The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-26
HEWITTS ARE ON TRIAL
Charged with Maintaining a Public
Nuisance Near Taylor.
TESTIMONY OF PROSECUTION
It Is to the Effect That tho Dessicnting
Works the Defendants Conduct Is tho
Distributing Point OF Large As.
sortment Of Disagrccablc OdOrs.

Distributing Point or u Large AS
sortment Of Disa grccublc OdOrs.
A case of great Importance to the
people of Taylor and its vicinity was
tried before Judge Peck, in court room
No. 2, yesterday. The defendants were
f.. IL. and, w. II, Hewitt. proprietors
of the Lackawanna Dessicating works.
near Taylor They are charged with
maintaining a public nuisance that is
dangerous to the health of people re-
siding thereabouts and the cause of
great disgust and discomfort. County
Detective Thomas Leyshon is the pros
ecutor. and yesterday Assistant Dis
trict Attorney John NJ. Harris and At
torney |. ii. Burns conducted the case
for the commonwealth. Attorneys
Ward 4 Horn and Attorney John =.
Kelly appeared for the defendants.
DR.. Il. Il. Weston. health officer of
Taylor borough. was the first witness.
He said the odor that Is waited from
the works conducted by the Hewltts Is
intolerable and liable to cause an epi-
demic. He was directed by the state
Dbdiu VI lIttllll W NiSlN TIC W Npi No oiih
in pursuance of this order went upon
the premises of the Hewitts and in
spected the factory and the method
by which the concern manufactures It's
fertilizers. Dead animals are placed In
large watts and boiled and steamed un-
til the flesh was separated from the
bones. This process causes a stencil TO
arise which has a tendency to create
vomiting sensation.
stencil Caused sickness.
w. Is. Owens was the second wit
ness. His house is nearest to the works
and the stencil caused his wife to be-
come sick. Her sister came to nurse
her. and she, too, became i'll. His chill
dren also We're frequently Ill in conse-
quence of the disagreeable odor
William Price had occasion to drive
to Taylor last summer with his wife
and while passing along Main avenue
Mrs. Price became i'll in consequence of
the scent-laden air that came from the
direction of the Hewitts' factory.
Conductor McGill and Motorman Jo-
seph d. Knike. OF an electric car that
runs to Taylor. said that when pass
ing within range of the factory in
question the disgusting odor caused
them to apply their handkerchefs to
their nostrils. They had seen passen-
gers do the same.
DR.. j. w. Houser was sworn and cor
roborated the story told by DR.. Weston
as to the nature Of the operations car
ried on by the Hewitts. Michael Nc
Donald, who lives at Oak street and
Main avenue, Taylor, said that since
the Hewitt works We're established
near Taylor twelve or thirteen years
ago. people residing in the vicinity
Of his home have suffered the greatest
inconvenience from the bad odors on
summer evenings II has often been
necessary to shut the doors and win
dows of the houses to keep out the
horrid stencil.
Health Officer Alien.
DR.. W. E. Allen health officer of this
city, said that during the last seven
years he had frequently visited the
Hewitt works in his official capacity
While the works were conducted as we'll
as such establishments can be, the odor
llidI IL 5lNNil Acl III ALOlIl IL 10 VI SuSH d
nature as to be very disagreeable to
persons living in the vicinity of the
factory.
William Luce, Taylor merchant, and
Irwin Smith, farmer, swore that the
odor from the Hewitt place caused
them great physical discontinue. John
P. Griffiths testified that he had to leave
E'aItzyilIa which had haar bic bora FOR
years, on account of the odors which
brought the Hewitts into court. He
now resides in Taylor. James Powell
who lives at Oak street and Main ave-
nue., suffered a great deal from the dis
agreea BILE odors from the factory, as did
Burgess w. P. Grifiiths, of Taylor. The
latter testified that he had seen a thick
coating of slime and maggots as large
as his thumb floating down the stream
on the bank Of which the Hewitt factory
Is located.
Walter Jones and VI. c. Judge, mem
bers of the board of health, testified to
the many complaints lodged with them
about the stencil from the factory
They visited the place two weeks ago
by invitation of the Hewitts and found
everything in good condition on that
day. They were shown the machinery
a bottle of whisky and some cigars.
Identified the Odors.
Patrolman Thomas Virginia Lewis, of
this city. frequently passed the Hewitt
works and identified the odors he there
detected as the same mischief workers
that his olfactory organs told him were
In Feltzville and on the main road lead
ing to Taylor. The odor was very
strong and Of anything but an agreeable
nature.
Walter Townsend and Albert Reyn-
olds, employed on the Scranton Trac-
ton company's Taylor line, said that
the streaks Of vile odors they ploughed
through going to and coming from Tay-
lor frequently made them sick and also
seemed to have bad effect on the pas
sengers they carried. Daniel Gilavary,
who lives on Oak street. which leads to
I,alt,uil1a UrTha .1nr tuac Tho O. -, =.