New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-07-04
SOLD AS "PURE LIQUOR"
HEAVY ADULTERATION AND sWINDLlNG.
HOW IMPORTERS CHEAT BUYERS, WHO, IN TURN,
CHEAT CONSUMES.

HEAVY ADULTERATION AND sWINDLING.
HOW IMPORTERS CHEAT BUYERS, WHO, IN TURN
CHE,T CONSUMERS.
Consumers as well as retail dealers in liquors
will Interested in the following particulars relative to
the adueration liquors OF every kind by the whole
sale importers Of this city From facts given it viii
be seen:
That fully One-haf the imported" liquors sold here
are OF American manufacture.
H. That not only the brands but the stamped corks
OF famous foreign houses largely initiated In TINS
country by importers OF the best credit and standing
Ill That importers regularly aduerate their imported
liquors aud sell them to the retailers as pure bonded
liquors.
" That the retailers then aduterate them second
time AMI sell them thus douby poisoned across the bar
TO deluded consumers.
v That In this imposition the retailer the importer
has the aid Of the keepers OF the Government bonded
warehouses.
As soon importer has placed fresh stock OF goods
in bonded warehouse he pays duty single eask OF
each KIND Of liquor leaving the to be sold from the
bonded warehouse orders given to the buyers Many
liquor dealers suspicious o the importers and car-
f nat they will furnish them the article according TO
the sample that they insist delivery 10 their own
truckmen from tine government bonded ware
house direct Others, more unsuspecting accept
delivery by the importer. But the most
careful and suspicious purchasers are deceived rs
readily rs the careless From tie cork OF eacn brand
OF every importation several samples are made none OF
which the pure % article in the cask Thus SIN
gle cask brandy may be- represented on the sample
shelf by half dozen bottles Of liquor differently adu
terateG and bearing different prices. When the buyer
selects a sample he is given an order on the bonded
warehouse for cask or casks according TO the size or
hs ORDER with MARKS numbers, and names OF vessels
according 10 invoice Of the actual importation In
words he order for the pure 30 article Just
as imported, without the adulterition which tie
FHfr 4fI
ter always insists on paying the duty, ard repre-
sents that 1t will take until noon the following
day To 10 this; therefore, the purchaser must not
apply for his cask until the next afternoon. but
a. soon as he Las sold cask the importer SENDS to the
Custom House pays the duty and takes the casA rom
the bonded warehouse his store, where, during the
night the liquor is adulterated to suit the sample the
n iouor which is taken out to give place the spirits
with which 1t il adulteratei being placed aside for iu
ture use Tne next morning the cask, with all Its original
mark. on returned bonded warehouse, ana III
the afternoon IL delivered the truckman Of the pur
chaser who proceeds aduerate again. aud then 10 ~
the contents unconscious while carrying ont his own
fraud that himself been swindled previously OF
course this fraud cannot be accomplished wi bout tie
connvance ~ somebody the bonded warehouse, but II
does not imply that Government hes been cheated OF
the custom dues.
Very few importers to have it known
that they keep stocks Of spirits" (ior pur-
poses OF aduteraton on hand. and whenever
purchasers ask for spirits, say that they eau
buy for them. but keep To admit that they Keep
The material for aduterating hand would create sns-
picion But in all large importing houses stock o.
spirits, usually purchased IN the name Of some conn
Dental clerk kept tor adulteratng as above Indicated
The ability OF purchasers to Judge of the quality Of
samples is artfuy asceraned before sales are Effected
and the adueraton is made accordingly In nine cases
out Of ten the is incompetent To judge ana even
when the cask delivered far below the grade OF the
sample selected the buyer content to trust the marks
OF the bonded warehouse full guarantee that he mas
/ received the article which ne purchased.
An Investigation Of this system Of swindug so far at
least as he Government is concerned.
is now going on and facts have beeu obtained involving
many ~ the largest importing houses in tue liquor trade
/ in the city.