From the Annals of the Black Bean –  In 1843, seventeen Texans were executed at Salado, Tamaulipas.  They were members of the ill-fated Mier expedition who were being marched to Mexico City as prisoners.  After being defeated and captured, the expedition members attempted a mass escape.  Some 176 were recaptured, and Mexican Pres.  Santa Anna ordered that one in ten of the prisoners be shot. The unlucky victims were chosen by a lottery in which each man drew a bean from an earthen jar containing 176 beans, seventeen of which were black. The bodies of the unfortunate victims were returned to Texas and are buried on Monument Hill near La Grange.