Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-04-18
Poisonous Red Flannels.
How Louisville Medical Journal
Stopped their Manufacture-But
Not Until Hundreds of Persons
Had Been Killed.
I From tha Iouisyille I.ndr,

-
All, or nearly all, ourmerchant
in the wholesale trade will re
member the introduction, in 1871
upon the market of a peculia
brand of red flannel known b,
the trademark Of 1.-The -Rhee
Fiber" and "sold only for trial.
This red flannel was the produc
of a vegetable fungus, and, witt
the coloring matter in it, hight,
poisonous, and was manufacture
{by Griffith Rhees, at the Rhees &
Hewlett WOODEN mills, on Hewlett
Greek, Pennsylvania.
| The fungus was grown upon the
Imillponds of the works, and was
THE product of cultivation. The
Louisville Medical Journal was the
first to discover and expose the
poisonous character Of this red
flannel. Afterward, the Rhee S
estate (Rhees having committed
sulclde) was prosecuted for DANA
ges by merchants who had pur-
chased the bannels. aud lost Gus.
TONERS thereby. In the trial of
the cause, Mr. David Morgans,
! foreman of the works, gave tie
following testimony, aud after
narrating the discovery OF this
fungus by Rhees, his invention of
machinery for its manufacture,
and his endeavors to purchase the
interest of all the stockholders in
the works, Mr.. Morgans states:
Rhees, following up bis plan,
had been actively Negotiating with
several holders for the purchase
of their shares of stock in his mill.
On the seventeenth day Of Janua-
iry, 1872, .(Morgans is particularly
circVmstantial as regards his
dates, at 10 in the morning,
Rhees came into the mill office
looking considerably disturbed.
Morgans asked him what was the
matter. He replied that his child,
an infant less than a year old,
was very much complaining. 1t
had seemed to be threatened with
Group; he had put strip of 1an-
mel about its throat; but in the
night it had a sudden attack of
fever, with a decided crimson erup-
ton, and he had sent for the doc
tor, fearing it was scarlatina.
But that is not the chief bother"
said Rhees "see this. And he
a medical journal published
in Louisville, aud pointed Morgans
to an article in it ON a new dis
ease just diagnosed there. 1t was
styled in the article "Myciloidal
Dermestitis," was said to be Pc
culiar eruption, attended with
great irritation of the skin, rum,
Mug an uncertain course, COM
plicated with cerebral symptoms
more or less marked, and termi-
mating variously. Gases were
mentioned in which the eruption
lasted weeks, and then disap-
peared suddenly asit came. 9th
ers in which the attack was as vi
olent aud the result as immediate
ly fatal asin malignant erysipelas.
The disease was said to be caused
by wearing red flannel. Z
81 don't believe it, Morgans.
said Mr.. Rhees, "but even if it is
not SO, and such a thing gets
abroad, it will ruin our business.
If people suspect that there is such
a thing as poisonous red flannel in
the market, they will decline TO
buy any flannel"
Morgans said bot a word, but
going to a drawer in his desk,
produced a scrap-bock, opened it,
and pointed bis employer to a
long column of newspaper clip
pings. enumeyating cases of sick
ness and death from wearing red
flannel.
"You see, there's none of 'em
older than go" said MHgans.
''Good God, Morgans, cried Nr.
Rhees, "what do you mean?' 2
Didn't we sell a piece of that
flannel to Jones & Rheinhardt, in
Louisville ? tell you that that's
our Aannel-the Rhees fabric
that's poisoning all these folks"
at is mott can not be, cried
Mr.. Rhees, In great agitation.
Every part of the process. all the
articles used in it, are perfectly
innocuous."
"Then it's the fungus that does
it. persisted Morgans. "Tve
watched these things some time,
aud know It's our flannel"
Morgans says Mr.. Rhees stood
like a man thunderstruck. He
faltered, staggered, could not
speak. AtthiS instant a servant