A Deadly Lottery

Texas militia are given a strange opportunity to live or die.

March 25, 1843. The Black Bean Incident. A group of Texians are part of the Meier Expedition, a private militia effort to invade Mexico. They are defeated by the forces of Santa Ana, who orders all the captives shot. But international pressure pushes him to lower the number to 1 in 10. Seventeen black and 159 white beans are placed in a jar. The Texians are blindfolded and select a bean–those who get the black ones died. Among those who escaped: future Texas Ranger legends Bigfoot Wallace and Samuel Walker.