Smyrna times., 1859-11-10
New Turn to the Liquor Business in
Pennsylvania.
ADULTERATED LIQUORS.

ADULTERATED LIQUORS.
Notwithstanding the long-continued effort
of temperance societies to prevent the use O
ardert spirits as beverage, few can be bln'
to the fact that their labors have met with bu
partial success. A very large quantity of Ii
quor is still consumed, and much of what i
sold as " liquor is so villainous compound O
dangerous drugs that it exerts a terrible, AM
in many cases fatal, influence upon the unfor
tunate beings who habltually drink it. While
there is much diversity of opinion in regard Il
the propriety of preventing the sale of pure Ii
quor, there can be no question of the terrible
evils of the use of the spurious drugged imta
tions of the products of the vintage and the dis
tlllery. 1t must be confessed, however, that i
is difficult, if not impossible, to prevent the
sale of these poisonous fluids. There is Law
existing in Pennsylvania prohibiting, under
heavy penalties, the sale of poisoned or adul-
terated liquors, but it is rarely or never enfor.
ced, and it is daily violated with impunity in
every quarter of the State.
A case recently tried in the Court of Common
Pleas OF Lancaster county, however, which we
find reported in the Lancaster ErpreSS, indi-
Gates that method Of legal procedure exists
which, if generally resor;ed to, may do much
to break up the whole system of manufa cturing
drugged liquors. The plaintiffs, who were ex-
tensive liquor dealers, sued the defendant, who
is hotel keeper in Lancaster, for the recovery
of Claim Of forty.six dollars, for barrel OF
{" old rye whskey." The defence was, that the
liquor did not correspond with the sample by
which it was sold, and in fact that it contained
corrosive or poisonous substances. The latter
point appears to have been established by chem
ical tests, to which the liquor was subjected in
the presence of the court jury, by the counsel for
the defendant, George w. McElroy, Esq. His
speech on the occasion produced powerful i'm
preston upon the jury. After alludng at
length to the manufacture, and drawing ter.
rble picture of the victims of mania "a potu
produced by it, he concluded his speech as fol-
lows:
"Gentlemen of the Jury: By your verdict
this day you will decide an important matter
The country is now flooded with poisoned or
adulterated liquors. They have found their
way into every State, city, town, and village
in the country. From every part of our fair
land the cry has gone forth that the scourge of
intemperance is on the increase. Our prison
statistics exhibit the melancholy truth that
men, without regard to their families or then
former standing in society, are dragged within
their walls under the maddening influence OF
these terrible agents. Our grave-yards open
! their sodded bosoms to receive their annual
tribute of the young, the old, and the middle
aged who have been smtten by this blighling
! curse. On every hand may be seen the rags Of
| poverty, and at every corner may be heard the
walls and whispers OF despair. The steel of the
assassin is swelling the long catalogue OF mur
der, and in many quiet home may be heard
and Witnessed the ravIngs OF the wretched VIC
tim, hopelessly and incurably insane, or NOR
tally and fatally wounded unto death, by the
use of these adultcrated poisons. Their sale
has become universal. Regardless of the law
men, for filthy lucre, will engage in it. You
verdict to-day will establish the fact, that /
they will, contrary to law, manufacture anC
| sell them,the cannot compel others 10 purchase
Ii will also 90 far to expose the frauds which
they are practising in the community. And
while it may aid in lifting from society bur
teach such men as the plaintiffs to be honest ii
their dealings with their fellows, and when theI
sell to them old rye whiskey at a stipulated
price, to furnish them the genuine article, ant
not attempt to impose upon them that which ii
not fit to be thrown to the dogs"
The verdict of the jury was in favor of thu
defendant, allowing the plaintiff nothing for hi
wbiskey.
We learn that the practice of testing li1uo
in Lancaster county, by various processes, ha
been frequently resorted to, and some very ." su
perior articles" have been found to contain
poisonous drugs. We meet with cases of death
from adulterated liquors almost every day il
our exchanges, and it is quite evident that hun
dreds of people are poisoned every year by thei
use.-PhiLd. Press.