St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-04-11
POISONED FLOUR.
A Sensation i'm the Produce
Market
What a Chemical Analysis Disclosed
Regarding a Shipment from
JOnesbOrOugh, Hi.
POISONED FLOUR.
New Orleans Picayune.

There appeared in q country news
{ paper of recent date an account OF th
evil effects produced on a number o
people by the eating of a consignment
of flour received from New Orleans
This story getting noised about, and Fl
{ nally coming to the knowledge of some
of the mercantile csmmunity here, crea
Ted an impression that such occurrences
might prove prejudicial to the gOoC
name of this market, and it was agreed
that it should bear searching inVesti-
cation, SO as to place the responsibility
where it rightly belonged. A clear
understanding of the facts of the case
being more quickly arrived at by relat-
ing events as they came into promi-
nene,; the following extract from the
March 26 issue of the NatchitOches Re-
view will deserve first mention as being
the original cause of drawing attention
to the matter:
ADULTERATED FLOUR.
"a short time ago Mr.. A. Lambre
Prud,hOmme, an energetic and reliable
merchant on Cane River, about twelve
miles below here, received twenty-five
barrels of -four from his commission
merchants, Messrs Berkson Bros, of
New Orleans. He sold it all the next
day after it was received, mostly to the
cOlored people in the neighb0rhood.
! Strange to say that within twenty-fOur
hours after he had. sold it, every man,
woman and child who had eaten of the
| flour was taken sick with violent vom-
ltlng and purging. Mr.. Prud'homme
promptly instructed his customers to
return the -four, witch they did, when
he shipped it back to Messrs. BerksOD
Bros, who informed him that they had
bought the -four on the levee, believing
it to be good -four. What is the cOun-
try coming tor
This plain, unyarnished statement of
the occurrence, would seem calculated
at first light to place New Orleans, as a
flour market, in a very unfavOrable
light by intimating the possibility Of
the flour in question having been mixed
IN store here,and so adulterated as to
secure to the handler a larger profit at
the expense of public health.
With a view of throwing more light
on the matter, and removing, if Dracti-
cable any such impression, a reDresen-
tative of the Picayune set about lnves-
tigating the case with the following re-
suits:
A visit to Messrs. Berkson Bros,
commission merchants and grocers, do
ing business on South Peters street be- |
tween Common and Gravier, elected |
the information that the main facts as |
related by the Natchitoehes Review
were IN substance correct, the flour in |
question having been shipped by them
in good faith, on orders from the coun-
try, and subsequently, returned as re-
ported. Mr. Berkson informed the re-
porter that about the end of February,
being IN need OF q small amount of
family fonr for shipment on orders re-
celved from the country, and that style
goods being scarce, he purchased by
sample an entire lot consisting of fifty
barrels from NJ. Rogers & Co.. commits,
sion merchants, at No. 98 Magazine
street, and within few days shipDed
the entire amount in smaller lots but
lnbrOken packages to seven different
sections of country. Mr.. Berkson fur
5her stated that the -four was sold to
him, and he firmly believes, in entire
good faith, purpOrting to be XXX -four,
and was subsequently disposed of to
MS customers in the ordinary course of
;rade. The reporter was also told, that
n the rapid disposal of the -four
caused by the call for it, the original
shipping mark, large sized o, printed
n blue ink, was left intact on each i
package and not erased, as is sOme- ,
lines done for the substitution of prl.
yate marks, the grade of the goods and :
he name of the firm being simply :
branded on the barrel heads, thereby i
making Identification of the entire lot
,Ossible. :
Had the after effects been limited to !
me section of country, Mr.. Berkson :
tated, ne would have attributed the !
ickness produced to bad water, or !
ONE defective yeast powder or raising :
mixed with the flourl and /
vOuld have received back his goods :
nd thought no more of the matter. in :
pite of the publication in the Natchi- q
Oches Review but after the first lot +
ad been returned, the other shipments =
Fhlch had been sent to widely seDara- +
ed sections of country, came in sue .
and with the same COM 4
laints of sickness produced, until at y
his writing every barrel of the original i,
fly has been returned or accounted :;
)r. This, of course, demonstrated that :
le flour itself contained the substance I
etrimental to health complained of. +
The Board of Flour inspectors was = :,
ppealed to, and pronounced the -four "
very poor quality and ungradable,
ut nevertheless sound. In spite Of
lis, however, Messrs. Berkson Bros, o
iIlHg Oh Ine auVlc0 OF Jne Plcayun6 Il
sent sample of each 6
arrel to Mr.. John johnson the eminent Il
chemist at the Charity Hos y
tai, to be analyzed, so as to fully de- h
terious substance in the -four. y,
Mr.. johnson, on Friday last, made a 81
'actical examination of the -four. and q,
lding a little water, made paste Of
Minute black particulars, visible to 4,
g naked eye, appeared in quantities, d
dicatIng the presence of rust or smut K
the flour. o, b