Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1858-01-28
Sf(isttllar>eous.
ADULTERATED LIQUORS.

Some years since, one Pierre La
cour of Bordeaux. in France, having
amassed competency by cultivating
the grape and manufacturing wine, re-
tired from business. But, being quite
a chemist, he, for his own private use
and amusement, got together an ex-
tcnsive laboratory, containing all the
instruments necessary to any chemical
manipulation he might wish to 90 in
to. The question came up in his mind,
whether it was not possible to pro-
duce, from chemical reagents, imta-
tions of the various kinds of liquors
IN use, so nearly as to Battle the skill
of the best judges to detect the coun-
teifeit. Collecting all the choice va
rietics not found in his own cellar,
which was very abundantly supplied
already, he addressed himself to his
purpose of counterfeiting them; and,
after nearly thirty years of patient,
persevering study and toll, succeeded
to his own entire satisfaction, all the
while keeping his experiments and
success a profound secret to himself.
Then to bring his productions to the
test of others, he first called in his
own attendants to drink of the various
kinds. They pronounced them all cx-
cellent lie next gave an entertain
ment to the wine merchants and other
connoisseurs in and about Bordeaux.
arranging before them his various
liquors in fnely-cut glass dccanters,
each with a silver label specifying the
vineyard and vintage from which the
contents purportcd to have been pro-
duccd. Some gave indication of con-
tanning liquors fifty or sixty years old.
The company drank round, and every
specimen was pronounced superb. >"
capital" most excellent" Finding
that his countericits were such as to
pass the ordeal of the very best Judges
without detection, he felt completely
satisfied, and prepared to disclose the
secret. Said he, Gentlemen, you are
all deceived. None of those liquors
contain a particle Of juice from the
grape. They are every one OF my own
manufacturing from alcohol and other
chemical reagents"
This announcement, of course, struck
the company with no small surprise
lie further went on and spoke of the
fact that England and the United
States bought largely of what their
vineyards produced. and that, if the
grape crop should be cut off, and they
thus have nothing to carry to market
from these, by the method he had dis
covered, they could still supply the
demand, and that too at n cost consid-
erably less than what attended the
usual production.
BY earnest request the discovercr
arranged the results of his researches
in book form, and had it published
expressly for the liquor-dealers, receiv-
ing large sum in compensation. The
work was admissible to some particu-
lar persons in certain parts of France,
Spain. Portugal, and Germany; so
tiiit tNcu btiolc tilt NlllldpcS III Isu-
rope commenced failing, these spurious
liquors had begun to be sent abroad
quite extensively. And when the
grape crop there completely failed, the
market was still supplied just about
as abundantly as ever.
At length copy of this book found
its wav into the city of New York.
when the liquor fraternity had it pub
lished, not for circulation, but only for
their especial use. Hence they went
into the manufacturing of these spuri-
Gus liquors without being beholden to
foreign market for them. The prof
its proved enormous, for at a cost of
10 cents gallon, they wonld produce
an article bringing them seven or eight
dollars. This was true of some rare
kinds.
Jno. Hawkins somehow got an ink
ling that such book had a being, and
set upon the pursuit of one. He ran
sacked all the bookstores far and near
to no purpose, and finally went to the
printer, MIR. Craighead, of y. Y, who
informed him that he knew Of no copy
he could possibly get hold of. that he
struck off only just enough to furnish