Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-03-16
Another Breeze I'm the Board Of
Health

DIR. BLISS ON THE RAMPAGE-HB DENoUNCEs
THE sTAR-HE MAKES THE EXTRAORDINARY
CHARGE THAT THE STAR BELITTLES THE
B0ARD-HE BERATES DR. ANTISELL-MCRE
ABOUT FREUND'S PUFFS-CHARGE THAT DR.
ASTiSELL WAS PAID TO PUFF THE PUPS.
The Board of Health met last night; all the
members present, and DR.. Verdi in the chair.
lhe chair read the communication from
commissioner LIE Due, OF the Agricultural de-
partment, heretofore printed in The STAR,
stating that. In accordance with the request of
the board, he had directed that chemical ex-
animation be made of the specimen of cream
puHs, LOT the purpose of determining whether
they contain any metallic poison: and that
such examination fails TO show either of the
metalic pOiSOnS.
ne called upon the commissioner to learn why
further tests had not been made for a complete
analysis, and was told that the department
had not time to do so, owing to the press of
official business. He regretted this and was
| disappointed.
Dr. Bliss took the floor, and expressed regret
that the board had no facilities for making
| such analyses without going outside. In re-
| ferriDg to the published analysis of DR.. Anti
! sell, which he proceeded to read from morn
| ing paper, and severely commented upon he
persisted in cudgeling THE STAR as being the
source OF this and all the other woes that
the hoard is heir to; His attention was
not The STAR from which he was reading but
he Wrathfully plunged on, saying The STAR
got its pay for all it does in giving such papers
publicity when it affected the board THE
STAR had always been inimical to the Board of
HEALTH as all well know. The ANALYSIS of DR..
Antlsell was remarkable one, and he had no
doubt but DIR. A. had bartered away his pro-
fessiOnal reputation for few dollars, which
was a disgrace to him that would never be
etfaced during his lifetime. Here was a case
OF poisoning SO plain that no sensible person,
let alone physician and chemist of DR.. Anti
sells reputation, would doubt. Since the last
meeting of the board, several persons, living
at different points, and all diSinteTeSted. had
called upon him to say that they had been
afected in the same way as the Hanneman
family after eating of Freunds cream puffs.
Mr.. FTeund had done very wrong in trying to
bolster himself up through such pettifOgger & s
AntiSfl. who Is willing to barter away his
standing. 1t was very cheap sale, consider
enough that the cream puffS examined by him
were not the same as those eaten by these Suf-
ferers Here the Doctor became quite ex-
cited, and proceeded to read the report over
again. giving THE STAR particular fits.
Dr.. Verdi and Mr.. Marbury gain called his
attention to the fact that he was not reading
from The STAR, when it struck him suddenly
t! al he had been mistaken, and he begged The
STARS pardon: Continuing, however. he said
TIE tn 2 STAB had always been antagoniotic to
respect Tor their reporter present, and said he
wasn't TO blame. But THE STAR had ALWAYS
beittled the board, and especially him, DIR
lOggeTheadS THE STAR didn't like him. and
he didn't like THE STAR-there was mutual
antagonism, and they We're both happy. They
were not afraid of each Other-he wasn't afraid
of THE STAR. although it had the advantage
in fight. Turning his attention to DR.. Anti
sells report again, he said it was disgrace
10 him. as 1t lowered him below common
hOdcarrier, and he cannot be regarded as a
reliable expert after what he had done, and
should be wholly ignored by this community.
He says there was no pOiSOniin Freund's putfS
that they were pure and good, that he Or Al
did not hesitate to eat of them and give them
t, his family MI Freund would have shown
himself much more of man if he had owned
up frankly that there might have been a
mistake made by some of his employees and
courted full Investigation by the board,
of employing Dr. Antisel to set up and pub
lish his Judgment against the board while they
had the matter pending. 1t was clear enough
that the learned chemist had been bought for
a few dollars and the public should under
stand it.: 1t could be proven, and should be
done. He confined in this way for sometime.
Dr. Con read communication from Mrs. NJ.
slant, she purchased from Mr.. Freund all the
pulls he had in his shop with other sweet
meats. All VINO ate OF the cream puffs were
made deathly sick, and other members of the
FAMILY Who dld not eat of them were not sick.
-Four We're taken sick, and two who avoided
the ,puffS were not affected. There was no
doubt about the puffS being the cause. He
also read communication from Carrie G.
Hanneman; stating that the dangerous illness
OF her family was caused by eating Freund's
cream puffs. Those that We're left were exam
lned, ana the cream seemed uncOmmOny thin
and yellow All who saw them noticed pc
cuIiafIy sour smell; A statement OF the treat
SlclanS who were called in was given, all agree
ing as to the putfs being the cause.
Dr; Bliss rose to personal explanation. He
saw MI. Freund present, and desired to say
that he did not believe Mr.. +. in any manner
was cosnlzant OF the poison being in his puffS,
but it would have been much better if he had
ddlnltttd the TACT that something was wrong
and cOurted the fullest investigation by the
Board OF Health, instead of avoiding their in
curry and official report. Mr.. Freund was, of
course, no party to the pOiSOning-he may
nave had dishonest or malicious servant i'm
his employ, or there may have been some acct
dent without the knowledge of Mr.. Freund.
and he should have been free to submit TO the
investigation of the board, taking it's report
as final and authoritative, instead of making
himself party to oppose the board.
Mr.. Marbury said this was a very serious
thing, and it was the duty of the board to
iihotfGughiy lnvestlgate it and protect the pub
lie from poisonous edibeS. He was sorry to
see MIR. Freund present to hear such personal
remarks, but it was his own fault, and he must
not complain. To his mind there was no sort
OF doubt but that poison was contained in the
putfs, aud Mr.. F. should have been willing and
ready to court the fullest Investigation and
own up to the possibility of such accident, or
Mr.. Freund's name had not been mentioned at
any puolle meeting of the board before last
night, and it was the duty of the board to keep
Such things to itself until it was found to be
necessary to give it to the public. Nothing
would have been known of this matter until
after the board had fully investigated il
anu iounu out the guilty party, had it not
nave been for the newspapers. The puffs were
poisoned, without doubt. AS to Dr. AntiSeIl
he supposed he did as he had been EMPLOYED
to do. Any chemist would have done the
same. The fault was with Mr. Freund in
giving the putfs to Dr. A. four or five days
after the occurrence, and the probability is
that not one of the lot containing poison had
been given him. How much better would il
have been had Mr.. F. turned over this thing to
the Board of Health for an authoritative and
OifGlal statement, He would have suffered
nothing by it, and his business would have
received no injury. He would not charge that
DR.. Antisell was dlshOnOrabe man. nor thai
he had acted unprCsesSionally. His mischief
was in publishing his report.
Mr.. Freund here stated that some of the
pufS sent to DR.. AntiSell were of the same
batch as those eaten by the Hannemau and
Cobb families. He had written Il letter to Dr..
Verdi, inviting him TO examine his premises
TO see II anything was wrong.
Here DR.. Cox read the atfidayitS of the bakers
and other employees in Mr.. Freund's shop, set
ting forth that the cream puffs were made by
the Welestablished formula in use among the
pest cOnfectloners DR.. Cox continued, saving
he had no doubt that the puffS contained poi.
son. but did not believe Freund knew any
lhlng OF 1T. He cOmplimented the president of
the board IN bringing up this whole subject
belonging as II did to the board of health. He
regretted that publicity had been given to this
matter, and he hoped that i'm future such mat
tiers would come before them with closed
doors. In regard to DR.. AntiSell he believed