whether it was really the beans or the
fear of death that did it. within few
days both the men were So i'll they could
scarcely stand. They managed at last to
gain the notice of the American consul
dence against them. They came back to
New York victims of beans and An
dalusian perversity. and demanded that
the United States government obtain re-
dress for them.
Bottoms status as citizen was all
right and the American minister at
Madrid has been ordered to present his
claim for bean damage. But poor Pierre
was in no such luck. His paDers-the
first set taken at Portland, Ore. in 1872.
and the second at Boston IN lSdS-Were
all made out in the name OF Gustav Lay
met His statements about them have
all been verified. His tale is unquestlon-
ably true. but he says the papers wnlch
he had with him when he was seized in
Cuba. were taken from him and kept
by the Spaniards.
Not having them in his possession. ana
tho fact that he took them out in a false
name have sadly blocked his claim to
damages for the bean treatment But he
lives in indigestion. and hopes that the
whole muddle about the papers will be
straightened out very soon. and that
then he will get money enough from Spain
to live on plum duff for the remainder
of his days.