The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-24
THE MONDAY MAUNDERER.

The other day a wholesale grocery house Of
this city shipped back to New York city, to the
manufacturers, of whom it had been bought
seven barrels of cream of tartar. Two deaths, not
in indianapolis but elsewhere in Indiana, were
belived to have resulted from It's use, and ana
lytic chemist on examination found that it con-
tanned deadly proportion of arsenic. How did
the poison get therel That question is answered
in this way: Cream of tartar is sold at whole
sale at from fifteen cents to forty cents pound.
Pare cream of tartar cannot be sold under the
latter figure except in extremely large quant-
ties. and then only two Or three cents lower
Fictitious orartificial cream of tartar is made TO
sell at almost any price. The cheapest is made
OF Rao1n, or Lawrence county clay,
with sulphuric acid rubbed up in It,
1t will absorb large quantities
of that acid 1t is supposed that III making this
cream Of tartar, of which, perhaps, several tons
were made at the same time, that barrel of
arsenic, which happened to he lying around
loose, got mixed up with the kaOiin, as, OF
course, the addition was not made purpOsely. 1t
is fortunate that the arsenic itself was of the
commercial variety, and, following the demands
of trade, largely adulterated with plaster of
paris, or more deaths would have resulted. Per
haps, as 1t Is, the returns are not all in. What
this country needs is a national law to punish
manufacturers OF fraudulent articles of food and
medicine Wholesalers. rs rule, are in favor of
selling honest goods. 1t is the customer, who
wants things cheap, and the retailer, who wants
large profits, that encourage swindles and substi
buttons.
while Governor Whitcomb was in his second
term" said a reminscential friend, "he came
before the Legislature as a candidate for the
United States Senate. IL was not understood
that he had any opposition, but Jesse D. Bright.
who vas OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES and had been
United States marshal, and had made many
friends, but was not esteemed rival of Whit
comb in accomplishments and solid attainments
so managed things that he was elected. Whit
comb cut to the quick, but kept his mouth
Theoretically sealed. and retained Brgbps friend
ship by doing so. Two years later Bright helped
Whtcomb to the coveted place In the Senate
-Four years later Bright was candidate FOR re-
election. Robert Dale Owen was aspirant,
ana Percy Hosbrook of this county was under
stood TO be well disposed toward him. In the
evening, just before the meeting of the caucus,
Bright came to Hosbrook at the Palmer and
asked bin TO vote for him brightly Yes, Sen
ator, will said HosbrOok, out / thought
would first give complimentary vote 10 Mr..
Owen"
Mr.. Hos5rook,' said Bright with much dig
pity you will not have an opportunity to vote
for me unless you do so on the first ballot
when the roll was called Hosbrook, whose
name was well up near the head o. the list an
swered, Jesse, the flower of Dunbane,' which
he had been considered an Owens man, ana
as IL raised laugh, was great thing for Bright,
who was nominated. He never forgot Hos
brook, and for years he was fairly deuSed with
pubic documents, sent by the grateful sena
tor"
The patrons of the Pennsylvania street-car
line at It's north end are alarmed at rumor that
the company proposes to make that end of the
line run west on Washington street to the Hos
pital for the Insane, instead Of to the Union de-
pot and stock-yards. The johnson streetcar
company have the admirable faculty OF doing
those things thaT should not be done and not
DONG those things that should be done better
than any monopoly that this city has ever had
to ceal with. It is to be hoped though, that this
change will not be made.
~
THE bair-dye business said downtown
barber to the Maunderer, "ie about played out
don't color head of hair once in three months
now, and, as to painting moustaches, I don't
do tenth as much OF that as 1 used to. Very
little of 1t done by city folks, except now and
then an old fellow who has a young wife or u
WHOEVER who wants to marry again. A few
years ago we had IL yonng trade fellows with
light or sandy mOnst aches wanted them painted