The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-08-08
THE MURDER MIMI
Maddenlng Effects OF Adult
terated Liquors.
CRIME AND GIN CONSIDERED,
Tno Man-SIayers in the TOmbs-A Score of
@ Murderers In Their Cells.
"A LONG CRIMINAL CALENDAR.

"A LUNG CRIMINAL CALENDAR
The festival Of crime which has lately held high
carnival and, like crescendo movement in music
illuminated In the Nathan murder, has given rise
TO speculation on the cause of 30 much fendish
work In the metropolis. Every day calendar of
,crime is displayed to the public, and an ordinary
murder attracts but little attention 1t seems the
holocaust Of blood offered by the nation during
the late sanguinary civil war has, to certain ex-
tent, lessened the value of human life. In fact
one might almost say, with Carlyle, when refer.
ring to the French Revolution, that the country
lgot drunk with blood to vomit crime.
An unusual recklessless and dissipation
Icharacterizes the present era, and rum
land murder rolck like boon companions
Through our streets. The sultry weather
of the past heated term has caused an abnormal
condition of the system, and most people, owing
TO the fever heat of the blood or summer CON-
plants are in an irritable condition, and in this
hypersensitive state, when the thermometer
averages ninety in the shade, pure liquor is apt to
produce undue excitement. Such being the case,
as several medical gentlemen have informed the
writer, what effect must adulterated spirits have
fact pure spirits are unknown in this city of "gn
and SIM" and almost every barroom sells deeoc-
tions of strychnine, logwood, tannin and fus oil,
and the absnthe of France or the arrack Of Hin
dostan is not more deeterious in its
effects than our Jersey lightning"
80 forty rod" fixed bayonets," "blue
ruin" Sudden DEATH" or any other of the
pet terms used to designate the villanous COM
pounds sold by rapacious liquor dealers for
genuine Bourbon whiskey, each quart of viii Oh is
an incentive to crime, and contains murder in so.
luton. Yet our people are not an Incorporate
nation; but, the contrary, drink much Loss than
any other Saxon race. In Scotland, for example,
immense quantities of raw spirits are consumed
yet homicide there is rare crime, and out of the
49, 900 900 in England there are fewer murders an.
nually committed than in the city of New York.
with population of only 100000. The cause,
then of this criminal frenzy is not attributed to
liquor, but to the aduteration of liquor for out of
the twenty. three or twenty-five murderers now
imprisoned at the Tombs only two-and one of
these a Dane, and the other Cuban-can swear
they had not been drinking when the dread
ful crime was perpetrated The frightful
INCREASE IN DRUNKENNESS
may be attributed to the fact in our day there
Ms barely one gallon in a hundred thousand manu-
factured that is not adulterated, what is almost
las bad, II not worse, imperfecuy rectfed. Hence
the train of appalling evils that follow the use of
stimulants, which have been used from time i'm
memorial despite all sumptuary law, and will be
used for all time to come. The ingredients chiefly
used in poisoning the public are-frst, the inor.
ldinate presence of fusil oil which has a
dangerous and poisonous property in all grain
spirits, and if rectifcation is omitted less of
this detrimental fluid is expelled. But the pro-
cess of rectfyng is costly, and cheaper spirits
thrown on the market in very crude state. 1t is
the most intoxicating property in common liquors,
and produces giddiness, accompanied with
feeling of suffocation and sense of falling,
and frightful headaches after o few drinks.
1t is also well known fact that strychnine
Is largely used in the manufac ture of all kinds of
liquors, especially malt To such an extent is it
mixed with beer that a retired brewer told the
writer that the trade has arrived at such state
of competition that the greatest amount Of liquor
must be obtained from every mash, and full
twenty per cent more can be got by adding GER
tain amount of strychnine. All brewers use it,
and those whose consciences are not sufficiently
accommodating are obliged to leave the BUSH
mess. This drug,
TAKEN IN HOMEOPATHIC DOSES,
acts as tonic, but when imbibed in larger guam
titles seriously effects the nervous system and i'm
pairs the mind, injuring the reasoning qualities
and entirely unseating judgment so that when
the passions are excited loose rein is given to
rage. ..,-
The Board of Health some time ago gave this
question some passing attention, but nothing tan
gible or beneficial was arrived at and it sank to
the limbo of the lost ideas of that venerable in
stitution. The late sultry weather, producing, as
1t does, a fever heat in the blood, added to in
temperance, has been sufficient in many cases to
change the whole current of a mans being. We
are fast approaching to the
CHARACTERISTICS oP SOUTHERN ITALY,
with all it's impassoned impulsiveness in using on
the spur the knife and stiletto although in justice
TO the American people it is but proper to say that
nne-tenths of the crimes lately perpetrated have
been the work of foreigners and they of the lowest
glasses. One in sultry weather is always more
irritable, and liable to be annoyed by triaes that
would hardly cost thought if the body was in its
normal condition. The sun has great effect on
the temper and more people are suffering from
m exposure to its rays than is generally magned,
although escaping coup de solea. In addition to
the foregoing facts society, like the strata of the
earth's crust, seems to. have been organized in
layers, and each age has its manners, customs
and special crimes. New York, arguing from
this hypothesis, now seems to be going through
the
MURDER MANIA.
and the force of example is making itself felt. For
instance, in 1863 London was afflicted with the
garroting mania and cases were reported by the
police every night for nearly year. In France,
too, suicides by charcoal became quite common,