The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-31

Al
Irison as place for spending "a Jolly
christmas. but = wcll-known SPRING
nero man said yesterday that the most
memorable Christmas Eve nc eve.
spent was passed within its walls Tho
Scicbraiion vas. indeed. not according
TO the polite ideas OF Christmas feast
Tor II Was nothing more nor less than
n demonstrating reycl INDUCED in hv
over 800 Union prisoners How the
UNI was secured and what was done
oS the prison guards to put stop
TO the uproar was told yesterday BY
one of those VINO played leading part
IN 'he affair, IL was in December. 1861.
! tnat the Springfield man found himself
= prisoner IN LIBBY. and az he had
was assigned to tho hospital, Which
tory. adjoining the prison proper and
! within the prison Enclosure.
He was getting better, from his
without the aid of another man as the
happy Christmas season approached
inc prisoners naturally We're very
longed for some OF the Injuries ana
! comforts which they had left so far
away in the North. Captain Dick Tur-
nei. OF Texas. who had charge of the
was rough and ready sort OF man
with a big heart that held a lot OF
s%mpathy for tho prisoners. The cap
TAIN could not do much for them.
look little less fnrlorn, and IL was
his custom every Sunday morning TO
go through the hospital and Distribute
| enough tobacco to the men to last
them the whole week.
Such are the vngaries of human ma
ture that when some one made the dis
covery that there was a lot of tobacco
stored in the basement of the build
ing there was not a soldier in the
hospital who did not long to get hold
OF some OF 1t. even though he had al
ready more than he could use. Ways
and means We're soon invented for
took more than usual delight in doing
this because they realized that the
| tobacco belonged TO private individuals
who were on the Confederate side. On
the day before Christmas one of the
patients. who Ind been badly wounded
In the foot. proposed to the Springfield
man that they go into the basement
and make n raid upon the tobacco.
The Springfield man readily aSsented,
and. with the assistance OF other prfs-
oners. il was arranged that several
of them should surround the Confed-
crate guard, who stood near the place
where tho tobacco was stored. This
was easily done. 1t was the rulo that
two men should be allowed TO go out
into the yard at the same time. while
the guard watched them. the rest of
the prisoners having 10 wait their
turns until the others came back from
their walk The men who were wait
lNs accordingly StOOu between tHe
guard and the tobacco, 50 that the two
forasers might get TO the tobacco
without the guard seeing them.
The Springfield man and the other
fellow had no trouble in getting as far
as the section OF the basement where
the tobacco was stored and they quick
~ removed board in the partition
and slipped through the opening thus
made. The board was replaced 50 that
the fora gers could not he seen from
the outside. The two thieves began TO
fill their pockets with the tobacco,
when one OF them overturned n BOX.
which made so much noise that it at
tractcd the attention OF the guard, who
Immediately ordered the other prison
crs to return to their beds. He could
not leave his post To Investigate the
cause of the noise hut he could watch
the partition separating the tobacco
from the rest of the basement, and the
two brave f0raEers were compelled TO
lie low for two hours Fortunately for
them. the guard was convinced that
there was no one In the tobacco sec
lion, for he did not inform his sue
ccssor about the affair, and the now
guard paid no attention to tho place.
Tho Springfield man and his COM
pnnion then resumed their search FOX.
tobacco. and in the course OF their
investigations they came across five
barrels filled With good old New Eng
land rum. This was the best sinht
they had seen since they Were cap
turcd, and they were not slow to re-
move ono OF the plugs and put their
mouths TO the bunghole. When they
had satisfied their Immediate wants
they passed the word along to their
comrades, who brought ali sorts OF re-
ceptnclcs to have lll..d, The two proud
discoverers Of the barrels remained in,
side the melbourne. and In the course
OF an hour they filled and delivered
to their companions over twenty largo
pals OF rum. Night was now coming
on. and it was not, long. before the
hospital was In an uDrOar.
The CORPORAL OF tho guard came III
to attempt to restore order. but he was
seized bodily and thrown out OF tho
room. He was followed by Sergeant
Henry Wirtg. of Andersonylile fame.
who was also thrown out. of tho room
by the Jolly Union prisoners. Captain
Gibbs of alabama, with o squad OF
soldiers, then came IN to restore ordcr,l
gand as Tho wac popular withsthe pris-
.oners, most of them cGmpliet.4with Ills
fnt. b inA,