Black Bean Episode: A Fatal Lottery
The continuing monthly series TEXANA TALES at the historic Dr. Eugene Clark Library features THE BLACK BEAN EPISODE, Tuesday, September 8, 2026 at 7:00pm. Lockhart’s own historian Donaly Brice and songwriter Fletcher Clark combine lecture and narrative with song and characterization to recount vividly the tragically misguided Meir Expedition of 1842.
Although Mexican General Santa Anna had surrendered to Texian General Sam Houston following the 1836 decisive Battle of San Jacinto, that Treaty of Velasco was never ratified by the Mexican government. The sovereignty of the newly formed Republic of Texas was never recognized, and Mexico persisted in reasserting its hegemony over the rogue state.
In March of 1842, Mexican troops came north across the Rio Grande from Mier to occupy Goliad and Refugio. Another force came into Texas through Laredo to occupy San Antonio, only later to retreat from the raid. Then on September 11, 1842, Mexican Gen. Adrian Woll, with a force of 1,200 captured San Antonio. Following the subsequent Battle of Salado Creek (and the frightful Dawson Massacre), Gen. Woll retreated back to Mexico.
By that November, a large number of Texans had gathered at San Antonio and planned to initiate a punitive expedition against Mexico for their raids on San Antonio, the troops to be led by General Alexander Somervell. Somervell and his forces captured Laredo and Guerrero, but he soon concluded that a longer stay on the Rio Grande might prove disastrous, ordering his troops to prepare to return home by way of Gonzales.
Many of the men determined to separate from the command, invade across the river, and attack Mexican settlements to secure cattle and horses, constituting what became known as the doomed Mier Expedition. Some wanted revenge and retaliation; many merely sought adventure; the leaders were nearly all political opponents of President Sam Houston, who had declined to support the venture as official policy of the Republic of Texas.
Not by any means a military force, this rag-tag assortment forayed into Mexico, attacking the town of Mier. Mexican losses were six hundred killed and two hundred wounded as against thirty Texans killed and wounded. Still, the Texans – hungry, thirsty, their powder almost exhausted – submitted to a demand for surrender, imagining they would do so as prisoners of war. The Mexican government and military, however, following the policies of Generalissimo Santa Anna, never regarded them as such, but rather as brigands and criminals subject to the Tornel Decree. When the order was given to have the surrendered men shot, it was ameliorated by more compassionate advisors, amended that only one in ten would be executed. And so from a gourd, of the one hundred seventy-six captives, seventeen drew black beans. Many survivors of The Black Bean Episode would never see home, nor know the glory once imagined.
For eleven years, Donaly and Fletcher have been presenting widely their programs of Texas history to scores of Daughters of the Republic of Texas chapters, County Historical Commissions, civic libraries and museums, and various history symposiums. Though now retired as Senior Archivist for the Texas State Library, author/historian Donaly Brice continues to lecture and write on a wide range of subjects. He remains an active fellow of the East Texas and Texas State Historical Associations, as well as the Caldwell County Genealogical and Historical Society and its Plum Creek Almanac publication. Fletcher Clark continues his long career as musician, composer, songwriter, producer, and recording engineer. His prominence in the Texas music scene has earned him a deservedly venerable status in its history.
TEXANA TALES is made possible by Director Bertha Martinez and her able staff at the historic Dr. Eugene Clark Library, the oldest continually operating library building in Texas. The second-Tuesday-of-the-month series will continue throughout the year with THE SIEGE OF BEXAR, MASSACRE AT GOLIAD, and THE BATTLE OF SAN JACINTO.
