The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1859-11-17

Chemists from various colleges have
written to me, stating Il at they had anal
wed various samples of the various alco-
hollis liquors IN our markets, and find the
same pernicious developments which | Ibad,
at various times, indicated in articles which
| had written from time to time, one of
which you viii find at page l23 of the
:" Crusader" which accompanies this let
ter. Another evidence that the expos
ures Which have been making have had
a salutafy moral effect, is that there has.
not been one fourth as much liquor sold
yearly since as was previously; and anoth-
er is, that a nuanber Of large iQgor estab-
lisbments have closed, their proprietors
running many Of their fello~ citizens who
had become their suretes \ number
of distilleries have closed in this vicinity.
They have, as it is famiiiarly called, "blrst
their boilers" One yearprevious to these
break-ups, one of our largest distillers aud
liquor merchants in the city says to me,
" DR.. Cox, your articles on the adultera
tions of liquors have taken more trade
from Cincinnati and more money-at
least 100000 per month-since they
have been put IN circulation. For God S
sake, stop them sir.-yOu will break US
up. | have been to New York he says,
"to Boston, to Rochester to Canada West,
and have just returned ; and wherever
stopped there was nothing talked of bot
the poisoned liquors Of Cincinnati, and
DR.. Cox's exposures for Gods sake, |
say again, stop it -
Although the liquors are villainous in
the extaeme, there arc othcr large cities
equally as culpable. For example: \
gentleman of our city, druggist, that he
might have pure liquors as a medicinal
article, and that kind for purity, &c, that
he could recommend to his customers,
went to New York and purchased two
half pipes Of splendid /" "Seignette Bran
dy," one pale, the other dorh. When
passing ole day, he called me in to see
his " beautiful, pure brandy" just from
New York stopped, looked at it,
smelled at it, but before tasting it, hap
pening to have some blue Litmus paper
in my pocket, | introduced small piece
it came out red as scarlet! / then
called for polished spatula, put 1t into 4
tumbler containing, perhaps, half gill,
and waited on it l5 minutes-at the ex-
riration Of which the liquor was black as
ink The spatula corroded, and when
dried had thick coating Of rust, which
when wiped off left 3 copper coat almost
as thick as ifit had been plated. charg-
ed him on the spot, under penalty of the
law, not to sell drop Of it; took samples
of it to my office, and the following is the
result of the analysis, viz:
st sample, dark 55 per cent alcoholic
spirits by volume and 4 per cent by weight
specific gravity 095l The tests Indicate
Sulyhuric Held, Fjfric 4cid. Nitric Ether. Pru8-
sic Acid, Guinea Pepper, and an abundance of
Fusil OIL Base-common whiskcy, not one
drop Of wine.
2nd sample, (pa3s,) 81 per cent alcoholic
spirits by volume, 10 per cent by weight.
specific gravity, 0.955. This article has the
same deliberations rs the first, but in greater
abundance. with the addition Of Catchue Re
merk-Nost villainous concoctions.
As matter of course, these articles of
liquor could not be sold without a viola
ton of the liquor law, consequently con-
demncd them. They were purchased on
4 months time The purchaIer imme-
dIately notified the New York Merchant
of the character and quality Of the goods,
ard directed him 10 send for them but,
instead of sending for them, he waited till
the notes became due, and brought suit
in our Court of Common Pleas. [ anal
yzed the liquors in the presence Of court
aud jury, showed them satisfactorily that
they were the pcrncious, poisonous and
villainous liquors which | had represent
ed them to be, and the defendant gained
his case trinmphantly; and Mr. New
York merchant vanished before | could
get States warrant, or he would now be
learning an honest mode of making Iiv
ING at one Of our State Institutions in
Columbus
| was appointed to the Office of Chem
ical Inspector on tie 10Th day of March,
1853. Since then have made upwards
of 600 inspections OF stores, and lots of
liquors of every variety, and positively
assert that 90 per cent of all tfat | have
analysed were adulterated with the most
pernicious and poisonous ingredients. The
business of inspecting, against the will Of
men who are only governed by motives of
cnpidity, have found an up hill business.
| have had more lawing, more squabbling
and quarreling with unprincipled things,
bearing the shape and form Of men, made
after Gods image, since 1 have been en-
gag5d in the capacity Of Inspector, than
l had.duriug half a century before You
may think that have beard it thunder
some well, 50 [ have. am sc years old.
but in all my recollection | have not heard
JhuoIs. tbat had tha can,a afIac4 On ~, :,