The National tribune., 1910-09-15
The Sugar Raid.

Editor National Tribune: In the Fall
Of 1863, about Nov. s, in the Psmberton
Building at Richmond, were confined
among the prisoners myself, comrade
named George W. Blanke drummer
boy Of the 23d Pa.) and I. H. Living
sessed a jackknife, with broken blade
about one inch long. We were deter
mined fo cut the floor behind the to-
| bacco presses that were along the party
wall thru the building. The presses
were about two feet from the wall. We
started the prospect hole, relieving each
other and working continually. 1t was
slow work in cutting the boards over
the joist At last we succeeded in open
ing a hole large enough for Blanke to
go thru to the basement. He dropped
onto a hogshead of sugar. Blanke
brought up capful of the sweet stuff,
and we divided with some other COM
rades.
The smell and flavor of the sugar
spread all over the building, and the
secret was soon out. Much in our favor
was the fact that it was near night and
getting dark. The prisoners on the up
per floor crowded down upon us. L told
them to keep quiet and go to their
quarters. l told them to send two men
| from each mess and all would get some
sugar. Order was soon restored. The
boys formed in line, supplied with shirt
sacks. A force went into the basement
and worked like beavers hosting sugar.
and the next morning all the prisoners
on our side were well supplied.
The prisoners on the other side CT
the party wall cut thru the floor on
their side. went into the basement and
struck salt. 1t was a rich find, and
prevented much scurvy. A hole was
cut thru plank door about the middle
of the building. We opened up COM
munication with them, and traded su-
gar for salt. When night came again
we sent down force 10 hoist up the
sweet stuff to replenish our supply,
quietly. The prisoners on the other
side were getting uneasy. They decid
ed to cut thru the basement wall and
get at the sugar. The third night our
force was busy hoisting sugar when the
prisoners from the other side got thru.
There was much confusion and racket.
I called up our side, and covered the
hole, as we had tobacco presses and
everything else filed with sugar.
The basement floor on the front, the
building facing Libbey, was one story
lower than the rear end of the build
ing, and contained the guard house.
The alarm was given, guards charged
in, driving up our confused comrades
to their floor and compelling them to
stand at the end of their floor all that
night and the next day without any
ratiOns, trying to find the leaders. The
next morning roll was called on our
side. No one missing. All quiet; all
smiles. ii
The news of the sugar raid spread
all over the city. Crowds of people
gathered around the building. The
streets were crowded with teams and
drays to haul away what was left.
Empty hogshead after hogshead were
rolling out on the cobblestone- pave
ment The joke was on the merchants
who had stored it there.
We obtained a copy of the Richmond
Examiner, which estimated that we
Yanks ate up $4,000 worth of sugar
Sugar was $3.50 per pound, and it was
not known that that much sugar was in
the city until we dug it up. l would
like to hear from George w. Blanke,
J. II. Conrad t2Sth Ill.) and others who
were there. There are many comrades
whose names / am unable to recall who
worked with us on the tunnel in the
tobacco warehouse. known as Prison
No. 1. / escaped once from there thru
a plank in the prison wall under the
house. Two comrades followed me,
named John WEIGH and Pat Sage, of the
10th Regulars We were all recaptured.
Boyle, Sd Wis, 418 L. Van
Buren street, Phoenix, AriZ.