The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-21
THE HEATH BOARD INQUIRY.
More About the Sale of Bad Beef and
0leomargarine on the Markets.
Attorney Spaan Gets Excited and Calls the
Members Of the Council Committee Fools.
but Afterwards Makes Retraction.

The special committee Of Council having
charge of what is really the Board of Health in
vestigation, although Health Officer Barker ap-
pears principally as the subject of testimony.
spent all of yesterday in examining witnesses as
to the sale of bull beef and oleomargarine on the
market. In the report of their last meeting
Peter Sindlingers testimony given so as
to make it appear that Barker condemned steer
meat hanging in his shop. Mr.. Sindlinger did
not know it was there, as it came to the shop
while he was away. He noticed at once VIXEN
he saw the character of the meat and teIephoned
the man from whom he purchased it to come and
take it away. The witness then told Barker of
the matter who got trace of it after it left Sind
fingers and condemned it. Sindlinger testified
that he sold only first-class meats and did not
sell on the market
Gideon 3. Thompson. of the Evening News,
told the committee Of a conversation he had
some time ago with Barker. He asked him about
bad meats on the market and the officer gave
him an evasive answer, but admitted that bull
meat had been sold there because good meat was
hard to get The witness thought Barker to be
good officer if he had no string tied to him. IF
he is turned loose" said Mr.. Thompson, mo bet
ter inspector can be had, and if the Board of
Health instructed him to prosecute offenders, l
am satisfied he would DO it."
Fred d. Miners testimony related to the sale
of oleomargarine He had bought pound of
what was represented to him as butter On
taking it home and melting it, the top showed
butter, but the bottom nothing but dirty
sample to the Board of Health
Office where he saw Barker who said he would
have it tested He never heard anything more
of the matter, not even after calling the officers
attention to it again.
Frank Queisser said he never sold bull beef if
he knew it to be such He could not tell that
kind of meat from that of stag. He took beef
left over by wholesale men and sold it out.
A. b. Lawrence testified that every body in
that line on the market sold oleomargarine with
out label The Warket master had instructed
him to label it or throw it away Barker came
around and said there was none of il unlabeled
and the witness did nothing more. He can dis
tinguish between butter and oleomargarine by
the coarse grain.
During this testimony, Henry Span, who
attends the Board Of Health side of
the case became excited at a refer
ence to Councilman Cummings interest
in the matter as the who started the investi-
CATION The lawyer said the committeeman who
reported the charges, Councilmen McGroarty
Cummings and Smithers were fools. City At
torney Taylor objected to the denunciation of
act further IN the matter until Span retracted
what he had said This the lawyer did, and the
testimony was resumed without further incident.
George w. Newcomb said he ceased to be
health officer April q. One day he went into
Secretary Wands's Office and told him about the
sale of oleomargarine Wands said, Somebody
has told me that Clark has $4,000 with
which to fight the law will not file
oeomargarine do it." Barker bought pound of
it, and pound of butter. He gave them to
Clerk Miller to take to his wife. to if
she could detect the difference The oleomar
garine was bought unlabeled. The witness had
gone with Barker hundred times to the stock
yards, and never saw him cut down or destroy
bad meats.
In the afternoon, Milton Ponder, August Rahe.
X. Vorhs and other butchers gave evidence for
the defense They said the market for the past
three years had oeen getting better and better.
Bull meat cannot be sold there, and if it was
no one could tell the difference be-
tween it and stag. DR.. Wards
denounced the story of Newcomb in regard TO
the oleomargarine "a lie out of whole CLOTH"
Officers were instructed to condemn bad meats
of whatever kind, and no one had sought to in
huence the board in the way of protection in
The sale of bull or any other questionable meats
The same statement applied to oleomargarine
Newcomb had been before the board three times
and was discharged finally because he did not do
his duty. One case. thai OF the killing of a can
cer-ja steer since January had been reported
TO the grand jury, anc another was the seizure
of calf shipped from Shebyvile. He did not
remember other instances of the kind within
that time
DR.. Brennan, president of the board, gave
similar testimony The board, at the request of
the Council, had investigated the sale of bull
beef, and from six or seven butchers learned
that mono had been offered for sale in the mar
ket This was all the testimony, although Coun-
Gilman Cummings and others had been invited
to attend the two meetings. There was no
ahnnt fha naktnr AT Tho lact mo
Cummings refused to come. The testimony
closed with this witnesses statement