The herald., 1895-05-01
The Cudahy Packing Company
in Court
MUCH EXPERT TESTIMONY
DR.. Davisson Says the Process Is the
Best Known
The Testimony Fails to Show 4 Violation Of
tine Ordinance and the Case Taken
Under Amusement

Justice owens court room was well
filled with people yesterday to hear the
evidence in the case of the people vs.
Roberts. About ten DAYS ago William
Burness, former employee of the Cud-
ahy company. called at the city attorneys
Office and asked for complaint against
W. f. Roberts. the manager for the
Cudahy Packing company, for slaughter
ing animals, not killed for the purpose
of curing or packing. He stated that he
knew that freshly killed cattle were sold,
against the provisions OF the ordinance,
and Mr.. Dunn, believing that the ordi-
nance was generally being vi llted, issued
the desired complaint.
When the case was called yesterday
William Burgess, the complaining wit
ness, was first placed upon the stand anG
testified that he is packing house
man.. that he knew Mr.. Roberts, but did
not know of his own knowledge that the
Cudahy company 9 Id fres hly killed meats.
Felix Levy, a resail butcher, next took
the stand and testified that he knew Mr..
Roberts and saw him at the packing
house on March 2sth last. when it was
alleged by the prosecution that freshly
killed side of h,ef was sold to him. He
said that on that day he purchased part
of beef that it was in cold storage in
the refrigerating room and was cured.
He said that he was made present OF a
beefs head containing some brains, put
that the meat had btel removed and also
the tongue, which were used for packing
purposes.
Max Lowenthal. attorney for the defend
ant. moved that the defendant be dis
plant char ed the defendant with selling
freshly killed cattle, and that the evil
dence clearly showed that the meat sold
was delivered from cold storage aid had
been cured.
The c, urt overruled the me to dis
miss. anu me defense opened ...id uAlled
its first witness W E. Roberts, who testi-
fled as follows: THE Cudahy Company
kills cattle for packing and curing pur..
roses, and for no other. When slaughtered
the cattle are removed into the refrig-
Grating room under TEN perature Of 40
to As degrees and left there for forty eight
hours. and II per cent of the cattle SO
or smoked. The side OF beef sold to Felix
Levy went through the regular curing
process. / have been in the packing bust
ness for sixteen years. and at one time
was general manager west OF the Missis-
sippi river for the Armour Packing Com
pany. and the process used in this city by
the Cudahy company is exactly the sam
process used in general by Armour and all
the large packing houses in the east, and
is the most modern method. Meat so
cured can be kept for year. and is suffi-
ciently cured for all purposes in two
days. The piece sold to Levy was in the
refrig Grating room for forty-eight hours,
in there was 45 degrees, and never went
above that.
DR.. j. H.. Davisson. president of the
state board of health, was next called as
a scientific expert, and he testified as fol
lows: "A few days ago | went through the
Cudahy company's place by request and
examined carcasses in process OF curing.
The refrigerating process in use there
arrests putrefaction and decomposition OF
meat and causes the preservation OF the
meat. Keeping it in refrigerating room
for forty eight hours kills the germs of
bacteria and arrests the chemical changes.
By this process the meat changes from
soft to hard or set condition and as
sumes pink color in appearance. This
system OF refrigerating by means OF p pes
through the room the same as in an ice
house. is preferable to freezing, and by
this system the meat loses two per cent
weight. BY subjection to a refrigerating
process bacteria is prevented. Meat when
cured by this system can be kept indefl-
nitely. and it is the most effective process
of curing know of. Meat can also be
| cured by sailing, by the addition Of acids,
| and by smoking. which prevents the de-
velopment of germs. Meat removed from
| the refrigerating room into the ordi-
| nary temperture of the city will keep for
! prevented for that time, although parts
| may decay.
BY Mr.. Crutchen-WilI meat be cured
which has been in the refrigerating room
| for only twenty-f, Vi hours?
DR.. Davisson-Yes sir, as far as that
| process does cure it. | examined the
| beef in the refrigerating room and found
| it to be free from animal heat. and to
have an even temperature of As degrees.
| The meat was cured by the most modern
| system.
I,r. Carl Kurtz next took the stand and
| testified that he visited the Cudahy
| place and found meat in the refrigeratng
room: !. that he placed the thermometer
| inside of the sides of beef and found the
! temperature to be As degrees. The meat
| was very hard pink in appearance and
fully cured according to the most modern
methods. By this curing process bac-
terra is prevented and the meat can be re-
moved and will keep for several days.
NJ. H. Welles of the Cudahy company
was next called and said that he had been
connected with packing houses III Scot
land, England. Canada and in the east
and that the curing process used by the
Cudahy company is the same as used al
| over tne country, anu Is tuc DtSI kHOWu.
He bered the particular piece o
beef sold to Levy and said that it was 6
heavy beef and weighed 800 pounds and
had been in the refrigeratng room fol
at least three days. Meat cured the same
as is done by Cudahy is cured in Chicago
and shipped to Liverpool.
DIR. A. G. Brainerd next testified tina
he visited the Cudahy place and saw the
meat in the reirigerating room. He sale
that the temperature was As degrees and
that the process arrests putrefaction anC
bacteria and is the best known curing
procets. The flesh of the meat he saw
vas fine. had pink tint and fully cured
He placed the thermometer under tn
meat and found the temperature ranging
from 40 to As degrees.
Mr.. Roberts was recalled and said tina
the Cudahy Company only killed meat 70
curing and packing purposes. That SOM
meat so cured was sold that II per cen
of the beef killed was corned. smoked o
picked. and the remainder Sold
J. B. Rutland was called and said tina
he had purchased meat from the Cudah,
Company, and the defense was about t,
prove the curing process by him whel
Mr.. Crutcher interrupted and said tina
he would admit that the Cudahy Com
pany cures meat, but he contended tina
the defendant was on trial for selling
particular piece of beef which was no
cured.
Mr.. r.Lowenthal-That is exactly what W
wanted you to say. We were of the opin
ion that you claimed that we generall
violated the ordinance and that we di'