Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-02-25
noe Us rATENT MEDICINES.


A Wilmington druggist is authority foi
! the statement that there are some people
living in this city who, for the sake of the
few cents involved and despite the pre-.
yalling practice here of selling most pro-
prietary remedies below manufacturers
retail prices, have passed by their reliable
home druggists and thrown away their
money for the bogus compounds offered
for sale by the Philadelphia sharpers,
which the Times of that city shows up as
follows:
There were so retail druggists present
at the special meeting of the Trade Asso-
citation of Philadelphia Druggists, at
Friendship Hall, southwest corner of
Twelfth and Filbert streets, Thursday
afternoon. William b. Thompson pre-
sided. Albert L. Fetter, who claims to
be a druggist of this city, was roughly
handled by report of n committee. read
by the chairman, NJ. N. Kline. Fetter
has had various places of abode in the
city; and according TO Mr.. k!ine's state
ment to the druggists he is Il conf lenre
man and sharper who has pl ,yel MI
sorts OF tricks upon the drug ir,dr.
His plan of operations was to write to
manufacturer of patent medicines that
he had Il number of his buttles OF medi
cines on hand, the wrappers md labels
of which were in a damaged condition,
and request that wrappers he seht TO him
to repair the goods. lie alWn,N blamed
the destruction of the labels ON u damp
or an overhowed cellar. Ii the manu-
farturer sent the labels, Fttter filled up
bottles with vile preparation which re-
sembled the genuine article, put on the
new labels and wrappers and sold them
as the Simon-pure article.
Fetter has been playing this game for
some time. few months ago DR.. Philip
Q. Sanderson brought Fetter before one
of the police magistrates for vending his
"Herbs of joy with counterfeit wrap
pers about them, Fetter was indicted, |
but he was acquitted for want of legal |
proof of his knowledge that the wrappers |
were counterfeit
1t was also shown by documentary evi-
dence presented to the meeting that Fet- |
ter's correspondence with the manufac-
turers was sometimes conducted by w. |
I. Totten, dealer in patent medicines,
672 North Tenth street, in this city
Mr.. 1otten was found selling bogus
"Kennedy's Favorite Remedy at his
store by DIR. Kennedy, of Baltimore, who
walked into Totten's store and purchased
a bottle. Totten had written to Kennedy |
that he had five dozen of the Remedy on
hand in an unsaleable condition and asked
him to send wrappers. When DR.. Ken
nedy discovered that bogus article of
his Favorite Remedy was being sold by
Iotten he was very angry. Totten signed
a paper never to do so again, ''for and in
consideration of DIR. Kennedy not sub
lecting me to any legal measures for SELL
ing bogus Favorite Remedy, having found
the medicine in my hand"
This confession was read to the meet
ing.
THE MUTUAL REFERENCE scgEME.
Totten also promised DIR. Kennedy
never to purchase any more of his goods
from Albert L. Fetter, who sometimes
to live at lilo Thurlow street
md at other times at 635 Fairmount
lvenue.
Whenever Fetter wrote to the manu-
for wrappers and told the old
story about cellar full of water partly
this goods he referred to
rotten. Sometimes Totten referred to
Fetter as q square man when he wrote to
the manufacturers. Totten is known to
the manufacturers as q patent medicine
leaier. He runs the largest cut-rate
Wholesale and retail drug establishment
in the city.
There was mass OF letters from both
Totten and Fetter to the various patent
manufacturers of the country
read at the meeting. One of them created
laughter. Fetter sent a letter TO J. O.
Agar d Go. the sarsaparilla manufacturers.
He enclosed faded photograph of Lydia
Pinkham and told the old story about
damp cellar and bad wrappers. He
wanted about five dozen Pinkham wrap
pers and some sarsaparilla wrappers, but
ne did not get them. Agar & Go. conned
he letter over and wrote on the back of
III: "This fellow is rascal. He wants
wrappers to put around his own trash"
Mr.. Fetter then evidently got mad, for
le wrote to Hood, the other sarsaparilla
nan, for some of his wrappers. He said
= Six dozen of your sarsaparilla We're in
NY flooded cellar and soaked the wrappers
md circulars to pulp. Your sarsapa-
rilla is in great demand. sell double
he quantity of yours as do of Ayers or
my other kind"
FILLING EMPTY BOTTLES.
An affidavit of Anna Curten of 635 ,
Fairmount avenue, was read. Fetter
boarded at her house. She says "Fetter
frequently received boxes containing
oottles, which he was in the habit of
'toring for short time in the cellar.
Then often saw him take these boxes of
bottles upstairs into his room and there /
Jaw him filling bottles with liquids"
Mrs. Curten denied also that her cellar
vas ever wet or flooded.
Mr.. Wenrich stated that Fetter worked
or Burpee & Co., seed dealers, some
Years ago. and that he and his brother
George had been arrested some years ago
n connection with fraud on the post
,ffice at Chester, Pa,
After discussion of the matter it was
lgreed to appoint committee to see the
druggists in every ward in the city for the
purpose of obtaining subscriptions to
print the whole history of the transac-
ions of Totten and Fetter in connection
With bogus patent medicines.