Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-10-24
The Wine of Borg5a.

Since our recent remarks on the danger of
drinking spirituous liquors without being per
fectly well assured as to their origin, we have
heard within a week, from three different
sources, of the death of six different persons
-four in one place, and two in two others
from drinking spirits. The deaths in question
all immediate, and unused, not by Excess
sive drinking, but by the poisonous nature OF
the liquor.
If this poison was strychnine, and it is not
impossible, the cause of these deaths would be
apparent enough. Strychnine is a horribly
favored material, rather worse than any
thing else known in the mdteri0 naedica. oxslio
acid not excepted; and those who have seen a
man die from its effects have also seen the in
tensest agony to which poor humanity can be
subjected. The fearful commissions and iuten-
sity OF racking pain which it occasions seem
like a toretaste of fortunes beyond human con-
ception. Decidedly, stryohnine is not nice.
and those who do not fancy it had better be
rather nice when the temptation TO drink
doubtful liquor comes in their way
I'ut strychnine does not always come alone.
Evil angels always fly in flocks. In al newly
distilled spirits from corn occurs the deadly
''fusel" or 'fousel" oil-otherwise known as
amylic alcohol-a peculiar oily spirit, first de-
tected and collected in the process of distilling
spirit from potatoes II is found however in
=.
in common whisky. Its presence in the Ii
quor is in exact proportion to the amount of
spirit extracted from the grain, or, as it is ex
pressed in Turner's Chemistry, sit is particu
larly abundant towards the close of the uro
cess" Thus in good old-fashioned domestic
distilling, and when liquor was allowed 10
grow old enough TO allow the fusel oil TO lose
much OF its bad qualities, it had but little eff
feet. Now, however, when steam distilIino
NUF n aa tha laaf nos ~ d.. =
the corn, IL brings with il an unwonted guam
tity Of this poison, which acts with terrible
results on the nerves; seeming like diaboli-
cal Inspiration, stirring up mania, commissions,
and the horrors, in an incredibly short SPACE
OF time. This fusel oil is a deadly poison. a
few drops suticing to destroy life ;'If.n saws
Turner, ''Vapor, mixed with air, is breathed
for little time, astmetic pains and coughing
are hke!y TO ensue, aud even vomiting
A pretty strong article that. And IL is far
from being scanty in roughly distilled spirits
IL can be removed, but only partially. by fire.
quent distillation. In thus re-distiIling The
hundred barrels of whisky, one whole barrel
of pure fusel oil has been collected
1t is very remarkable that the fnsel oil
Sohen removed from the whisky, is onIv iaLsn
away to be put back again in another bur sriiI
more deadly form. From il is made the oiI
Of cognao, one dollars worth of which will
turn one hundred gallons Of whisky into '.fne
old brandy A very few drops of this "dev
IFS elixir" as 1t has been called, will produces
almost instant death-as happened indeed du
ring the last summer in Canada West TO /
young man who while busted in iurning wills
ky into brandy, inadvertently tasted the trans
forming medium and died directly. AS thu
black chemistry is not always carried on b,
practiced chemists, who are very careful as q
the proportions, il may well be supposed tina
Eaa will f1rrasiOnaify ncaur w -.
DESTROYS of giving an extra high flavor 70 bran.
dy, and who are ignorant Of the deadly quail
ties OF the fiavoring essence, may very inno
gently raise the ''rOsy" up 10 killing pitch. Il
fact, we have known Of one manufacturer VIII,
honestly believed that ''m de brandy wa
more wholesome than the best imported, hav
ing got the idea that tie oil deposited a ahoo
ulent NATTER aud took al the fussl poison oa
OF tue whisky. Aud there are thousands up
on thousands of men who would sell any
amount OF poison If they could only make al
additional cent gallon by il.
OF late the facilities Tor poisoning ljoao
have Increased with such fearful rapidity ina
we can no more refrain from cautioni6, on,
readers than We could from cautiopiug fhayr
against the existenoe Of any pest. Books AZ,
circulated giving the fullest directions fs~r -
pairing poisonous eonnterfeits 0f sserS vsriet,
of liquor; aud yet We never heard of thsIr an
thOrs or printers being indicted, while We nav
seen in this very CITY, aud 10 q nssspapsr =,
advertisement in which one familiar with az
business offered his services By the day, guar
antying to be able 10 make al sorts OF LIQUOR
at an expense Of only forty csns gallon Be
yond the cose of the whisky. Wesuggest thu
some Of tie zeal row bestowed, aud res
properly, on preventing the circulation
works Of ar immoral character be extends
TO those Of deadly nAture.-Phh. EseaiA
Bulletin.