Arizona republican., 1909-06-12
HOW BOYLE ACQUIRED
 A TASTE FOR SUGAR
Phoenix Man Who With His Friends Ate S37,000 Worth in Three Days.

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 Ate s370o0 Worth in Three Days.
 Thomas Boyle of the Third Wis consin battery, now of Phoenix. Ariz.. was one of the prisoners in Pember- ton building, Richmond and led in the sugar raid which all those who were confined in that building in the fall of 1863 will remember. He was a pris- oner seventeen months at Richmond, Danville and Andersonville. After seven intellectual attempts to escape he succeeded in getting away from Andersonville and reaching our lines on the Chattahootchie river near Stone mountain where he ran into Wilder's brigade of mounted infantry"
 The above in a recent issue of the National Tribune concers a man who has been well known in this valley for many years. In commenting on the paragraph the other day Mir. Boyle says he does not know where the Fri bune got its information but it is cor rect except in one particular, and that is that he was not in the prisons nam ed for seventeen months or he would have died. He was there for eleven and half months and was more dead than alive when he got away and could not have lasted that long only for the full feeds he got from time to time on the occasions of his es- capes. and the good things he secured through his ingenuity while in prison notably on the sugar raid which he says he planned and led. The man who was his most valuable confeder- ate in that enterprise he says was George w. Blanke of the 23d Pennsyl- vania, an undersiZed man. one who was small enough to crawl through the hole MT. Boyle made after he To- cated the sugar. He says he would give anything to learn the where abouts of Blanke if living. which is the chief purpose of giving publicity to these facts. The story of the sugar raid though may be interesting to some readers though it has been told before.
 The Pemberton building which was then serving as prison was in reality a big tobacco warehouse and a mum Der of tobacco presses still stood. in the back end of it near the wall. A large number of federal prisoners were confined in the same room with him and another large number were in an adjoining room separated by a heavy wooden door that of course was locked The prisoners cut a hole in the door that they might converse or make such exchanges as were possible to somewhat alleviate their suffering. with the morsels of food or other things they chanced to secure
 Mr. Boyle discovered that there was a basement below the room he was in and decided to find out what was in it. He dare not take even his fellow pris- Oners into his confidence until he had worked out his plans for no one knew who was a friend, or who might he a spy or turn traitor to save himself So quietly. night after night. he crawled behind the tobacco presses and work ed away until he finally got a hole in the floor. large enough for Blanke to crawl through. The latter discov- | cred a considerable quantity of sugar and they had a royal feast It was contraband that had been seized and stored for speculation. After eating all they wanted they returned and very quietly advised their friends that they could get them all the sugar they wanted if they would be quiet, so one man was detailed from each little group or mess and quietly the sugar was handed up through the hole un- | til all were satisfied. Then they passed | the word through into the next room and some one in there taking the hint | dug through into that basement and | found salt in storage. For the next | day or so there was a lively business | transacted in trading sugar for salt through the hole in the door.
 In three days however someone vis- ited the basement and discovered what had been going on but in the mean time they had brought up all the su- gar they could secrete in their pockets or in the sleeves of old shirt or in | old trouser legs. so that all had about | all the saccharine matter they could assimilate. The hole had been covered up and the men refused to give away | their benefactor, so the guilty party was never discovered, else, says MT | Boyle, he would never have gotten out | of the place alive. The sugar then was valued at S7.5O a pound and the papers stated that the Yankee pris- oners had eaten $37,OOO worth of it in | three days.
 MT. Boyle was later taken to An | dersonville from which he escaped and made his final escape while being re- turned. but that is another story and too long a one to be related at this | time.
 Crump's Hay and Grain Company