The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1910-12-14


Spanish authorities, having some de
gree short Of extreme cruelty, con
strued the order to mean that one
only should suffer. A drum, a glass
tumbler and a pair of dice were
brought into the prison as equipment
for a most solemn gamble. It was
ruled that, commencing with the ED.
est, each prisoner was to make q single
throw, and the one who threw the
lowest was to be the victim. The very
first, the eldest, threw the lowest, four.
while Bean, the last, escaped with the
barely higher number, five. The old
man was shot the next morning. The
next day Bean and four others, heav.
lily ironed, were started off for the City
of Mexico, 800 miles away. The re.
naming three we're freed. From
Mexico the prisoners were sent to
| Acapulco, on the Pacific Coats, and
confined in the castle there, three of
them in one large cell, and Bean in a
separate cell, because bad report of
him had been forwarded from Chi
huahua. Except the officer who
brought his daily food and examined
his irons and an occasional glimpse of
the sentinel passing the CRATE of the
cell door Bean saw no human. How
he relieved the tedium of so terrible q
confinement he tells in his manuscript.
There is here a lizard-Spaniards
call guija-abOut nine or ten inches
long, three inches thick, white as
snow. One day, lying on my mat, l
saw one of these; the first time on the
wall. | saw that he was trying Ia
catch the flies that had come in when
the door was opened. l caught flies.
put them on the end of straw pulls Il
from the mat. These l slipped up the
wall to him and found he would take
them from the straw. After some days
he was so gentle he would take them
from my hand. Every morning as he
came down the wall he would sing like
a frog, which notified me he was CON-
ing. In a week he was so gentle he
did not leave ME at night, but stayed
all the time. Every day when they
opened the door to come aud examine
my irons he would get frightened and
run under my mat. The door shut, he
would come out and stay with me"
On one occasion Bean was being
marched under guard of two soldiers
from hospital where he had been i'll.
The out of doors and the breath Of the
free open air tempted Bean to try and
make his escape. He had a few coins
he had managed to keep hidden in his
clothes and he invited his guard to 20
with him into drinking house on the
ROAD and drink. After they had taken
several drinks he asked one Of his
guards to step with him into a gar.
den in the rear. In the garden Bean
called the soldiers attention to very
beautiful flower and, as the soldier
stopped to admire, his prisoner pounced
upon, overpowered and disarmed him.
Bean fled the garden and escaped to
the wooded hills about the city, where
he filed off his irons with a piece of
steel he used in striking fire. He was
retaken, placed again in his cell and
stayed eighteen months longer in soil
tary confinement. Hearing the "tfi-
Ger who visited him every day speak
of having some rock to be blasted and
no one who knew how, Bean informed
him that he was all expert in that
business. This caused him to be put
at such work in the quarries where he
did prove most efficient at blasting.
In but few days after he began blast
ing, he succeeded in again escaping.
He was again retaken and brought
before the governor Of the castle at
Acapulco. After fearful threats from
that functionary Bean boldly told him
to do his worst, that he would never
cease trying his best to escape.
Bean was "hard case" and the gov.
ernor wrote the viceroy he would not
he answerable for him. The reply was
an order for this ohstreperous prison
er's removal to the kings possessions
in Manila. While waiting a vessel
the revolution against Spain broke
ont in Mexico and the country was
afiame with insurrection. The Span
iards emptied the prisons of New Spain
to obtain recruits for their armies. At
Acapulco Bean alone was left pris-
oner in the castle. The Spaniards
knew his worth as a fighting man, but
had their doubts of him should they
take him as a recruit. One day his
officer questioned him on this point.
Bean expressed himself as eager to |
serve the king if permitted. His irons
were knocked of, gun and sword
placed in his hands. He became a
soldier of the king and performed his
duty we'll for three weeks. Then the |
forces under Morelos
had advanced their outposts into the
region about Acapulco and Bean,
Selling an opportunity. went over to-
them, taking with him considerable
body of his fellow recruits. He re-
manned with Morelos. grew daily in
his confidence, displaying great cour-
age and infinite resource. Placed in
command Of the division besieging
Acapulco. he took that town and its
castle and the very governor who had
abused him, in the year 1912. In 1914
Bean was sent as emisary to the United
States to obtain sympathy end help for
the revolutionary cause in Mexico.