News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-08-27
A STARTLING STORY.
CHICAGO BEEF AS 1T Is FOUND!
Why it Ii that so Many Persons are Poisoned
by Eating Chicago Beef.
From the Chicago News.J

roads at the stockyards, and there wit
messed sight sufficient to turn any on
against the consumption of beef. Rails
ers OF beef, as a rule, when they shiI
ther stock to market, show disposition
10 crowd too many cattle into car, and
tne result is that while in transit severa
OF them are prostrated in the car, and
are unable to rise. OF course while in
TINS position they are trampled upon by
= the remaining cattle in shocking man.
ner, and instead of being sold for beef
should be sent to the rendering Tank
put the stock yard scalper is on hand to
take all such cattle. The shipper does
not want to lose by the accident, and
sells the injured animals to the scalpeJ
ior almost any price. The latter has
them dressed, and sells them for the
highest price. The flesh of such cattle
Is unfit for food, but owing to the laxitY
OF inspection at the stock yards the traffic
mas grown until it has reached vast pro-
portions.
Inc burlington platform was visited
III IN time to see train of cars unloaded.
Inc cattle were crowded in the car in an
lhhuman manner, and in seven of tho
cars numerous steers were down and
bruised badly. The necks of several
ANIMALS were raw and bleeding, and the
llmbs were black. The uniniured ami
mas, when the doors were opened.
Jumped from the cars and scampered
into the pens. The manned animals
were unable to move, and moaned pit
eously when the heavy hoof of a wild
[ bovine was planted upon them. When
the cars had been emptfed- alI-exeeps-
the manned steers the ''punchers" went
to work to drag the latter out. A large
rope was procured and tied around the
horns of each of the steers. The rope
was attached to singletree to which
was hitched a horse and the word to go
was given. The dumb brute was whisked
over on its back in a twinkling and
1ammed against the side of the car in
manner that made it howl with pain
When the platform was reached it was
dragged over the rough boards perhaps
fifty feet, and there allowed to lie and
swelter in the sun. Ten MANNED cattle
were taken from the train and placed on
the platform. They were not given any.
thing to eat or drink, although they had
been without food and water for sixteen
hours. When the cowboys had dispersed
a reporter inspected the almost dead
cattle. Each was in highly infamed
and feverish condition, and obviously the
flesh was not fit for human food. But il
was sold, nevertheless, and stands good
chance of being converted into canned
coTned beef or dried beef.
The platform of the Northwestern road
was next visited and similar sight wit
messed. Six head of ''downed" cattle
were drawn fran the cars by means of
horse and rope and subsequently sold to
scalpers. The Alton platform contained
two manned bIutes. They were so badly
trampled upon that they were unable to
turn in any way.
The Exchange building at the stock
yard is the rendezvous for scalpers,
drovers and commission men, The
drover hires a commission man to sell
his stock, and the commission man and
the scalpers are bosom friends. IL
would be next to impossible to sell
MANNED brute to any first-class butcher,
and the idea of shipping it to any other
city is absurd. So the scalper steps in
and takes the cripple off the drover's
hands for about $40.
The scalper, the commission man
and the reporter went to the Burlington
platform to inspect the crippled cattle.
Three badly bruised beeves were sold
for $40, although the scalper believed
that he was paying too much. How to
get them from the stock Yards to the
slaughter house without the inspectors
knowing it was the next question, but
it was soon settled The dead animal
dray with high sideboards, was secured
for 50 per animal. The driver wanted
more, but contented himself when in
formed that the job was good for so.
The dray was driven on the platform,
close to one of the injured steers. A
block and tackle was then secured and
attached to the horns of the animal. The
horse was then unhitched from the dray
and harnessed to the pully. The reaJ
end of the dray was lowered until it was
on level with the animals neck. when
the horse was started forward. Gradu4
ally the steer went in the same direction,
and in about a minute was secure In
the vehicle. The horse was again hitched
to the dray and the journey to a packing
house on Archer avenue began. The
ride over the rough road and in the
springless dray was sufficient to kill al
most anything, but the steer survived
the ordeal. When the slaughter house
was reached the dray was driven through
a narrow passageway and near the sham
bles. The steer was dumped on the
floor and subjected to the toughest OF
treatment. The distance from the
butchers stand to where the steer lay
was about twenty-five feet. A rope, at
tached to steam windlass, was thrown
over the steers horns, and in about three
seconds he was jerked into the stand,
bleeding from the sundry wounds.
Then the butcher procured a sledge-
hammer and battered in the beasts
brains. His throat was cut and purple
blood flowed from the cash. A waiter
got large tin pan and placed it under
the wound to save the blood. He was
asked what he was going to do with it,
and remarked that it was to be conver-
ted into blood sausages and liverwurst.
When the hide had been taken from the
animal the wounds it had received stood
out prominently. The carcass was black
and blue and the tongue swollen and
covered with dark blotches. 1t appeared
to be in highly inflamed state. Cold
water was poured upon the carcass In
great quantities to prevent it from sour
inc. it was then run back on skids to
a cool part of the building and allowed
to stand until the animal heat had left
il. Then it was carted to Jackson
street stall and sold.
"Who eats such beef2" was the ques-
ton put to an individual in the packing
house.
"Well, it's purity hard to tell"
care the inspectors very rigidp
"Occasionally so, but if a man hasn't
too bad a steer the inspectors will let
him through"
''Do you kill many cattle that are as
bad as the one that just went out2'
Eyes, in winter time we kill wusser
cattle than that"
"Where do you think the beef came
from that poisoned the people in Mo-
menceG"
From Chicago, of course. All the
dried and corned beef that goes East or
West is from this town"
A FAIRY LAND.-Alaska, according to
a newspaper correspondent, is sort of
fairy land in summer The almost con-